Refusing to forgive puts you in a spiritual and emotional prison.  Only the key of the gospel will spring you from that prison door. Jesus preached:

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15, ESV).

Having an unforgiving heart means that you wish for your brand of justice to take place on them.  But having an unforgiving heart also means that our Father will not forgive us–and will dole out His perfect and deserved justice on us.

So, forgive!  Forgive because you’ve been forgiven by Christ, dear Christian!  Forgive so other may seen the kindness and tenderheartedness of Christ as forgiveness has given you that kindness and tenderheartedness (Ephesians 4:32).  Forgive so the world can see how we as Christians love one another, one of the best witnessing tools around (John 13:34-35).

Forgive!

In reading through Luke 18, Luke tells us the point of the upcoming parable of Jesus by saying, “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1).  I believe this connection is lost on many populating the pews in our churches–and maybe even the pulpits as well.

When we fail to pray, we fail to connect with the perspective and purpose of our Heavenly Father.  Therefore, all we focus on are the frailties, failings, and foibles that happen in us in all around us.

I love what the study notes in the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible say:

Our perspective is limited and our vision is clouded.  Holy Scripture continually reminds us that God is truly for us in Jesus.  We need this constant reminder of God’s kind heart and great power toward us as we fight against our inherent unbelief.  We now belong to him.  He is our advocate.  He delights to care for us and to defend us.

Without Christ-centered prayer focused on God’s will and way, we leave ourselves to our own devices.  We, in essence, believe we are “god enough” (if you will) to handle the day-to-days.  We rest in our own knowledge, rely on our own wisdom, and recognize our own wonder in moving things forward.

And yet, when our failings rise, we could listen to Osteen who would tell us basically to draw deep from our own goodness and destiny that God has planted in us.  How unsustainable!  We can take his advice and plow our own future–and lose heart when we come to the end of that highway (and yes, I said when–it will happen).

Or we can pray out of our frailties, feebleness, failings, and foibles, trusting in the One who is able, and not lose heart because our rest is in Him.  He is our Father and will listen to us (Luke 18:8).

In a beautiful scene in Revelation 8, the Lamb is opening the seventh seal–after which heaven was silent for one-half hour.  The seven angels stood before God and were given seven trumpets.  But verse 3 is a joy to read:

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.

I cannot add to what John Piper preached in a sermon on this very topic, and rejoice that not only does God hear our prayers, but they are an instrument for the judgment to come at the end of the world.

The utterly astonishing thing about this text is that it portrays the prayers of the saints as the instrument God uses to usher in the end of the world with great divine judgments. It pictures the prayers of the saints accumulating on the altar before the throne of God until the appointed time when they are taken up like fire from the altar and thrown upon the earth to bring about the consummation of God’s kingdom.

In other words, what we have in this text is an explanation of what has happened to the millions upon millions of prayers over the last 2,000 years as the saints have cried out again and again, “Thy kingdom come . . . Thy kingdom come.” Not one of these prayers, prayed in faith, has been ignored. Not one is lost or forgotten. Not one has been ineffectual or pointless. They have all been gathering on the altar before the throne of God.

So the continued connection between praying and not losing heart is that not only will God hear, but He will judge in righteousness at the consummation of all things, and will vindicate His people based on His righteousness purchased at the cross and seal at the resurrection.

Do not lose heart, church!  Pray!  God will hear.

Bob Russell served as the founding pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky.  In the Duke McCall Lecture on Leadership delivered November 3, 2015 at my alma mater, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, he shares the mistakes he made as a leader and the lessons he learned from those mistakes.  This is such a good listen, and helpful to any leader in the church and beyond.  This would be good for any pastor’s gathering you have to discuss and learn.

1. Confront problems early.
2. Know your weaknesses and delegate accordingly.  Stay in your strengths.
3. Give priority to your family.
4. Be content when it comes to statistics.

