It is Well With My Soul

Third John 1-2 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

The apostle John has penned a short epistle, or a letter to Gaius, as well respected brother in Christ. John loved Gaius in the truth which means he truly loves Gaius, he loves him because of the truth, and he loves him because he is walking in the truth. John hopes that this letter finds Gaius well that he would be prospering in this life. There is nothing wrong with praying for someone that they would prosper. I rejoice when God blesses people with health and material blessings. John doesn't equate God's favor with health and wealth. Neither does John say that if Gaius lives right, good things will happen. Because John loves his friend, he prays that God would bless him in all aspects of his life.

John's prayer for Gaius is that he makes progress in his spiritual life and that God would add physical and material blessings on top of it. He hopes that Gaius is in good "soul health" as well as physical well-being. It would be a thousand times better to prosper in soul with poor health than the other way round (Proverbs 28:6; 16:8). We know a lot about how to live a healthy life physically, so how does one prosper in soul? Are there steps one can take to live a prosperous soul life?

Being in good soul health is by the grace of God, it is a gift and God uses means in accomplishing this grace. First, you need a healthy, well balanced diet of God's Word. God's people should hunger for the pure Word like a newborn hungers for milk (1 Peter 2:2). Next, we are to exercise ourselves unto godliness (1 Timothy 4:8). God's people need to be diligent in disciplining ourselves unto godliness. To exercise our faith and dedicating ourselves to putting off sin and walking in the Spirit.  We are to add a rigorous routine of increasing our virtue (2 Peter 2:5-7). Peter said we are to "give all diligence" to living a godly life. Having received salvation, by grace, through faith, Peter urges us to press on in holiness and to advance in the Christian life. We are not perfect and won't be in this life, so every day we should be "pressing on toward the mark for the high calling of God". To be in good soul health, we are to spend much time in prayer unto God. Any gains in the Christian life are gifts from God. Even though we have the responsibility of working out our salvation, it is God's gift. Our part is working out the desire for holiness that God gave us (Philippians 2:12-13). This makes prayer is a necessity for soul heath. My hope for you reader, is that you prosper and it is well with your soul.

Peacemaker, not Appeaser

 “These easy-going, peace at any price people are often lacking in a sense of justice and righteousness; they do not stand where they should stand; they are flabby.  They appear to be nice; but if the whole world were run on such principles and by such people it would be even worse than it is today.  So I would add that your true peacemaker is not an “appeaser”, as we say today.  You can postpone war by appeasement; but it generally means that you are doing something that is unjust and unrighteous in order to avoid war.  The mere avoidance of war does not make peace; it does not solve the problem.”

 M.D. Lloyd-Jones

The Answer isn't found at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - Guest Post: Lewis Kiger

There always seems to be that “one guy.” That one person that just has to ruin it for everyone. The one who people wish would just go away. The one they call “party-pooper.” The old stick-in-the-mud, the killjoy, the wet blanket. And as much as it grieves me to be that guy … I am afraid I must.

I am sorry to rain on your parade but if you thought, for just one moment, that waking up to a new president-elect on November 9 was going to solve all of our problems and issues, you are sure to be disappointed. I hate to break it to you, but regardless of who received 270 electoral votes, our nation is still in a huge mess … fiscally, morally, and spiritually.  

It is my opinion – whether or not the person you voted for won – it is not a time for celebration. Oh, yes I know. Some who have relentlessly campaigned for their candidate will float happily around for a few days, skipping around on their party platform thinking that they have saved the day for America. Again, I am sorry to be “that guy,” but the hope for America (or for any nation for that matter) is not in who is governing from the capitol, but He who is ruling from the Heavenly Throne.

I realize that it matters who is elected. Full well do we acknowledge God’s Word which declares in Proverbs 29:2 that “when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice.” But friends, the righteous are not in authority. (And that is true, regardless of who the President-elect is.) The righteous are not governing in the White House, nor in the Congress, nor in the Senate. While there are some good God-fearing men and women who are serving our nation, they are the in the vast minority.

With that in mind, we need to consider the rest of that verse, for it holds true as well. It says, “when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.” Rather than sending up high praise for answered prayer, we ought to be mourning that our nation has drifted so far from God, that we would celebrate the election of either of these two candidates.  

