Renewing The Mind

Conforming to the ways of the world is what comes naturally. Without any effort, one's life will be molded into a perfect image of the lost souls of this realm. However, God calls men and women to be transformed. The result of this transformation will be a life acceptable to God.

The word of God says,

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your rational service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2, ESV

Mind renewal, then, includes at least these two factors:

1. Testing (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
   
2. Discernment (Ephesians 5:10)

The polluted "version" of Christianity that encourages one to check his or her mind at the door has no power. Salvation comes by the grace of God when we will engage our minds in the pursuit of righteousness.

That's true renewal of the mind.

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Power-Packed Prayer

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:13-16, ESV

Three components of effective prayer seen here in these verses:

1) Persistence (v. 13-14)
2) Faith (v. 15)
3) Confession (v. 16a)
3) Righteous living (v. 16b)

Prayer is packed with power when these components are present. When we communicate with the Lord in the way he has prescribed, prayer has "great power as it is working."

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Knit Together In Love

...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ...
Colossians 2:2, ESV

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Colossians 2:18-19, ESV

These verses in Paul's God-breathed letter to the church of Christ in Colossae reveal several keys for healthy growth of the body of Christ (i.e. the church of Christ - see Ephesians 1:22-23).

1. Mutual encouragement among members is essential to to being "knit together in love" (v. 2a).
2. Unity in the body will ensure the attainment of the goal of all God's people -- spiritual riches, assurance, understanding, and knowledge (v. 2b).
3. Without the Head (i.e. Christ), the body (i.e. church) cannot truly function (v. 19a).
4. When the church is nourished by Christ and bound together by the joints and ligaments of brotherly love, all growth will be Godly growth (v. 19b).
5. This being the case, sound (i.e. healthy) doctrine (i.e. teaching) and mutual love amongst the people of God are both indespensable components of the life and growth of the body of Christ.

How have you shown your love for Christ and your spiritual family today? How can you better serve the Head (Christ Jesus) and be those "joints and ligaments" of love that act as a moving, stablizing force in the body of Christ?

I'm thankful for all of you who are striving to this end.

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Getting Back Into Shape

Several weeks ago, a local chiropractic office was one of several entities invited to set up a booth at one of our home rugby matches. I cannot figure out what would make them think rugby players might need a slight spine adjustment, can you?

After the game was over, I paid a visit to the booth where one of the doctors laid me on a table and stretched me out (which felt quite good). I was also given a certificate that gives me a credit for $50 at one of their offices. The heading on the certificate says, "Get Your Back In Shape."

With all the pounding and violent collisions over the course of a normal week in rugby, I doubt very seriously that anyone has a back that could be described as "in shape." So these docs were right on target in their business strategy.

As the certificate is laying here on my desk, it got me to thinking about how easy it is for a child of God to get "misaligned." The world and all the trappings thereof are a constant source of pressure. Satan exerts a mighty force in this world, and if we do not take the proper care in dealing with those threats, we may very easily find ourselves in need of getting back into shape.

Consider the following factors, each of which may contribute to causing spiritual misalignment:

• Friendship with the world (James 4:4)
• Being stained by the world (James 1:27)
• Possessing undue love for the world (1 John 2:15-17)
• Conformation to the world (Romans 12:2)

Should we ever find ourselves living in-step with the world, we will of necessity be out of step with the Lord. Humble confession to the Father coupled with genuine penitence is the prescription for forgiveness offered by the great Physician.

Now, to get this spine of mine back in working order...

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The Lord's Merciful Offer

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18, ESV

It is remarkable to me that the same God that the same God who declared unto us the transcendence of his ways and thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) makes this offer to such a feeble minded people -- an offer to reason with us! His offer of sin-cleansing grace -- sufficiently powerful to remove any trace of iniquity -- is given when we humbly accept the offer to come and reason with him.