 

 

Whereas today marks a sad anniversary in the life of our country with the Roe v Wade ruling making abortion legal in the United States, today also marks the 60th birthday of my brother from another mother, the Rod of God, Roddie Taylor.

Many of you who know me know Roddie.  Roddie has served for the last 28 years as Senior Pastor of the Mount Beulah Evangelical Baptists Church in Point Fortin, Trinidad and Tobago (Point Fortin is in the Trinidad part of T & T).  Over the years, I’ve made ten trips to Trinidad to minister with them in various capacities.  Sometimes, I go alone to conduct conferences and services, other times I have taken members from my church to help them with their church plants, Vacation Bible Schools, construction, among other things.

I first met Roddie while I was in seminary in the mid-1990’s.  Our Seminary Vocal Ensemble was planning a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to teach music (piano, guitar, conducting, and basic rudiments to the kiddos).  The entire team was set up by November 1995 until one person dropped out. That left a spot open for me to go.  So, on December 28, 1995, I and 30 other music students flew to Trinidad for a two week stay–in what turned out to be two of the most challenging weeks of my life.  But that’s for another time.

Two days before we returned home, we had a joint concert to demonstrate all that the churches had learned.  It was a wonderful time of worship.  While I was sitting in the congregation, I sat next to a fellow that was funny and engaging–we had a great time, and I hardly knew him.  I introduced myself, and he responded, “Glad to meet you!  My name is Roddie Taylor.”  That was January 1996–and the name stuck.

When I came to Boone’s Creek Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, in September 2003, I felt that our church should not only be active in missions monetarily but personally.  And Trinidad had always been on my heart and mind–even to the point of exploring whether I could serve in Trinidad as a missionary.  Even those the IMB said they wouldn’t send more missionaries to Trinidad due to the high amount of evangelical churches there, I knew Trinidad needed more of a witness.  With the high volume of Catholics, Hindus, and other cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, Trinidad needed help in getting the gospel out.

So I tracked down a missionary named Garey Scott and his wife Polly, who were in the last stages of their missions work there through the IMB.  When I inquired as to a place in Trinidad where a church could go, Garey said, “I have just the place.  The pastor’s name is Roddie Taylor who serves in the southwest part of Trinidad in Point Fortin.”  I was blown away!  No way this could be the same man.  After getting his e-mail and talking to him online, it was indeed him.  He remembered me.  And that began a friendship that has endured.

Our church in Lexington agreed to send a team to Trinidad to conduct VBS in July 2004.  We had just over 15 go, and what a challenge that was.  But what a blessing that was as well.  God has a way of getting us out of our comfort zone.  But Roddie and his lovely wife Stella, along with their kiddos (who aren’t kids anymore) have become like family to us.  Well, they are family: he’s my brother from another mother!

And I was honored that in 2012, I was asked to preach at his 25th anniversary service at Mt. Beulah.

Roddie has allowed me to come and preach the Word to them and bring teams to help get the gospel out.  But he has given me his friendship, which I will treasure.  Roddie turns 60 today.  Plans are in the works for either myself or a small team from ARBC to go to help them with a church plant in their area and spread the gospel where we can by God’s leading.

Happy birthday, Roddie!  I’m thankful that our friendship has transcended seasons of life, geography, and will transcend this life as we feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb, never having to say goodbye at an airport any longer.

 

How We Got The Bible from Living Stones on Vimeo.

Have you ever wondered how we got the Bible, and why these Books of the Bible are considered authoritative? This is a wonderful 6:45 video by Living Stones. Enjoy–and share!

This!

Biblical Christianity refuses to separate historical fact from spiritual meaning. Its core claim is that the living God has acted in history, especially in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Other religions tell people what they must do to achieve salvation, or become holy, or reach Nirvana, or connect with the divine. The burden of obligation is on the individual to perform the right ceremonies or perfect the right rituals. The Christian gospel is unique because it is the narrative of what God has done in history to accomplish salvation.

Nancy Pearcey, Saving Leonardo.  Start reading this book for free here.: