First Thought on Psalm 112

1 a Praise the LORD!

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

who greatly delights in his commandments!

2His offspring will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

6For the righteous will never be moved;

he will be remembered forever.

7He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is steady;b he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

9He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn is exalted in honor.

10The wicked man sees it and is angry;

he gnashes his teeth and melts away;

the desire of the wicked will perish!

What does it mean to be blessed? Occasionally, I’ll hear someone say something like “Have a blessed day!” Or when asked casually ”How are you?” might respond “Blessed!” While it’s nice, it might just be a sort of automated response, without a lot of thought given to it, or an expectation of a response or a reaction.

I wonder what would happen if I looked closely into the person’s eyes and asked “What would be a blessed day for me?” I would not, though. It might not go well. It might inhibit the person from ever blessing another person, a person craving some Word to come into his or her life and soul.

I remember Cindy, whom I met while working on a wildfire. She shared with me that she was in a horrible situation, trapped, desperate. Yet she simply didn’t believe she was worth helping out of it. Cindy told me an older woman approached her one day and said “GOD loves you!” Nothing more. Nothing more needed. Cindy’s soul was pierced that day. It wasn’t long before our LORD rescued her, getting her into a Christian shelter. She gave her soul to Jesus.

No, it is a lovely thing for GOD’s True Believers to bless brethren and the Worldly with a Word. Just one is enough if Spirit pierces the armor of the soul.

But my question persists. What does it mean to be Blessed?

Stay Tuned! Lord willin’ I’ll be allowed a part two.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . . And give you His Word to pass on to a lost and quietly desperate generation.

Ethiopian Proselyte

Mostly this story of Philip instructing an Ethiopian is titled “The Ethiopian Eunuch.” It’s clear, as Pastor Lloyd-Jones explains, that this man has just come from pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and is a Jewish Proselyte. On his way home, this man comes to terms with the next step in his conversion from paganism; salvation in Messiah Yeshua.

What is so significant about the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26–31? This is an interesting story of how God, in His providence, arranges for Philip to meet this man and share the message of Jesus with him. It also shows that even the religious must repent and believe in the gospel as the only means of salvation. This Ethiopian man went to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, yet he had not received the Holy Spirit. He knew of the sacrifices in the temple, but not of the sacrifice of Christ. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that only a religion that is based on and focused on Christ can have any saving power. Only true religion gives any satisfaction in this life. Many people fill their lives with worldly wisdom and vain religion, but the gospel tells that all is for nothing if one does not have Christ. This sermon asks one the question: “what religion do I have? Am I following a dead religion that has no power to save and transform me?” All must turn to Christ Jesus as the only true center of true religion and worship.
-Martyn Lloyd-Jones Trust

LORD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Openers. . .

Battles have opening shots, as do politicians, directed against enemies perceived and real. Comedians have opening lines, while the Olympics have opening ceremonies.

Dr. Waldrop said on a table in a lecture hall waiting for the first class of the semester to settle in.

“Good morning,” he said casually.

A few murmurs were heard and a few said “hi.” Most of the guys were only half present, not necessarily wanting to be there but wanting student deferments; we really didn’t want to go to Viet Nam. Dr. Waldrop walked quietly to the back of the hall, exited though double doors, re-entered. Slamming the door shut, he raced down the aisle, resuming his place on stage.

“GOOD MORNING!” That got our attention.

A frail old man entered an assembly of seminary students, teetering occasionally, walked to the lectern, grasped it firmly, and looked out at the young students’ faces.

“Jesus loves me,” Alan Redpath sang. “Jesus loves me, this I know. . .”

Faces turned slowly toward that old pastor, whose voice cracked occasionally as he continued singing.

“For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.”

The hall was quiet except for the lone voice calling out.

“Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.”

Pastor Redpath sang the entire song. By time he finished, not a dry eye was to be seen.

That’s the way to open whatever is worth opening.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Responding the Gospel

Beginning with a discussion of what many see as dangerous times ahead for Christians after the
U. S. Presidential Elections this fall, I talked about the Festival in celebration of the giving of the Ten Commandments, took a look at the Salvation of Y’shuaJesus and Street Evangelism and receiving Messiah. It seemed a bit disjointed, but I shared concerns over the rising conflict and lack of peace that is occurring in America and has been ongoing in many parts of the world.

