New Features Roll Out This Week

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Normally in the Monday slot you see the video from my sermon on the previous day, but today I want to use the space to tell you about some changes coming on the blog and why those changes are afoot.

God has used Colossians 1:28-29 to cement in my heart what He wants to do through me.

Him [Jesus] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

In my heart I am and always have been a coach, and that heart for coaching translates into ministry as a discipler. As the heading to the blog indicates, I desire to help YOU grow in faith, knowledge, and life. I want to have some part in presenting you before the Lord at the last judgment as a mature follower of Jesus. THAT is why I blog – to provide you with tools, resources, inspiration, and information to help you in your walk with the Lord.

I established the survey last week because I want to know what would be most helpful to my readers so I can streamline my effort and output to be more effective in that goal. With that in mind, here is how the blog will look for the time being.

Mondays will still for the most part be the sermon video from the day before, at least for the time being. The Monday post provides an opportunity for members of the church I pastor as well as others who might be interested, to hear a sermon they may have missed. I understand not everyone has the time to listen, the bandwidth to download, nor the vested interest in my messages, but for now they will remain for the benefit of those it serves.

The overwhelming majority of respondents indicated the Tuesday and Thursday written blogs were their favorite feature. I am flattered by that, and honored. Those two days will remain the same.

I will replace the Wednesday Vlog for the next several weeks with a series on how to do a personal Bible study. Respondents indicated the Vlog as their least favorite feature and most indicated a desire for me to provide more resources on Bible study.

Many respondents also indicated that the Flashback Friday feature was one of their least favorite as well. That feature titled “Four Things Everybody Needs to Know About…” This will be an overview of some of the most important theological themes all believers need to understand. I will continue to share quotes and articles that are meaningful to me through my Twitter. If you are on Twitter, you can follow me @JimDuggan.

I do consider the blog to be a static production and more changes and tweaks will take place as the opportunity arises. As always, I welcome your feedback either through comments on the blog or through email contact. Thanks again for reading and I pray something I share will move you closer to Jesus.

 

Does the Devil Know Who You Are?

whoareyouAfter a 25-year sojourn, about a year ago I moved back to the town where I grew up. I’ve had a great time renewing old friendships and making new friends. Every day, I have conversations with people in my church in which we discover mutual friends and/or memories.

Occasionally, I encounter a face that I recognize, but I can neither remember the name nor the context of how we are acquainted. Usually, the person remembers me and knows exactly who I am, but I am left to stall for time and fake familiarity while trying to recall this person’s name and place in my life.

In the Bible, the book of Acts recounts a story of anonymous identity. While at Ephesus, Paul performs some incredible miracles through Jesus’ name, included casting demons out of afflicted individuals. A group of seven brothers, all sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva, tried their had at invoking the name of Jesus and casting out demons. These guys were not followers of Jesus, they merely attempted to copy-cat Paul’s method while hoping to achieve the same results.

When they attempted to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus, in whom they did not believe, the demon responded to them verbally by saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” The demon did not feel threatened by the sons, and he jumped on them and beat them so badly they ran out of the house beaten and naked. (Acts 19:11-16)

I’m not sure if that was more frightening, embarrassing, or humorous. They thought they had authority over the demon, but that demon had no clue who they were.

That begs the question… does the devil know who you are? Have you caused him enough grief that he has a file on you? Does the devil keep up with your coming and going out of fear you will threaten his work?

Let me suggest a few people the devil knows and tracks.

  1. The believer who is consistent and fervent in prayer.
  2. The believer who dares to share the Gospel even in the face of fear and threat.
  3. The believer who regularly and systematically reads, studies, and obeys God’s Word.
  4. The believer willing to daringly show the unconditional love of God to those who need it most.

If you do not from time to time experience opposition from the devil then more than likely one of two things is true in your life – either he already has you in his grasp, or you are not doing anything to threaten what he is doing around you.

See what you can do to get yourself on the devil’s watch list.

In the comment section below, feel free to share other ways you believe we can get in the devil’s watch list.

My Heart His Temple

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Recently, I read about the details with which the craftsmen Bezalel built the Ark of the Covenant and the accompanying items in and around the Tabernacle. You can read about it in Exodus 36-39. Some of the preparations stood out in my mind, as I realized the Tabernacle and Ark were not built haphazardly nor in a quick moment.

They used specific materials that were of the utmost quality. They didn’t skimp, take shortcuts, use leftovers, or “value shop.” From the readily available acacia wood to the exquisite metals like gold and brass, the craftsmen used the BEST materials available to them.

Also, I noticed the time and attention to details he gave to the project. This was not a shade tree project or something he did on weekends or in their spare time. This was his primary task and to it he devoted his BEST time and attention. He didn’t take short cuts or gloss over even the slightest detail thinking no one would notice.