Folks, we as Americans need to face some hard truths.

As a nation, we still are responsible for the death of 3,300 children a day by abortion. We have watched the degeneration of the family, to the point where the most basic building block of society, the home, has been completely disfigured. The national debt we are handing down to our children and grandchildren is just criminal. Our nation is racially polarized. Our police officers are under attack. All the while, we are debating over whether or not grown men should be allowed in the ladies’ restroom!

We are told every four years that this is the “most important election of our lifetime.” So, for those of you who are heart-broken and mystified that your candidate was not chosen, I submit to you that it is not time for a pity party either. I hate to be a prude, but 270 Electoral College votes for the candidate of your choice was not the answer either.

God’s Word rightly says in Psalms 146:3 that we are not to put our hope in princes. In other words, our confidence should not be in men, but in God. The arm of flesh will always fail us. Trusting in politicians is the doorway to disappointment. If we are looking for politicians to make us Stronger Together, or Make America Great Again, we are sure to be disillusioned.

Our hope for this nation must be in God and in Him alone. The solution for all our woes will not come from man-made rules and laws. The answer for our afflictions will not be found by who occupies the West Wing. We will only find a cure in humble obedience to what God has declared in His Word. Earning 270 electoral votes is not the answer for what ails America. God is the answer. Rather than touting the praises of the ungodly, we should shout the gospel from the rooftops. Let us lovingly declare, by word and life, the atoning death and glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only hope for a sin-sick nation.

We need to pray for our leadership. Pray for our nation. Pray for the President-elect and yes, also pray for those who did not win. Yet our prayers should be first and foremost that all will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ – the righteous ruler in whom all should rejoice.

Pastor Lewis Kiger
Memorial Heights Baptist Church

svdbygrace2@roadrunner.com

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Editor's Note: Pastor Kiger did not suggest you are evil for voting for Trump or for being glad he beat Hillary. Will Trump be a good president? Who knows. I hope he is and am confident he will be much better that Hillary would have been. From a pure political perspective, this was the best of the possible outcomes of a terrible situation. Lewis' article is not addressing political solutions but spiritual problems.

I also want to point out that if you publicly campaigned for a candidate on social media, you shouldn't be upset if someone disagrees with you publicly about it. I'm afraid from what I have seen, people have broken fellowship and friendships have been harmed over a political opinion. 

Every situation is different. It didn't matter who I voted for because I live in West Virginia and the state was going Trump. If you lived in Ohio, Florida, Michigan, your vote did matter very much because the race was so close. Wisdom would require careful thought in each situation.

Hopefully we can all at least agree with what is written above, that our real problems can only be resolved by the gospel of grace, to which, I hope, dear reader, you believe. There is enough division among God's people over stupid things that we don't need to divide over a politician. I can go several weeks without thinking or caring what they say in New York City - I'm certainly not going to loose friends over it. 

Doug Newell 

Public and Priviate Virtue

John Adams writing to Mercy Warren:

The Form of Government, which you admire, when its Principles are pure is admirable, indeed, it is productive of every Thing, which is great and excellent among Men. But its Principles are as easily destroyed, as human Nature is corrupted. Such a Government is only to be supported by pure Religion or Austere Morals. Public Virtue cannot exist in a Nation without private, and public Virtue is the only Foundation of Republics. There must be a positive Passion for the public good, the public Interest, Honour, Power and Glory, established in the Minds of the People, or there can be no Republican Government, nor any real Liberty: and this public Passion must be Superiour to all private Passions. Men must be ready, they must pride themselves, and be happy to sacrifice their private Pleasures, Passions and Interests, nay, their private Friendships and dearest Connections, when they stand in Competition with the Rights of Society.

Be an Example - Tuesday with Timothy #54

1Timothy 4:12  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Timothy needed to know that being young would bring along it's own set of problems. The only way that Timothy is going to overcome the prejudice people were going to have against him was to be a leader. Not a leader in the CEO business model of today, but a leader and an example in godliness. He needed to live a life of holiness. Paul tells pastors that how they live their life is going to affect how their messages are heard. Notice, Paul said an example of the believers. If there are goats in the church, they are always going to find something to pick at. Goats will eat anything, dive down into the dump and eat trash. But their tastes suddenly get refined when they come in contact with a shepherd who feeds the flock of God and become picky about what they eat and who feeds them.