The Lord of heaven is a God who desires our service from unabridged minds, devoting conscience, emotion, volition, and intellect to his purposes. In so doing, we benefit our own souls while glorifying God in the process. It is, after all, "for his name's sake" that he "leads us in right paths" (Psalm 23:3).

Can you think of anything more important that accepting the Lord's merciful offer yourself? The only thing that can even compete is telling others of that same offer once you have accepted it yourself.

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Booze & Expensive Gas: A Dangerous Combination

Two Tennessee men are in jail today after a physical altercation. While walking to get gas for their empty car, the two acquaintances started fighting over who should pay for the gas. Police said both David A. Lundsford of Sweetwater, Tennessee and Roger Gifford of Athens, Tennessee remain in custody pending a court appearance today.

A police report shows Lundsford suffered a minor stab wound in the abdomen, apparently inflicted with Gifford's pocket knife early Wednesday. A witness told police that she saw Lundsford punching Gifford.

Lundsford told officers that he and Gifford were walking north on Congress Parkway after running out of gas and they started arguing about who should pay when they got to the pump.

Both men are charged with public intoxication, which pretty well explains this whole bizarre scenario. Just another example of the unmatched wisdom of God's word...

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1, ESV)

Has any man in the history of the world been made better by the consumption of alcoholic beverage? No, not one. How many have seen their lives ruined by strong drink? Far too many to count.

We all know drinking on a "social" level is the "norm" in our time, but following norms is just one way among many that strong drink leads one astray (see verse above). Alcohol use is alcohol abuse.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
(1 Peter 2:11, ESV)

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Life Without The Letter "J"

For the past three days, I have been typing on my laptop computer without the use of the "j" key. The small mechanism that is pushed down when a finger strikes the "j" key is still intact, so I am able to type j's when needed (though it must be done far more deliberately).

How did I lose my "j" key, you ask? I was sitting on the couch at home doing some work on Monday evening when Louis, our 105-pound Yellow Lab decided he wanted to sit on top of me (Louis thinks he's an eight-pound lap dog). Since the laptop was resting on my lap (hence the name), one of Louis' rather large paws raked across the keyboard, taking out the "j" key in the process.

Looking on the bright side, if Louis absolutely had to take out one letter, "j" was a good choice. I have been surprised how infrequently the letter "j" is used when compared to other letters in the alphabet. Still, I got to thinking about some of the words we couldn't say or write without the use of the great letter "j."

Here are just a few to consider:



Joy
The inexpressible result of salvation in Christ

"May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15:13, ESV)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace..." (Galatians 5:22, ESV)

"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with JOYthat is inexpressible and filled with glory..." (1 Peter 1:8, ESV)


Justified
To be regarded as innocent

"Therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1, ESV)

"Since, therefore, we have now been JUSTIFIED by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:9, ESV)

"You see that a person is JUSTIFIED by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:24, ESV)


Jesus
King of kings, Lord of lords; the Son of God and Savior of mankind

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this JESUS whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36, ESV)

"But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely JESUS, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering." (Hebrews 2:9-10, ESV)

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, JESUS Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2, ESV)



Aren't you glad we have the letter "j"?

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364 Days To Go!

The countdown is on: only 364 more days until the deadline for filing your 2008 tax return!

As a kid, April 15th was just another day for me. Then came high school and college where I got a little taste of what it meant to pay income tax (only to get it all back at a later date). Once adulthood rolled around, I understood all too well the groans of dread and despair.

I found a fascinating collection of little known facts concerning the history of taxes, both around the world and in the United States. Some of these are amusing, but I must warn you, others may make you want to pull your hair out!

Did you know...

