How we started.

This past week we were able to see several historic Baptist sites.  We traveled to J. R Christian's grave site, Squire Boone's grave site, the old Goshen Baptist church (one of Indiana’s oldest Baptist Churches), Tidence Lane’s grave site, Lewis Craig’s grave site and several of the churches they planted. As we were at the historic Bracken Baptist Church, the last church Lewis Craig pastored, we could not help but to be thankful for the men who seemly had so little but did so much for the cause of Christ.  Lewis Craig moved his entire church from Virginia to plant churches in the State of Kentucky, and they accomplished their goal.

We were reminded of a statement we heard many years ago. “There are no great men of God, only men of a great God.”  The God whom these men served is the same God we serve today. The Book, which these men preached from, is the same Book we preach from. The command these men obeyed is the same command we claim to be obeying today.  These men are to be remembered, and we should be thankful for them and for their ministries; but let us not think that the same God who used these men is no longer looking for men to preach the Book or obey the command  “ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Yes the obstacles of our time are vastly different from those of the early pioneers who first traveled by foot, horse, wagon or boat; but we also have so much more than they did to work with. Could it be that we rely on what we have instead of who He is?

We are thankful that there are many churches and men of God who are not only listening to the voice of God but are also answering the call to go. We shared in our last article how the Lord has blessed us with three full time missionaries out of our church: Bro Colin Christensen, who has now gone home to be with the Lord; Bro. Steven Harris; and Bro. Bryon Roberts.  Missionaries are scriptural, and we should support them; but that does not relieve us of our command to go here at home. We are thankful our pastor has led our church in the area of church planting as a church. The Lord has blessed our church in that we as a church body planted a church near us in Lynchburg, Ohio. The pastor is one of our former deacons who felt led to take over the work once it was organized.  We are now planting a church in Elmwood Place, Ohio, using the same plan as we did in Lynchburg.

First there was a burden: Pastor Burke and I had gone to a funeral down in Cincinnati a few blocks from Elmwood Place. As we drove through Elmwood Pastor felt the Lord begin to place upon his heart to lead the church to plant a work there.

Secondly there was a survey trip.  A few weeks later Pastor Burke; Evangelist Dan Souza; Brother Brown, missionary to Bozeman, Montana; and I went and walked the streets of Elmwood.  The Lord confirmed the burden.

Then there was a commission: Pastor Burke presented the burden to the church to pray about, and they followed. We began going down, walking the streets and meeting people, business owners, and city officials.  We shared our burden to plant a church there and began to look for a storefront to rent.

Then we as a church went: The storefront was rented.  We began to take about twenty people down weekly to blanket the area with tracts and brochures each Saturday. On Sundays, the same number of people now bring their lunches, eat in the fellowship hall and then ride the bus down to Elmwood where we hold services  at 2:30 p.m.  Some sit and sing and are available as altar workers, some go outside to invite folks in, the children sing specials, one of the men leads the singing and the Lord blesses.

Elmwood is a transit area, and we have seen several come and then they are gone. When we had two who were faithful, we started Wednesday night discipleship class to teach the basics of the Christian life. At this point we normally have eleven adults and one child from the area each Sunday and ten on discipleship on Wednesday nights.

Next blog we are going to begin to compile a list of needy areas here in our state and share ideas we are gaining from others who are planting churches. 

Being Close to the Lord

I've heard all my life about the importance of your walk with the Lord.  I've heard sermons on how to have daily devotions, how to walk with the King, and how to pray and the importance of prayer.  Sadly, I cannot say that I had much of a consistent walk with the Lord when I first went to college.  When I got there, I saw all these guys every morning in the lobby, in the basement, in the loft, and in their room on their knees or reading their Bibles.  Granted, a few on their knees prayed while making an interesting snoring sound, but nonetheless it was quite evident that this was something everyone just had to do.

I remember hearing talk about "so & so" who "never has their devos!  It was no wonder they were getting demerits for breaking rules; yet the guy saying that didn't have time to vacuum the floor because he was having his devotions.