Additionally, I thought about the breadth of the sacrifice for the project. People from throughout the camp sacrificed items they owned that were made of the metals needed for the project. They didn’t bring God left overs, they didn’t donate used up, broken, or outgrown things; they brought God the BEST.

Then, lastly, I realized they meticulously carried out the plans God gave them. They gave God what He wanted in the way that He wanted it. They didn’t build it their way but His.

As I thought about this, I thought about what I give God each day. Do I set apart the best part of my day to hear from Him and talk to Him? Do I give my BEST effort to speak for Him, serve Him, and live for Him? After all, the Tabernacle of the wilderness and the Temple of the Old Testament are pictures of the heart of the New Testament believer. Is my heart as meticulously designed as those structures and the articles within them?

Let me suggest some BEST practices for letting our heart reflect the same holiness as the Tabernacle and the Ark.

  • I should give God the time of each day when my head and heart are at their most attentive. I should read His word and meditate on its meaning and application for my life.
  • I should reassess and rearrange my priorities and schedules to reflect His place in my life. All other things on my schedule should revolve around my heart being His Temple and my life being His testimony.
  • I should not take shortcuts in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions, but rather keep my head clear and heart clean. I should immerse my life in the truth of His Word so that I am shaped by it and empowered by His Spirit.
  • I should do what GOD wants me to do for HIM, not what I want to do for HIM. I should build my days, one moment at a time, according to His building plan for that day.

These are but a beginning. In the comments below, feel free to share some ways you prepare your heart to be God’s Temple.

 

 

The Devil’s Up to his Old Tricks Again

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I had the privilege Tuesday of attending a rally at the Georgia State Capital for former Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran who was recently fired because of his Biblical beliefs. If you are not aware of the story, feel free to click here when you are finished reading the blog and you can catch up on the events of the last couple of months.

At the heart of the conflict is an increasing view in our culture that the Bible is not the authoritative standard for faith and morality. This, of course, comes as a shock to no one since we have all witnessed over the last several decades the decline of moral accountability and the rise of moral relativism. This attack on the authority of God’s Word is not new; in fact, the devil has used this strategy since his first encounter with Adam and Eve.

When tempting Eve in Genesis 3:1-7, the devil first created doubt as to the content of God’s instructions to Adam and Eve (“did God actually say…), then the truthfulness of God’s instruction (“you will not surely die…), and finally the intent of God’s plan (God knows that …you will be like God…). For millennia, the devil has used the same strategy – create doubt, distrust, and disobedience.

At the core of our culture’s moral relativism is the denial of the authority of God’s Word. Chief Cochran wrote and self-published a book to help men understand the grace and forgiveness available only through a relationship with Jesus Christ. The book is based on Biblical truth, and as is often the case, Biblical truth offends those who do not wish to live under God’s authority. If you would like a copy of the book you can purchase one by clicking here to go to Amazon.

So, what can we as believers in Jesus do in these times when God’s Word is under attack? Let me suggest 3 important practices.

First, we must KNOW God’s Word so that we do not fall prey to the devil’s trick of doubt, distrust, and disobedience. Now more that ever, we need to regularly READ and STUDY the Bible. The best way to recognize the devil’s lie is to be confidentially acquainted with God’s truth.

Second, we must OBEY God’s Word. We cannot expect others to uphold a standard to which we do not hold ourselves. We must not rationalize and marginalize the Bible, but rather submit ourselves to ALL of its teaching.

Finally, we need to unashamedly STAND for the principles of God’s Word, encourage others who publicly stand in that Word, and challenge our leaders to lead according to the TRUTH of God’s Word. Jesus has called us as His followers to be a positive influence and a shining example to those around us (Matthew 5:13-16).

Do not let the devil trick you with his oldest scheme of doubt, then distrust, and disobedience.

Beware of Kilogram Christianity

scalesI have found a way to lose over 50% of my body weight immediately.  I don’t have to eat a special diet or engage in grueling exercise.  I don’t have to take pills, spend $500 on extremely small portioned meals mailed directly to my home, or spend hours in front of my TV working out to the latest exercise DVD.

All I have to do to reduce my body weight by 50% immediately is to stop weighing myself in pounds and instead weigh myself in kilograms.  There are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram.   A 200 lbs man weighs 90.7 kg.  No, I haven’t lost my mind, I know that 90.7 kg = 200 lbs, and I know that my weight in kg = my weight in lbs. Changing the standard of measurement does not change the reality of the weight.

How many times, however, do we think we are so much leaner spiritually because we measure ourselves with the wrong standard, when the reality is that we are spiritually out of shape?  We look around and see that we act better than most folks around us and think we are in good shape.  The problem with that measurement is that others are not the standard by which we are to measure ourselves, God’s Word is.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.  – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The devil has won a tremendous battle in believers’ lives by keeping us from the Bible.  Do you treat worship as though it is optional and escape the penetrating preaching of the Word.  Do you neglect small group Bible study and avoid the tenacious teaching of the Word.  Do you rarely pick up your Bible lest you stumble upon some convicting truth that forces you to deal with your unhealthy spiritual condition?

We are in desperate spiritual condition because we have grown comfortable with the comparison of ourselves to others who are not as “spiritual” as we think we are, when an honest look into God’s Word will perform spiritual surgery even in the heart of the best among us.  We easily and loudly lament our culture’s abandonment of the Biblical principles upon which our founders established our country, yet we are reluctant to let the Word of Christ pierce into the inner chambers of our heart.

What are you doing to measure yourself by God’s standard? Do you regularly read, study, and meditate on the Bible? Do you let God’s truth, revealed in the Bible provide both the framework and fabric for your life? All other standards of measurement leave us sorely lacking.

What Is Your Plan for a Better 2015?

A plan is a wonderful thing.  We plan events and trips.  Ball teams execute a game plan.  Builders meticulously follow a building plan.  If you want to lose weight, you follow a dietary plan and most likely an exercise plan.  We do not expect important things to happen by accident, so we develop and carry out what we believe to be an effective plan to reach our goals.  Why do we not apply the same fervor to our spiritual growth?  Why do we expect spiritual growth to happen by accident? The Bible definitely doesn’t.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness… – 1 Timothy 4:7

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. – Hebrews 5:12-14

“Train yourself.”  “Constant practice.”  These are not words that indicate something happening by accident.  Spiritual maturity takes place over time as a person intentionally seeks God in the pages of His Word, then faithfully practices the lessons learned.

What is your plan for Bible reading?  What verses are you planning to memorize? What topic are you planning to investigate?  What Bible character do you plan to analyze and whose example you plan to follow?

How much time do you plan to spend in prayer each day this week?  When will you pray?  Where?  How?

In what ways do you plan to stretch your faith and serve outside of your comfort zone this year?   What about a new ministry, mission trip or a service project?

How do you plan to grow in your financial stewardship?

If you want to grow, don’t expect it to happen automatically or accidentally.  Develop and follow a plan to grow.

Click here for some great Bible reading plans.

Sharpening My Blades

sharpening bladeA couple of weeks ago, on rare day of heavy rainfall in South Georgia, I was having a conversation with the gentleman who landscapes our church grounds. I asked him if he hated to see this rainy day since it meant he couldn’t get out and work. He told me that while he doesn’t want too many down days, one every now and then is beneficial. “Since it’s raining today, I’ll spend the day sharpening my blades.”

While most of us would view a down day as an obstacle, he saw it as an opportunity to prepare for the coming busy days. Intentional preparation. When he is faced with his task of mowing, he doesn’t have time to maintain and prepare his equipment…and he keeps quite the hectic schedule. Rather than wasting a day when he couldn’t mow, he spent time preparing for the next day he would mow.

Although sometimes I feel like there is not time that I am not “mowing” spiritually, I have to make the time to step aside and “sharpen my blade.” I need a regular dose of God’s Word to align my life with Him and His plan. I need the down time of prayer to focus my heart and mind on Him. I cannot sustain the regular pace of constantly spending myself without giving God the chance to replenish my soul. Several times in Jesus’ ministry, He withdrew to be alone with the Father. He often called His disciples away from the crowd to be alone with them so He could nurture them as well.

Today, I resolve to be more intentional about keeping my blade sharp. I will set aside more time in God’s Word and prayer. I will allow Him through His Word to prepare me for what He has in store.

What about you? When and how will you sharpen your blade?

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Maintaining Spiritual Momentum

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For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,
which is in you through the laying on of my hands… 2 Timothy 1:6

In my teen days, we used to sing a song at church that began with the line, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” Since I want my life to be “on fire” with the power of the Holy Spirit bearing His fruit in and through me, I need to tend the fire that He has started.

First, the fire needs to be fed.  To keep the fire going, I have to introduce a new log every now and then. The same thing is true in my life spiritually. I cannot continue to burn brightly with what God fed me last week.  I need God’s Word to address MY LIFE on a daily basis.  I need an intentional plan for studying, meditating on, and applying God’s Word.

Also, the fire needs to be fanned. As a flame starts to dwindle, I can blow on the red-hot embers and once again the flames rise. In my spiritual life, I need the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to blow in my life. I need to start everyday asking Him to control every thought, word, attitude, and action in my life. I need to ask Him to bear His fruit in my life. I need what only the Holy Spirit can do in my life. I need His filling, His empowerment, His activity or else my fire for God suffocates.