• The first record of tax collectors were depicted in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings from around 2000 B.C.
• Roman Emperor, Nero, levied many odd taxes including one on urine (Romans collected urine from public latrines to be used for tanning leather).
• In A.D. 1404, the British Parliament passed the world's first income tax. It was so hated that after its repeal, all records thereof were burned.
• In order to westernize Russia, Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards -- which he considered a "ridiculous ornament."
• During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI's tax collectors were rounded up and beheaded on the guillotine.
• In 1792, the U.S. imposed a "sin tax" on whiskey, sparking the "Whiskey Rebellion."
• To finance the civil war, the U.S. Congress instituted the first income tax in 1862. It was meant to be temporary.
• In 1943, the withholding tax on wages was introduced. Within two years, the IRS's earnings went from $60 million to $43 billion!
• The Declaration of Independence has 1,337 words -- the Bible has 773,00 words -- today's tax laws top 7-million words.
• In 2005, Americans worked 70 days just to pay off federal taxes, and another 37 days for local taxes.
• Each year, the IRS prints nearly 8-billion pages of forms and instructions. That's enough to wrap the earth 28 times.
• An estimated 300,000 trees are cut down each year for IRS forms. That number is shrinking due to e-filing.
• With 114,000 employees, the IRS is twice the size of the CIA and five times as big as the FBI.

At this point, this could very easily devolve into a political rant regarding the immense sums of taxpayer money wasted by the U.S. government. However, this is not a political blog. What can we glean from this spiritually?

Keep in mind the Roman government of Jesus' day taxed its own citizens heavily. No doubt, first century Christians did not agree with much of what was being done with their hard-earned money. Tax collectors were despised more in those days than any IRS agent in our own. Nonetheless, what did Christ teach in regard to paying taxes?

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him.
Mark 12:13-17, ESV

Believe me...I know vitamins I,R, and S can be bitter pills to swallow. But the teaching of our Lord in this matter is clear. The disciples of Jesus are to abide by the system of taxation imposed by the nation in which they live. Moreover, we are to do so honestly.

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The Lady Who Sat In Front Of Me

Several years ago while living in the state of Florida, I had occasion to travel to Alabama. I departed from the Tampa Bay area early on a Sunday morning, stopping to worship with a congregation of the Lord’s church in northern Florida. This is a congregation I had visited -- and had even preached at -- in days gone by.

On that day, the sermon was sound and informative, the singing was uplifting and instructive, and the Lord was worshiped in both spirit and truth (John 4:24). These are all privileges most New Testament Christians can enjoy on a weekly basis. This time around, there was one experience which has made a lasting impression upon me, and it was all thanks to the lady who sat in front of me.

Now, let it be known that my attention was focused on my privilege and obligation of worshiping the Lord. However, the very nature of our worship assemblies affords us opportunities to make an impression upon one another. The lady who sat in front of me was truly a splendid example for me in her involvement and participation in worship.

From the time the song-leader blew the pitch of the first song on his pitch pipe, this Christian woman was focused and ready to sing heartily to the Lord. — and sing heartily she did! Despite the fact that she was sitting on the pew in front of me, I could hear her vocalizing the words of every song in an alto voice which had no doubt weakened over the years. It was obvious that this was no deterrent for her, however, because she sang every lyric with great fervor and faith. As she sang the words, “anywhere with Jesus I can safely go,” I knew that she meant them, and that she was admonishing me (Colossians 3:16) toward the same assurance.

When the time came for “the collection for the saints” (1 Corinthians 16:1), I was impressed by her obvious forethought. As the men stood before the microphone to say a prayer in connection with the offering, the lady who sat in front of me opened her Bible and removed a check. I do not know the dollar figure she penned on the “amount” line. But this I do know: This Christian had purposed in her heart what she would give (2 Corinthians 9:7), and she was doing so in an obvious spirit of appreciation and cheer.

As the preacher mounted the pulpit, I noticed that her hands were already grasping her well-worn Bible. Almost without exception, the fair-minded lady who sat in front of me turned the pages of her Bible, comparing the words of the speaker with the very words of the Lord (Acts 17:11). Her attentiveness and apparent thrill in hearing the gospel preached shone through. I have no doubt that she considered the Lord’s day assembly to be the highlight of her week. Although she had probably heard many of these same verses of Scripture hundreds of times before, the lady who sat in front of me did not appear to be bored. On the contrary, she seemed to treat these words as if she was hearing them for the very first time. I learned so much on that Lord’s day.