I did really start a walk with God in college.  I spent time daily praying and reading; unfortunately, as with a lot of things at college, it became mechanical.  This is a great danger amongst all of us.  Things can become so mechanical and duty oriented.  I'm not saying I didn't grow and I'm  not saying that God didn't hear my prayers, but ritualistic it became.

I would try some new things to "get more" from my devotions.  I started reading Wiersbe's "Be Series" along with my Bible reading to get more from it.  I started prayer journals where I listed all my requests and daily went over them.  I memorized some Scriptures.  I wrote down the thoughts the Lord gave to me in notebooks.  I did about everything I could think of or was preached at to do.

Again, I learned some great things and did grow in knowledge of the Lord. Still, something was missing.  For years life was that way.  Since my freshman year at college I have had a most consistent time of prayer and reading His Word and have benefited from it.  Yet, still something missing.  Recently, a preacher friend read to me Psalm 100:

....come before his presence with singing.....enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

The whole point of having devotions is to hear from and talk to the Lord; to be in His presence.  What was missing before was not that I wasn't reading or praying, but His overwhelming presence.  I'm not talking about some emotional workup.  I just mean the enjoying of the presence of the Lord in my life.  Again, we can get so mechanical and "DO" what we are supposed to do, yet miss the One we are doing it for.

The Scripture is clear, we are to come before His presence with singing and into His courts with praise being thankful because He is good!  In the Old Testament, the high priest would not dare enter the Holy of Holies without first giving a sacrifice. Yet, we expect to enter the presence of God without doing the same?  No, not an animal or blood sacrifice, that has all been taken care of on Calvary!  Instead, as Hebrews 13:15 says,

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

The problem with many of us is that we don't take the time to be intimate with the Lord.  To listen to that still small voice.  To stop and not check off another four chapters of reading and give God our list of needs, but replace all that with "Lord, I love you," and then be still.  Enter with praise!  Thank God daily for Who He is and what He has done for you.  Do it throughout the day.  It is said of Daniel in Daniel 6 that he had a "most excellent spirit."  How did he have such?  Simple, Daniel 6:10 tell us:

...he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Thanking God, praising God, consistently is what opens our eyes to the presence of God and allows the right spirit to control our lives.  Three times a day Daniel thanked God.  It was "without ceasing." Friends, we give God 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or whatever we do in the morning like a good little Baptist, but miss the presence of God in our lives because we don't spend the day with Him!

Yes read His Word and pray, but friend after and in between just taking the time to praise Him.  Enjoy His presence not in a time slot in the morning or evening, but throughout your day.  Tell Him you love Him, praise Him and thank Him three times a day and allow that most excellent spirit to be in you.

I've always wondered in John 13 after the Lord told the disciples that one would betray Him how they didn't know it was Judas.  If you remember, Peter motions to John (the disciple who Jesus loved and the disciple that was lying on Jesus' breast) to ask Jesus.  John asks the Lord and the Lord says "He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it."  Then Jesus dips the sop and gives it to Judas and the disciples still didn't know it was Judas.  I always thought, "How can the disciples be so ignorant?"

I believe now that they didn't know still because I believe that John heard the Lord say what He did because he asked and he was close to the Lord, but the others would have to wait to learn. No other Gospel speaks of the sop, because the others didn't know.  John would not have a chance the remainder of that night to share these things with the disciples until after the betrayal.

Point is, the disciple who told the Lord he loved Him and to whom the Lord loved, the disciple who was closest to the Lord learning upon His breast, is the disciple who heard some things from the Lord that others didn't.

Don't take me wrong, I'm not talking about special revelation and such; but rather am speaking of simply enjoying the presence of the Lord more.  Too many are mechanical and miss the daily presence of the Lord.  Too many of us have not that excellent spirit about us.  Why?  Not because we aren't reading our Bibles and praying; but because we are not coming into His presence without ceasing with thanksgiving, praise, and singing.

Try it this week.  Make a point to stop three times a day to thank the Lord for something He has done for you and to praise His name and thank the Lord for loving you and tell Him "I Love you Lord." You will, as James puts it, draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you.