Our concern is not so much how we are perceived, but how we live unto the Lord. Paul is saying don't give people a reason to despise you, but be a pattern of godliness. A pastor must be a mature, stalwart, settled man, concerned about what His Lord thinks of him first, and by living a God-pleasing life, he then because an example or a pattern for God's people to follow. The pastor has to keep marching on, following the Lord. The only pattern the pastor should be following is that of Christ and the only judge he needs to worry about is the One that shed His blood for our life. Many churches have it backwards, wanting the pastor to follow the example of the church.

Jean-Francois Millet - Shepherd Tending His Flock

This isn't a church growth technique, or leadership skill-set to develop in order to get your way. Timothy needs to dedicate His life to the service of God. To be an example, you are going to have to be different. An example and a leader in godliness will not be like everyone else, or at least not like the majority. You cannot "lead from behind" and be a pattern unto God's people. Being an example means following the Lord whether anyone else does or not. It means following the Lord's ways, His Word, His commands even if you are rebuked by the worldly. To be an example also means that you are going to have to care little of the judgment of others. Often, being an example in godliness means that you are going to be rebuked as ungodly. That sounds odd, but look at our Lord and John the Baptist. Their life and ministry was filled with rebukes for being too strict or too loose. John was called a devil and Jesus was a drunk (Matthew 11:18-19) but wisdom is justified of her children. Be prepared to be called a Pharisee, or unloving, or too hard, or too weak because you are not conforming to the image that people have of what a godly man should look like. We all have patterns of what a holy life looks like, and usually they look quite a bit like us. God's people need in a leader, a man who will live his life as an example, not as a mirror.

Command and Teach - Tuesday with Timothy #53

1Timothy 4:11-12  These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth

The man of God must command and teach the Word of God. This has a common foe with all facets of professing Christianity. To hear the Word commanded and taught will be opposed by the liberals for daring to declare the authority of the Word of God. This will find a foe in conservative circles for daring to declare the authority of the Word of God also applies to what you do, not just those on the outside. People love an authoritative command, when someone else is being commanded. Rebels, whether in conservative churches or liberal churches hate to be taught and hate to be told what to do and cannot stand to have anything, even God's Word, over them. Paul didn't budge. He commanded. He taught. And that is what Timothy had to do.

Timothy's authority doesn't come from his personal experience. It doesn't come from his worldly wisdom. It comes from God. This young man was to proclaim and teach God's Word. Had Timothy chosen to go preach his own ideas, or his own theories, he could have been rightly rejected. But age doesn't have anything to do with divine truth. The age of the vessel God uses to deliver His message doesn't change the validity of the message. Young men who pastor a church need to be aware that one way the enemies of Christ will attack the preached Word is by marginalizing the preacher because of his age. The answer to this is to be faithful. Be faithful in the Word. Be faithful in your life. Don't give the enemy a weapon to hit you with.

When the true meaning of God's Word is declared, it can and must be preached with authority. We are not making suggestions. We are not offering opinions. People want conversations. They want the back and forth of a dialogue, because we can't have anyone tell us what to do, especially this young man. Stand up, open your Bible, and tell the people of God what God has said. Explain it and apply it. Tell them what God has said and tell them what God has commanded and don't waiver. Lay out the truth and don't water it down. If the man of God stays in the Word of God, then if someone has a problem with the message, they have a problem with God.

Mark Dever, in his book Preach said:

" Do you think of [your preaching] as an authoritative heralding of God's own appeal for reconciliation? Do you realize that it is by receiving your proclamation of the Scriptures that people receive Jesus and therefore receive God? You should. Preaching is not finally a matter of giving a few thoughts here and there about God or the Bible. It is the proclamation of an authoritative message from the throne room of heaven itself: Be reconciled to God through Jesus! Understanding that theological truth about preaching can make all the difference between a milque-toast preaching ministry that just makes suggestions about a few things "we might want to think about" and a preaching ministry that heralds the good news, direct from the throne of God, that those who trust Jesus and confess Him as Lord will find mercy, forgiveness, salvation—and new life!—in His hand."

Pray for Our Leaders

Election Day is less than a week away and my mind has been returning to the second chapter of First Timothy. Paul was instructing Timothy that the church of God should be a house of prayer. Particularly, Paul narrows in on praying for governmental leadership. The Roman Empire was hardly friendly to Christianity and filled with gospel minded men. No matter the result of this upcoming election, we need to pray for those in office. We should pray for our leaders, from our local representation all the way up to the White House. Sometimes we know we should pray, but don't know how to pray. Thankfully, this isn't the case here because 1 Timothy 2:1-7  says how to pray for those in authority.

We pray to be able to live quiet, peaceful, godly, and honest lives without persecution or government intrusion. We need to pray that the government would leave us alone and allow us to live Christian lives. To be able to work, and live for God's glory. To be able to raise our children as Christians in peace. To be good neighbors, in the name of Christ for the glory of Christ. To bless those that curse us and bless those we know and love.  To be able to quietly and peaceably, and honestly, live sacrificially for the good of others in our community for the glory of God. To be able to tell that blessed story of our crucified and risen Saviour and openly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We should, as Americans, thank God for the freedom of conscience have now and not take it for granted.

We should pray for our leaders because God has placed them in office for His purpose, and we don't know what that purpose is. I pray because I believe Proverbs 21:1  "The king's (and President’s) heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." Nothing is too difficult for God – and that includes directing the policies of politicians. Let's "lobby" to our God and not put our trust in men. We should also pray for the salvation of their souls and that they would come to the knowledge of the truth. Whether we like or dislike those in authority, they are men and women, flesh and blood. They have souls and will stand before a God who is no respecter of persons. May God send revival. This is one reason why Paul told us to pray for them, because God saves all types of people (I Timothy 2:4).

                                                                                                                                                      

I pray for myself. That my words, thoughts, prayers following the election will be seasoned with love. Love for my neighbors  love for my Saviour, and love for my fellow citizens. It is so easy to get angry and hasty with our words when it comes to politics. Let's remember that no matter who is President, as Christians, we are loyal subjects to the King.

A Letter From Jesus

 Imagine you walk in to the church service early one Sunday morning -- a church service in the city
of Ephesus around the year 95 AD. Men are praying; Psalms and hymns sung by the faithful. The pastor stands up and looks excited, but also a little troubled. Looking out at the assembly, he says "We received a letter. From the Apostle John." You sit up in your seat, excited to know what John has to say as the pastor continues, "It is a prophetic letter; a word from the Lord, who has a message for us." You can hardly contain yourself. A God inspired letter from John, the Word of God has come and you are about to hear from Jesus. The Lord Jesus has spoken and John has written the Words of God down and sent them to this church! Now, your heart skips a beat because you must know what the Lord had to tell you.

Still Life With A Bible. Vincent van Gogh

The pastor, with letter in hand, says "This morning, I want to go to the middle of this letter and look at second half of this sentence as my jumping off point. I speak to you on the subject of "why a Christian cannot support Domitian, Emperor of Rome." You look around and no one seems to object and the letter goes unread, unexplained, and used for a motto, rather than understanding what it was that was written.

Does this seem a little off? I imagine when the church of Ephesus first received the book of Revelation that the Pastor read the letter so they all could hear the whole message from Jesus. When they got to the part written just for them (chapter 2 in our Bible) and relevant to their situation, I'm sure they read it again and again. No doubt the pastor expounded all the different aspects of what the Lord said. Maybe he focused on the part about leaving their first love for a while, perhaps weeks. That is a reasonable expectation. You get a message from Jesus, you want to know what He said to you and be able to understand His message, as He related it to you.

A Christian's desire should be to hear from the Lord, and the Lord has spoken to us in His Word. When you randomly open the Bible and just read a verse and take it out of context, you are doing what our imaginary pastor did in our story. In reading, in study, and preaching, God's people should hunger for what God has said and to know the true meaning of that passage. Preachers teach and promote false doctrines because they take verses out of context. The Bible is not merely a book of mottos, but God speaking to you. You must be diligent to hear the message, by understanding the meaning of the text. When a preacher opens the book and gives you the meaning of the passage, you are hearing a message from Jesus.