Certainly, just being able to participate in worship myself was well worth the stop. However, I carried much more encouragement with me on that day than I left behind. What troubles me is that people do not understand the influence they can and indeed will exert. I do not believe the lady who sat in front of me knew the impact she had on me that day — an impact which has not
waned some four years later! We are constantly influencing others in one of two ways: For good, or for bad. There are no in-betweens.

When I hear people bristle at the Biblical role of women in the church, I think about the lady who sat in front of me. She was not only content with her role, she was thrilled to fulfill it. She sat on a pew with what appeared to be two other widows, but her spirit of contentment and thanksgiving were exemplary.

When the period of worship had ended, the lady who sat in front of me made a point of welcoming me, and thanking me for attending Bible class and worship. I would someday like to shake her hand and place in it this article. But if that never comes to pass, I would like to meet her again in the sweet by and by to say, “thank you.”

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Keeping It In Perspective

Earlier this week, I received a phone call from my brother-in-law, Ben, who lives in Tennessee. Ben had received a call from his brother, Dave, in Florida who had made an interesting discovery.

Dave had been making an effort to find my parents' address on WhitePages.com. He typed "Roark" into the name field, and their ZIP code into the address field. He found what he was looking for, but also came across an additional entry with my name listed.

This in itself was not an interesting discovery since Kelly and I did indeed live and work in this same Tennessee town for two and one-half years. The intrigue begins with the job title listed under the entry with my name. It still had me listed as an employee of the West Fayetteville church of Christ, but with the job title listed as "false teacher" (click on the image above to see the screen capture).

Apparently, anyone with internet access is able to submit a name and job title. Dave was somewhat hesitant to let Ben call me with this piece of news, but being my best friend and brother-in-law (some say we were separated at birth), Ben knew exactly how I would take it: with great amusement.

Now, don't get me wrong...being labeled as a "false teacher" is no laughing matter -- especially if there is any validity to such an assertion. Understand, however, that when someone anonymously submits someone's name with that label to a website, that can be somewhat difficult to take seriously. It shows a genuine lack of character and courage, to say the least. And so, one might have to say in a situation as this, "consider the source."

While Ben and I were having a good chuckle over this, he asked if I could think of anyone who might be behind this. My answer was that I had only one or two guesses (after all, I'm not all that well-known!), but it would be impossible to say with any degree of certainty. Besides, I was not overly concerned with the situation in the first place.

Had this situation arisen in my younger days, I may have been hurt, angry, and on a mission to find the culprit. Now, at the advanced age of 30, I've found it much easier to keep situations like this in its proper perspective. For this, I give God the glory...

For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:14-26, ESV

When we allow the Spirit of God to operate and mold our lives through the Scriptures, the difference will be plainly evident.

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Watch That Temper!

When King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite to a position above all the other officials in the Persian kingdom (Esther 3:1), it was decreed that all the king's servants would bow down and pay homage to this new "head honcho" (3:2). When Mordecai refused to do so, Haman was "filled with fury" (3:5). Mordecai's refusal to worship this man proved to be the catalyst for Haman's plot to eradicate the Jewish minority from the Persian empire (3:6).

In the end, the very gallows that Haman prepared for the hanging of Mordecai were used against the man himself (7:9-10). The fury and lack of self-control Haman displayed drove him to his own downfall.

Uncontrolled anger is:

1. Evidence of fleshly desires (Galatians 5:19-20).
2. A characteristic of fools (Proverbs 12:16).
3. Forbidden by God (Matthew 5:22; Romans 12:19).

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down upon your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27, ESV

My friend, anger will arise from within every man from time to time. It is a lack of self-control in dealing with that anger which will inevitably lead to one's downfall. The 50-cubit-high gallows of Haman stood as a testament to that truth!