Rounding it out is the way we respond to situations that affect us. For instance, in some of the videos on YouTube, Street Evangelists evoked responses from an audience that became bitter, angry, and often threatening. I’ve heard that people are tired of the Gospel being used to beat them on the head. This reminds me of a farmer and his grandson. The boy was trying to get a mule to move. He was pulling hard on a lead and yelling at the mule, and getting no response at all. Finally, the old man intervened. “Gentle, Grandson,” the old man said, “on must gentle and speak softly to this fellow.” The boy looked a the old man, and the old man nodded. “Let me show you.” So Grandpa picked up a stick and hit the mule hard on top of his head, then leaned down, stroked his ears, and spoke softly. He then gently grasped the rope and walked with the mule following. “Grandpa,” the boy said, “why did you hit him when you said to be gentle and speak softly?” The old man sighed deeply. “Grandson, we need to get his attention first.”

Messiah Y’shuaJesus never beat anyone on the head, though many may have felt as though he did. What he did was elicit responses from people, some who bowed down, others who picked up rocks. Luke reports how the disciples responded Sunday morning after Friday afternoon’s crucifixion of the Lord.

[Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women] went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Luke 24:1-9

The absence of the body of Y’shuaJesus at first “perplexed” the women. When they saw two men in dazzling apparel, they were frightened, and then bowed their faces to the ground. It only took a Word from the two angels to remind the women of what Y’shuaJesus has said. The women returned to where the disciples of Messiah gathered and received mixed responses. Some of the disciples said the women’s story was an “old wive’s tale.” Peter, though, headed out to check out the situation for himself. What Peter saw made him return home, marveling about it all. Two of the disciples left Jerusalem walking west down an old Roman road west to their village, which we now call Emmaus. They ran into a fellow who “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” Himself being the Lord Y’shuaJesus whom the disciples didn’t recognize until, in their home, the Lord broke bread. Then the disciples realized to Whom they’d been talking, just as the Lord left. “They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures.’ ” [Luke 24:13-25]

The Lord appeared to the Apostles, who at first were startled then frightened. While still disbelieving, Lord Y’shuaJesus showed his wounds, asked for food, and when they came to there senses,

He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:46-49

In the Gospel of John, we learn that Thomas was not with the other Apostles at that encounter. When told of it, Thomas responded, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” [John 20:25] When the Lord did appear to Thomas, He said, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” To which Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!” [John 20:28]

Look, you can see by these few examples the variety of ways in which people respond to the call of the Lord. There are so many other examples. The Lord knows what is needed for each to come to repentance and find his or her salvation in the Lord Y’shuaJesus. Apostle Paul described out place in the process of another’s salvation this way:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinth 3:5-9.

Receiving the Messiah

Yesterday I waded through lists Street Preaching videos uploaded to YouTube. Among them were videos by people who scolded or harassed Street Preachers, videos of Street Preachers being attacked, videos of Street Preachers being arrested, and quite a few by Street Preachers doing their thing. I even watched a few minutes of about twenty videos.

In addition to those videos, there were instructional videos on Street Preaching as well as a video of a conference on Street Preaching. The instructional videos mostly were just more videos of guys wearing flashy “Jesus” tee-shirts and yelling to crowds of angry people. A few were videos of talking heads discussing Street Preaching. The first part of the video taken at an Atlanta Street Preachers’ Conference was about a portable megaphone system for screaming at people, confronting them.

It became clear early on as I reviewed those available videos that this form of evangelistic effort was not my thing, not my style. I don’t feel called to stand in a city screaming into a microphone at people. What, to me, was disturbing, is that these Street Preachers seemed content more to threaten people with Hell, than invite people to Heaven. Perhaps that’s a calling for them. Perhaps that’s a way to offer the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Y’shuaJesus The Messiah, to a stiff-necked, nearly reprobate people. I don’t wish to seem judgmental. All who are called use their talents their own ways to fulfill the calling.