 

 

Church Planting

In our study of our church history last year one thing that stood out in our mind was that wherever pioneers went, they planted a church. They had a zeal, not only as pioneers but as church planters as well. This year we are going to look at and prayerfully nurture a zeal for church planting. The Lord has blessed Cozaddale Baptist Temple and we have been able to see two churches planted directly out of our church with a third to be organized in the very near future. Mohave Baptist Church in Bullhead City, Arizona; Anchor Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Ohio; and Iglesia Bautista De Magdalena is very close to organizing in Magdalena, Mexico.



It is our desire to send missionaries out of our church to plant churches. We currently have Brother Steven Harris and family serving full time in Magdalena, Mexico. Brother Bryon Roberts and his family are now on deputation going to Gunnison, Colorado. 



We also see a need to use our local church families to plant other local churches in areas where God may lead us. There is a need for missions both home and abroad. “…and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”  Since 1978, Gallup has gauged the percentage of "unchurched" Americans, defined as those who answer "no" to either one or both of the following questions: "Do you happen to be a member of a church, synagogue, or mosque?" and "Apart from weddings, funerals, or special holidays, such as Christmas, Easter or Yom Kippur, have you attended the church, synagogue, or mosque of your choice in the past six months, or not?" The percentage of "unchurched" Americans has remained relatively unchanged over the last quarter-century. A September 12-15, 2005 Gallup Poll put the percentage at 43%. 
 Of course their definition of “unchurched” Americans is different than our definition of “unchurched” Americans but I believe this poll reveals a great need in America in the area of church planting.  If the polls are accurate, then since 1978 no advancements have been made as far as reaching our country with the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 


As we plant churches here closer to home this serves two purposes: 1.) It fulfills the great commission 2.) It provides opportunity and a training ground for our adults and young people. We are presently taking some of our members to Elmwood Place, Ohio each week to hold services in a storefront. One of the men leads the singing. Our children have a kid’s choir that sings and other members help out with specials. My wife and I return on Wednesday night to disciple those who would like to come for more teaching. 



The purpose of these articles is not to tell how to do it. They are meant to share in what we are learning and to glean from others in what they have learned and are learning. We all minister in different areas to different types of people but all with the same need, Christ.  Please take time to read these articles and to respond with any ideas or thoughts on church planting. 

Grace

What a great word is "Grace?"  Some have said it is Amazing!  We sing it is matchless.  We read of it in Genesis all the way to Revelation as Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with us all-AMEN!

Well, what is it?  We know it is greater than all our sin!  We know God gives more grace when we need it most.  We know Grace's companion is Peace as we find them together in the New Testament most often.  We have written hundreds of songs about Grace.  Preached thousands of sermons about Grace.  Heard illustration after illustration about grace.  I even named my daughter Grace!  Yet, after reading so much about it, writing so much trying to describe it, and singing more songs every day about it...we still don't understand it.

When a loved one dies, we know God will give grace.  When a trial overwhelms a brother, we pray and ask God for more grace on their behalf.  When a sinner gets saved, we rejoice in grace! In God's Word we are to grow in grace, be given grace, have grace multiplied, stand in grace, receive grace, and not fail grace.  We read that grace was given to us before the world began. We are saved and justified by grace.  God is rich in grace, and grace is a gift from Him.   We are to sing with grace, speak with grace, and serve with grace.

We've all heard our man made definitions: God's Riches At Christ's Expense; unmerited favor, or getting what we don't deserve.  All are good attempts at defining it.  You know what I've decided?  I can't define it. I can't describe it.  I can't illustrate it justly.

But I can LIVE IT!  The key to it all is yielding to the Holy Spirit of God.  As I yield to Him, I can live God's grace.  I was saved when I yielded to the Spirit's conviction.  I serve in grace when I yield my members and am filled with the Holy Ghost.  I sing in grace when the Word of God dwells in me richly.  I can speak in grace when the Spirit of God has control of my tongue.

What is the result of this grace?  Peace, joy, thanksgiving, and hope will fill my life.

The opposite of grace is the law.  I've been teaching this week through the book of Galatians.  This is the main theme of this book.  The members of the churches of Galatia had been saved by grace but false teachers had come in demanding they adhere to obedience to the law or their salvation was void.  Paul starts his letter and ends his letter the same way:  "GRACE".   I've never understood how one could believe in a works salvation or that they could lose their salvation and at the same time sing about His grace.

