Recently, my Bible reading has taken me through the books of Kings. What has amazed me is how many kings did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. I’ve seen it so many times that I light up when I see a king who did good…until I see the “but he didn’t…” It’s almost always a case of allowing the people of Israel to worship other gods as they pleased.

It wasn’t always an active allowance. Sometimes the king wouldn’t do something, which passively allowed their people to do what they wanted. The king wouldn’t tear down places of worship for these other gods. Their lack of action was permission for others to act.

What are we not tearing down in our day? Everywhere we look, there are places of worship to idols of sex, alcohol, murder, homosexuality, and convenience. Do we want written about us, “he prayed and read his Bible daily. He lived a good Christian life, but the adult bookstore down the road remained open,” or, “he worshiped God, but wouldn’t take a stand against abortion?”

It is written down in history that these kings made a compromise for their people. Do you want to be known as someone who “did what was right, but…?” Live an uncompromising life. Take a stand for the Kingdom.

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There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He couldn’t get a fair trial.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Father’s business.
2. He lived at home until he was 33.
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with His hands.
2. He had wine with His meals.
3. He used olive oil.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:
1. He never cut His hair.
2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian:
1. He was at peace with nature.
2. He ate a lot of fish.
3. He talked about the Great Spirit.

But then there were 3 equally good arguments the Jesus was Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.

But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment’s notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn’t get it.
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was work to do.

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When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”

The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.

Psalm 126

In my church, we have been praying for souls. We have written down in a book, the names of those we know need a revelation of Christ. Each time we meet to pray, we pray for these people. We pray that they will come to know Christ, to repent from their sins, and become as passionate, if not more, for the Kingdom as they are against the Kingdom.

We are expecting a great harvest. We are expecting entire families to come to Christ. We are expecting a revival of souls.

And what will it be like when this revival comes? It will be like the passage above. When God brings His people back to Him, it will be a celebration. We will reap in joy because we have sown prayer in tears, in passion for people some of us don’t even know. We pray for them as they are ours.

And when they come to Christ, we will rejoice, because God has brought back the captives of sin.

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When Solomon built his temple for God, he used only the finest resources; cedar, olive wood, gold, the best stone. He also made it very ornate with the best carvings of flowers, cherubim, and trees. Solomon built this temple with excellence, with every resource he had to put in it.

Today, churches come in every shape and size. We have house churches, churches built from strip malls, traditional white chapels; you name it, it’s out there. Many of these churches are very nice, no expense was spared. Some look like no effort was made to help their appearance. Some look like they should be abandoned.

But the appearance is not what’s important. The question you have to ask is, “Is this church using its resources in excellence?” Some churches have all the money they need, and they waste it. Other churches may be struggling to make ends meet, yet use every penny wisely.

The largest churches can have the most beautiful buildings, best worship teams, and the best programs, but they can be full of people who will never hear the gospel; people who are dead.

The smallest churches can be full of life without any fancy program.

Why? Because they are building excellence with the resources they have. They are not willing to compromise the Word of God for the sake of a check. They take their God-given resources and do what they can with them.

Some churches will sacrifice the Word so they can make their congregation comfortable, so they can get a larger offering, so they can have more stuff. They don’t build God’s kingdom. They build out of themselves, a tomb, filled with walking dead people who don’t know Christ. They have much, but aren’t really doing anything worthwhile with it.

Jesus said it best when he said, “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Now turn this in on yourself. Are you doing everything you can with what God has given you or are you building a tomb for yourself? Are you using your resources wisely? Are you building the kingdom or are you compromising the Gospel to impress people and make them feel comfortable?

Build excellence. God has given you the tools. Use them for the Kingdom. Don’t compromise.

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When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine…

(1) The woman buys the food.
(2)Â The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine…

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine…

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed “her night off.” And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women!

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Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Praise and worship are vital to the life of a Christian. One cannot happen without the other. Deep and meaningful worship is dependent upon praise, and heartfelt praise relies upon worship. To separate the two is like separating the heart from the brain - both are crucial to the other’s function and survival and can only operate efficiently if both are healthy. To nourish one and neglect the other will result in problems.

Let’s look at both of these. Praise is defined as “speaking with approval or admiration; to glorify God.” Praise consists of the things we say that bring glory to God and lift up His name. Whenever praise is referenced in the Bible, it refers to something that is spoken or sang. These words or songs speak of the love of God and the great things that He has done in the earth. They are meant to serve as a reminder to His greatness.

So one must ask the question - exactly who is it supposed to remind? We have been led to believe that these praises are to remind God of what He has done and what His character is. However, God is quite comfortable with who He is and has no need of being reminded of who He is and what He has done. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the great I Am. His mind goes beyond anything we can comprehend. Why in the world would He need us to remind Him of what He has done? He doesn’t. So there is only one logical answer to the question - it is meant to remind us. Continue Reading »

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Circumcise yourselves to the LORD;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;
lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of the evil of your deeds.” Jeremiah 4:4

What does it mean to circumcise your heart? It means cutting off the former things of the old man. There are two types of circumcision of the heart. The first happens at salvation. The second, which I want to focus on, is a process of sanctification, the day to day dealings with our flesh.
Continue Reading »

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Playing bass for my church’s worship team is my worship. I give hours every week learning the music, developing my technique, and enjoying playing as a gift of my talent and time, given to God.

Kierkegaard said, “we suffer from a certain role confusion in worship. Most people,” he said, “imagine that the congregation is the audience, the preacher is a performer, and that God is present as prompter. In fact, the congregation are the actors, the preacher is a prompter, and God is the Audience. Worship is not about us, it’s about God.”

All too often, people think that the worship time is a time to be entertained, that the people on stage are there to entertain us. If we don’t like the music, we sit with our arms crossed in contempt. If the music’s good, we jump and dance and shout in an emotional following. Maybe we are completely disengaged from worship. We may step outside to conduct our daily business, check voice mail, and ignore the time of drawing close to God.

When we do that, we are completely disrespectful to God, to the worshipers around them, and those leading worship. It angers me when people - and there seems to be one in every church - spend half a worship service outside on their phone, and then come in and try to out sing everyone there like they’re God’s favored worshiper. They’re not. If you’re going to out sing everyone, be there and give God your heart, not just your voice. Business can wait. You’re in the presence of the King.

I want to challenge you to look at your worship habits. Do you really enter in to worship, or do you leave your mind and heart somewhere else? God is your audience. Do you put Him on hold, or do you give Him all your attention?

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To us, the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God, but is the Word of God. From beginning to end, we accept it, believe it, and continue to preach it. To us, the Old Testament is no less inspired than the New. The Book is an organic whole. Reverence for the NEW Testament accompanied by skepticism as to the OLD appears to us absurd. The two must stand or fall together. We accept Christ’s own verdict concerning “Moses and all the prophets” in preference to any of the supposed discoveries of so-called higher criticism.

We hold and maintain the truths generally known as “the doctrines of grace.” The Electing Love of God the Father, the Propitiatory and Substitutionary Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, Regeneration by the Holy Ghost, the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness, the Justification of the sinner (once for all) by faith, his walk in newness of life and growth in grace by the active indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and the Priestly Intercession of our Lord Jesus, as also the hopeless perdition of all who reject the Savior, according to the words of the Lord in Matthew 25:46, “These shall go away into eternal punishment,”—are, in our judgment, revealed and fundamental truths.

Our hope is the Personal Pre-millennial Return of the Lord Jesus in glory.

Signed,

C.H. Spurgeon

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