God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.
—Romans 2:4

But there are some other effective ways for the rest of us to Street Preach. A woman once told me her story. “I was in terrible shape. I didn’t know what to do. I was using drugs, living with two men, and on the very edge. . . dying inside. I was in a laundromat when a woman approached me and said, ‘God Loves You!’ ” For her, that was enough to bring things into perspective. In the midst of sin, she heard the voice of the Living G-d speak through a woman the equivalent of “I LOVE YOU!” That was all she needed to start the process of receiving Messiah Y’shuaJesus into her heart and then allowing Him to extricate her from her sin.

Now don’t get me wrong here. While Y’shuaJesus extended His hand to a woman about to be stoned for adultery, He also was clear about sinning no more. He healed people out of love from them, and still does. But Y’shuaJesus loved the Father so much He drove sinners out of the Temple. He screamed at people, calling them vipers. We can’t cite just one incident in the life of Y’shuaJesus and see it as the only way He modeled Himself for us. We must take hold Y’shuaJesus in His entirety.

So I’m not particularly comfortable with the style of Street Preaching that screams to crouds at a “Gay Festival,” things like “God hates homosexuality. It is a sin. Repent or go to hell.” But the Street Preacher is right. And those who hear the words can’t come to the judgement seat of Christ saying “Hey, we didn’t know!”

Another thing I’ll say about this form of Street Preaching is that at least those folks are actually doing something. How many people warm pews on Sunday, live their quiet lives the following week, and return to warm a pew the next Sunday? And there are many like me who say, “I’m not comfortable with that style of preaching, witnessing.” Time to raise our hands to G-d, and say, “What can I do?”

That brings to mind a song in which the refrain is something like, “We can at least pray!” That is truth. If there is nothing that we seem talented enough to do, or nothing that we truly feel comfortable doing to help save the lost, the eternally dying, then at least we can pray.

I read about a man in Wales, around the turn of the Century—19th to 20th Century. This man became the preacher of a small church. He wasn’t exactly the preacher-of-the-year sort, either. A bit weak and timid. But two older, stronger women began to pray for that young pastor. I don’t recall how long it took, but the great Welsh Revival was spawned through those two women and that pastor. That Revival spread throughout Wales, and proceeded by several years the Azuza Street Revival in the United States.

And the preacher says, “Let Us Pray!”

Preaching and . . .

. . . keeping it simple is like writing a well-crafted letter—it takes time. It takes time to say things clearly, concisely, cutting to the very core of the lesson. It takes research. Above all it takes prayer.

On the other hand, there is Alan Redpath. During a lecture to students at a seminary, Pastor Redpath gazed deeply into the eyes of the gathered seminarians for what must have seemed a very long time. I’m sure they must have squirmed as his eyes roamed the room piercingly, seeing into hearts. Then he did the most amazing thing. He began to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” And he continued until there were no dry eyes in among those gathered to hear him speak.

I wasn’t there. I read about it. I don’t recall what he preached. Whatever it was, it was overshadowed by the way he captured the hearts of the students, by the way he directed their hearts toward the Lord Y’shuaJesus.

It seems to me that in a church the congregation may hear many sermons and increase their knowledge about G-d greatly. At the same time, I wonder how many come to actually know Him. Evangelist Art Katz spoke about this to a church not too many years ago. He told the congregation that their pre-planned service was a shame. He didn’t mince words. He spoke as a Prophet hoping to elicit some response from the people, to shock them to opening their hearts to G-d. He wasn’t there to please the gathered, but to speak the truth of the Living Holy G-d of Israel.

He spoke, too, of devastation, the type of devastation experienced by Job, and the devastation of six million murdered Jews during World War II—the Holocaust. He said that we can be totally correct in our thinking, but totally unacceptable to G-d. He used the example of Job’s “friends” who spoke to him correctly, and were told they need to make sacrifice for their folly. Job, who was righteous and persecuted, came an astounding conclusion that honored G-d. (Job 42:5,6)

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear:
but now mine eye seeth thee.
Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent
in dust and ashes.

It is good to know about G-d. Preaching can help us know about G-d. Great preaching is simple: through it we become like Job, abhor ourselves and repent in dust and ashes. We see G-d, not through our intellectual, edited way of thinking, but we experience Him as face to Face. We, like Job, say: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” (Job 42:2)