Our lives are all about His grace.  My salvation, my service, my family, my ministry, my wife, my children, my office, my health, my smile today, my children's laugh, my friends, my peace, my song, my everything is all because of God's grace.

I give up trying to figure it out.  All I know is that His grace is sufficient for me! (and you!)

Spirit of Wisdom

And thou shalt speak unto all [that are] wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.  Exodus 28:3

And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. Duet. 34:9

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit ofwisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, thespirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;  Isaiah 11:2

 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;   Ephesians 1:17

In each of these passages there is reference to the "spirit of wisdom."   What is this "spirit of wisdom?"  (There is no pride in this next statement) For many years I have heard people say about me at times, "You are wise beyond your years."  I don't agree and never knew how to 'correct' others when they said such.  Just this week, a godly man wrote a letter to me and shared those same words after discussing the subject of the family with me while he was in town.  I just keep telling people that I'm getting older and am confident that soon my age will far pass my knowledge.

Again, at the risk of sounding prideful (God knows my heart), I do agree that at times I don't know where words, thoughts, plans, and counsel come from.  There are times I know what to do and I just have to say, "To God be the glory."  Believe me, most of these instances follow a time of desperation and crying out to God.  But still, I do thank my God for the spirit of wisdom.

In our texts above we read of the four times the spirit of wisdom is discussed.

First in Exodus 28:3 the spirit of wisdom is described as being upon those who were to make garments for Aaron's sons for service in the priestly office.  God had granted them special wisdom for the task He elected them to do.

In Deuteronomy 34:9, Joshua is to succeed Moses in leading Israel.  Joshua is there described as being full of the spirit of wisdom.  This was Joshua's election from God to lead Israel at this most important time.  Great wisdom was required, and God equipped Joshua for the task.

In Isaiah 11:2 we have prophecy of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  This Rod and Branch from the stem of Jesse would have the spirit of wisdom and counsel upon Him.  Truly no one in history or future will come close the wisdom He spoke and shared while on this earth.  He had come to fulfill the Father's purpose and will, and was equipped to do so.

In Ephesians 1:17 we read of Paul's desire and prayer for the spirit of wisdom to be upon all the saints there at Ephesus.  Oh that each of them could understand the hope, riches, greatness, and power of God that would equip them to be His workmanship unto good works.

So, what have we learned?  The spirit of wisdom is God's equipping the saint for the purpose He has elected for their life.  So does Travis Burke and pastors have the spirit of wisdom?  Well, they should.  As should the Christian accountant, Christian homemaker, Christian school teacher, Christian scientist, Christian doctor, Christian fiber optics technician, Christian machinist....God has equipped each of us with the spirit of wisdom for our callings.

So who do we engage it in our lives?  With the tailors in Exodus, they probably didn't feel like they had some "special gift", rather, they just knew how to do what God called them to do.  Joshua in Deuteronomy had the spirit of wisdom, but make no mistake that this spirit of wisdom was a direct fruit of "this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night."  The Lord Jesus had this spirit of wisdom, for He knew perfectly the mind of God.  The saints in Ephesus could have this spirit of wisdom if they yielded themselves to the Lord and the Words of the Lord.   As can we all.

Point is, the spirit of wisdom should be upon all of us.  I should have the spirit of wisdom in matters according to my calling.  When folks come to me for Biblical wisdom, I should have it to share; not as a result of just a special gift, but a fruit of studying the mind of God (His Word).  When I get my taxes done tomorrow, I will go to a Christian man whom God has given the spirit of wisdom in laws and numbers.  I thank God for him.  I thank God for the Christian mechanic who can fix my car.

Yes, I know the world has many experts in various fields, and it is God who has enabled them to learn what they know.  But the beginning of wisdom is still the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10).  May we each dedicate ourselves to the calling of God upon our lives, yield ourselves to the study and learning of the mind of God (His Word), and display to others the spirit of wisdom that will then rest upon us.