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God's Grace As A Teacher

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ...
Titus 2:11-13, ESV

Men and women through the centuries have extolled the magnificent grace of God. Beloved old hymns and countless sermons have impressed upon the minds of multiplied millions the wonders of God's undeserved yet unreserved kindness to man. Consider the following brief points from the inspired words Paul wrote to Titus...


A. God's grace brings salvation (v. 11a).
B. God's grace has appeared to all men (v. 11b).
C. God's grace teaches six crucial concepts (v. 12-13).

1. We must renounce ungodliness (v. 12a).
2. We must renounce worldly passions (v. 12b).
3. We must live self-controlled lives (v. 12c).
4. We must live upright lives (v. 12d).
5. We must live godly lives (v. 12e).
6. Doing all the above will enable us to anticipate the return of Christ (v. 13).

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Endless Stuff

Recently while stumbling around the "information superhighway," I came across one individual's list of the strangest items ever sold on eBay. These are merely the opinions of that author, but I am in agreement...these are some strange items...and they actually sold for real money on "the Bay." So, without any further ado, I give you the strangest items ever sold on eBay:

Girlfriends: Some girls auctioned their services as 'imaginary girlfriends', who would send the winning bidder pictures of themselves and loving letters, which they could use to pretend they had a girlfriend.

Wedding dress: Nothing strange about selling a wedding dress, you might think - but this was the guy's ex-wife's wedding dress. And he modeled it, as well as writing a long screed about his ex-wife in the description.

TV part: Producers on the TV show Ally McBeal once used eBay to auction off a walk-on part on the show.

Kidney: One man tried to sell his kidney on eBay - after all, you only need one, right? Unfortunately it's illegal to buy or sell human organs. Good thinking, though.

Toenail clippings: A girl once sold her toenail clippings on eBay, one clipping from each toe. She got a $1 for the set - a low price for the years of joy they no doubt provided to the buyer.

Britney's gum: Someone picked up Britney Spears' chewed gum at a London hotel and decided it'd be a great thing to sell on eBay. Oddly enough, they were right - they got $263 for it. A Britney fan probably has it framed in their house.

Ghost: Yes, a ghost. In a jar. Well, why not? The ghost was, apparently, 'terrorising' the man who owned it, and so he decided to capture it and sell it on eBay to someone who might be able to give it a better home.

Virgin Mary sandwich: A seller offered a grilled cheese sandwich upon which the Virgin Mary had appeared to her - and the strange thing is, she genuinely seemed to believe it. This item, unbelievably, sold for $28,000. Some people just have too much money to waste, don't they?

Fighter jet: A state brokerage in Virginia sold a U.S. Navy F/A-18A Hornet jet fighter on eBay for just over a million dollars. It was, unfortunately, in pieces and so unusable, but they offered to put it back together and make it ready to fly for the low, low price of just another $9 million.

So there you have it. Pretty odd, huh? It would seem there is virtually no end to the variety of items people will sell....and, perhaps more surprisingly, BUY!

The Bible says...

When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Ecclesiastes 5:11, ESV

An increase of property almost invariably brings an increase of expense. This is not to say that it is sin to own some things...even some nice things. The point within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes is to show the vanity in piling up "stuff" while turning a blind eye to the inevitable outcome of all things material.

All will be left behind...even the precious few knick-knacks we find in our possession at the end of life. Not to mention the things we just "had to have" at some point, only to be peddled for pennies on the dollar at a yard sale, or the items which now rest beneath thousands of tons of other people's "stuff they had to have" at the bottom of some landfill.

The point to draw from these thoughts and the crazy list of eBay sales above is that you and I will be wise to keep this world and its wares in proper perspective. Yes, enjoy the plastic and wooden blessings of life and be thankful for them. However, keeping proper perspective of these corruptible materials will be essential in inheriting the incorruptible possession in heaven that awaits those who love the Lord.

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