Then finally, the fire needs to be freshened. I can freshen a fire by stirring it around a bit, moving the logs, creating some breathing room. Spiritually, I need fresh challenges and experiences if I am to grow.  I need to be stirred on a regular basis. Granted, these freshening experiences are not always pleasant – after all, you freshen a fire with a pointed thing called a poker. Who among us really enjoys being poked and prodded?  The poker freshens the fire by stirring the fuel closer to the red-hot center of the fire. When God uses His poker to stir my life, He usually draws me closer to Him, the blazing center of spiritual vitality and fire.

So . . . what does your fire need? Fuel? Fanning? Freshening?

 

 

How to Be a Hall of Fame Disciple

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Former Atlanta Braves’ pitcher Greg Maddux recently received induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. A couple of quotes during his acceptance speech indicate the kind of focused worth ethic that earned him the nickname “Mad Dog.” Referring to his daily approach to the game Maddux said

I never gave a thought to the Hall of Fame as I was going through my career. My goal as a baseball player was very simple: All I wanted to do was try to get better for my next start.

Greg played parts of his last two seasons with the San Diego Padres. Even after winning more than 300 games and 4 Cy Young Awards (as the top pitcher yearly in his league), at the end of his stellar career, Maddux related that his pitching coach in San Diego taught him how to throw a change-up a different way. Imagine that… a coach who had a modest career of his own at best teaching a hall of famer how to pitch. To hammer home an important life lesson, Maddux commented:

Just goes to show that you no matter how old you are, you’re still looking to get better.

Get better for my next start. Looking to get better. These two statements should typify a follower of Jesus. Am I doing all I can to walk more closely with Jesus today than I did yesterday? Am I intentionally pursuing Christlikeness on a daily basis? Do I realize how much I still have to grow and that I have not arrived at perfection?

How do we engage this constant growth process? The Word of God and prayer are the two tools God has given us for that purpose.

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (HCSB)

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25 (HCSB)

If a hall of famer like Greg Maddux recognized the key to success in his sport was intentional daily improvement, how much more should we see the eternal importance of daily getting better and growing closer to Jesus? Establish the habit of getting better every day by gazing into God’s Word and allowing Him to transform you through His Word’s power. You will find yourself one day in Jesus’ hall of fame of disciples.

 

Greg Maddux speech quotes courtesy of Chicago Tribune online.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-greg-maddux-speech-20140727-story.html#page=1

Helpful Tools for Bible Study

A Good Study Bible

Study Bibles contain notes along with the text that provide the reader with cross-references, translation helps, and explanations of historical and contextual situations. My recommendation: The ESV Study Bible

A Notebook or Three Ring Binder

This is for taking notes and recording insights that God gives you into the text and how it applies to you. It is also helpful to keep track of what you pray for so you can see God’s activity in your life.

An Appointed Time and Place

You will be surprised how much more consistent you will be if you treat your quiet time like other appointments. It is never wrong to pencil God into your daily schedule! It may be difficult at first, but with time, you will look forward to your time with Him.

Biblical Language Tools

Since the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (and a little Aramaic) and the New Testament was written in Greek, many words have shades of nuance that are lost in translation. Below are a few tools that will help you unlock some of the kernels of truth locked inside of language.

  The Hebrew/Greek Study Bible by Spiros Zodhiates -important words have a number superscripted that leads you to a fuller definition and explanation in the back of the Bible. This is an excellent help for the Bible student.

  Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words by W.E.   Vine, Merrill Unger, and William White. Look up an English word and  find it’s Hebrew and Greek counterparts, where they are used in Scripture and what they mean in context.

 Commentaries – while I am not necessarily a big fan of commentaries, sometimes they are helpful. Look for one-volume commentaries that provide background information on the text rather than commentaries that give the author’s opinion on the meaning and application of the text. My recommendations: IVP Background Commentary on the New Testament and IVP Background Commentary on the Old Testament

Your Most Important Help: The Holy Spirit

One of the works of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to lead us into all truth. God alone is able to reveal Himself to us.

Online Tools

Bible Gateway

My Study Bible (Holman Christian Standard)

You Version.  You Version also has a very good app for your smart phone and/or tablet.

Biblia.Com

 

Seven Ways to Approach a Bible Passage:

1 .PICTURE IT!  Visualize the scene in your mind.

2 .PRONOUNCE IT!  Say the verse aloud, each time emphasizing a different word.

3. PARAPHRASE IT!  Rewrite the verse in your own words.

4. PERSONALIZE IT!  Replace the pronouns or people in the verse with your own name.

5. PRAY IT!  Turn the verse into a prayer and say it back to God.

6. PROBE IT!  Ask the following five questions :

S.P.E.C.K.  QUESTIONS

 Is there a SIN to forsake?

 Is there a PROMISE to claim?

 Is there an ENCOURAGEMENT to hear?

 Is there a COMMAND to obey?

 Is there some KNOWLEDGE to be gained?

7. PRACTICE IT! Find ways to immediately put what God has told you into action.