As Little Children

A few months ago I came across again a verse in Ephesians chapter five and verse one.  It reads

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

I mentioned this verse in my Sunday School class with the college age as well as mentioned it in a sermon in passing.  Why would the Holy Spirit encourage us to follow God "as dear children?" I allowed my Sunday School class to give their thoughts first.

A child doesn't worry about the affairs of this world.  A child doesn't stay up all night worrying about the electric bill, job security, and the economy.  They just know their father will take care of them.  Oh that each of us had this kind of faith that we were not so burdened down by the affairs and cares of this world.  Oh that each of us just trusted the Father will take care of it all.

A child loves being around other children.  It doesn't take long for a child to meet another child and soon befriend.  Prejudices are removed, differences ignored, and bonds of friendship are created.  Matter a fact, when you see a child that is all alone when other children are present, you know either that child is sick, in trouble, or something is terribly wrong.  No wonder we are instructed to be a dear children.  We too should love to be around God's people.  We should love to be in the presence of the family of God.  We too should be able to remove prejudices and ignore the differences not warned against in Scripture.  Is it not true, that a Christian who wants and desires no fellowship from other Christians is either spiritually sick, in sin and in "trouble" with the Lord, or something else is terribly wrong?

A child just has a simple faith.  If you tell a child something, they will most often just believe it.  When a father and mother have loved and reared their children right, that child will believe most every word from them.  No wonder the faith of a little child is talked about so much in Scripture.  May we just believe what our Father has told us and not have to figure everything out in our own minds first.

A child loves.  A child does not make anyone earn their love, they reciprocate a love shown to them. Ofttimes a child loves even those who have done nothing to reciprocate that love.  Their heart just loves.  We love Him...because we learned quickly that truly He loves us.  We should love others, even when they don't "deserve" our love.  We should have a love one for another.

A child enjoys life.  Did you know that God wants us to enjoy life?  God so desires us to enjoy the world and people He has given to us.  Now, don't get me wrong, we were created for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11), but as a loving Father, God has created for us a world for our pleasure.  He could have made everything brown or gray, but look outside today at the beauty around us.  Why a rose?  Why a rosy sunset?  Why the autumn leaves?  Why the taste of sweet apple?  Why the joy in the kiss from your spouse?  Why smell of the lavender?  Why softness of a baby's skin?  Why the song of the nightingale?  For our pleasure!  God wants us to be happy.  God wants us to be joyful and enjoy pleasure.

I fear some times that preaching against pleasure is so much one sided preaching, that we are blinded to the fact that God wants us happy.  There are Christians who feel guilty because they are happy.  Feel dirty when they are pleased.  They feel they are wicked for enjoying something, or wrong if bad things are not happening to them.

Let us be clear, we are not to live our lives to please our flesh.  We should live our lives to bring honor to God and therefore our actions should all be pleasing to God in accordance to His Word; but my fellow saint, God wants us to enjoy our lives.

Psalm 5:11 "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy....let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

Psalm 32:11 "Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."

Habakkuk 3:18 "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

John 15:11 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." 

1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen, ye love: in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" 

 1 John 1:4 "And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."

Bottom line is, God wants us happy and those who have put their trust in the Lord, are upright in heart, following the Word of God should be the happiest people on the planet.  We should be able to enjoy all of God's creation like no one else.  We should find the most pleasure, most joy, most satisfaction because we know the One who gave it all to us!

Still, we struggle don't we?  We still try to draw a line as to "how much pleasure" and such.  Yesterday it hit me!  My daughters brought this note to my wife:

 Then when I got to church, I found this on my desk from my son:

You know what my children did for us?  They trusted us, loved each other, enjoyed life, obeyed us, and told us the best they could that they loved and appreciated us.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather have these two notes, than a framed letter from any star or dignitary.  As a Father, I know what they are able to do, and nothing makes me more pleased than to watch them do right and hear from them like in these notes.

Friend, you don't need to impress God...we can't.  He just wants us to follow Him as dear children.  Just do right, and let Him know how much you love and appreciate Him.  Happy New Year!  Let's enjoy this year as children of God! 

Big Time Wrestling!

Yes, when I was young my family was greatly into "Big Time Wrestling."  I remember at seven and eight years old going to my grandmas and great grandmas and hearing them yelling at a black and white television screen to "pound their heads," "give it up," or the classic "1...2....3!"
My dad and I went to many "Big Time Wrestling" events while growing up in Dayton, Ohio.  Many times we went to Hara Arena or University of Dayton Arena to watch the likes of Rick Flair, Hulk Hogan, and the Legion of Doom.
I don't do the wrestling thing now.  After going to college and living apart from all these things for four  years, you will be amazed how wicked it "suddenly" got while you were gone. The nakedness, immorality, cursing, drinking, drugs, and such have become what "Big Time Wrestling" is all about.  We've come a long way from "To all my little Hulkamaniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins and you will never go wrong."  Enough reminiscing....
I have however learned, that we are all engaged in some "Big Time Wrestling."  The Scriptures read:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:13

When I became a pastor, one of the first things that I realized was the reality of a spiritual warfare going on all around me.  The Devil is fighting and fighting hard.  The Devil hates a Christian's life and testimony, the Gospel being preached, a Godly family, and God honoring churches.  He seeks to destroy them, and we are engaged in a big time wrestling match.   At least, we should be.

I fear that too many Christians are "George South" Christians.  George South was a wrestler 'back in the days' who was every heroes punching bag.  I remember groaning every time he was introduced as an opponent.  I think I personally saw Rick Flair put George South in the figure 4 100 times.  The script was for the hero to beat around on George South and then 'make that mistake.'  George South would then get the upper hand on Rick Flair for a moment.  Enough for the crowd to get mad at him.  He would do his patented "stick the tongue out" at the fans and miraculously just about then the hero would arise from defeat and defeat George South.
I see so many Christians today who just expect to lose.  Their mentality and attitude is one of defeat.  For a moment in their life, when all is going well, they make a lot of noise and get all excited about God, and even "stick their tongue out" at the Devil and as soon as that pride shows itself, they fall and fall hard.

We are to be engaged in this spiritual wrestling match, and the great part is, we are victorious.  Our victory is promised when we fight this battle through our Lord Jesus Christ.  At the moment, we may have to endure some afflictions. As I sit and write this, my heart is so heavy for so many.  It seems as if the last month has been filled with news of brothers and sisters in Christ, churches, and pastors and their families under oppression and attack.  Just this week, a pastor called to ask for prayer as his family is under attack and being divided.  How my heart aches for these I love.  Yet, we understand, that while on this earth we saints will experience “hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  We will be at war and must be “a soldier.”  Peter speaks of these seasons of “heaviness through manifold temptations” we will face in his epistle.  So what are we to do?

The answer you will find in 2 Timothy two and 1 Peter one and throughout God’s Word is “endure.”  To endure means to hold fast, bare bravely and calmly on the shoulders.  Peter says that while enduring we can “greatly rejoice.”  How?  Because “the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Paul tells Timothy we endure because of “salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”  In other words, “It Will be Worth It All When We See Jesus!”

Paul uses in 2 Timothy the example of Christ in 2:8, as does Peter in 1:11.  To what are they referring?  Hebrews 12:2-3 gives us our example.   He “endured the cross, despising the shame…” for the “joy that was set before Him.”  The Lord may allow seasons of trials into our lives, but they are just that-seasons.  They will not last forever.  They are for our strengthening and sanctification.   We must recognize that enduring is required and when a man has made up his mind that there is nothing he cannot endure, his fear leaves him.

The Devil is seemingly pounding down on my family, our missionaries, so many in our church, and other good families in solid churches.  If we are not careful, we will start to think that the Devil is winning and is going to win.  But I feel like the old school Hulk Hogan.  Just when you thought he was down and out, he would raise that fist and begin to rise from the mat.  In just seconds, everything turned around and he soon was pinning his opponent to a cheer of "1...2....3!"  

I believe we are in the last days and not making light of things, but towards the end of the match, the wrestling gets much more intense.  We as children of God are going to need to show what we are made of.  We are going to have to endure, to fight, and keep on doing what is right.  This fight is not flesh and blood, but it is real, it's Big Time Wrestling!  Just an inside scoop though, it's all fixed.  The good guys always win.