Hold Your Horses!

(idiom meaning "hold on; be patient")

I understand the concern of treading where we have never trod.  Depending on your news source, Covid-19 is either the pestilence in the book of Revelation or it is a really bad cold.  It seems that the general population should have little concern, but senior adults should refrain from all contact with the human race.

We must discern the news available so that we may react in wisdom.  Obviously, social distance and personal hygiene are at the apex of responsibility.  But what about other instructions?

Don't fly.

Don't get on a train, bus or any confined space with others.

Don't leave your country, state or county.

Don't go to mass gatherings of more than 50 people.

Don't get too close to participants of gatherings less than 50 people.

Don't hoard groceries (there is no shortage of supply).

We literally have millions of people who do not know what to do, so they go to a mass gathering at Walmart and buy toilet paper.  The nation is in a panic.

How do Christians respond?

Sadly, many have joined the panic at Walmart. 

Pastoral leaders are faced with a difficult choice: faith or responsibility.  

In faith, do they continue gathering in worship services against the instructions of the CDC and State Health Organization? 

In responsibility, do they cancel, or modify, their services and risk the appearance of acting in fear?

Here is a news flash...

Acting responsibly is not a lack of faith!

There are, however, irresponsible responses among Christians. 

"They can't tell us what to do!"  

"God will protect us at church." 

And no mention of names here, but "Come to our church and get healed of the virus."

First, they CAN tell us what to do.  This has nothing to do with "church and state" and everything to do with protecting those who are susceptible to disease.  We are COMMANDED to obey our leaders and pray for them. (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Timothy 1:2-3)

Second, YOU are the church! There is nothing sacred about a building of brick or wood.  There is no "special" protection for those attending church. Ask the many who have been the recipients of evil while in service over the past decade.  Ask those who are suffering with cancer or some other disease. 

For a Christian to claim special protection is to misunderstand the whole counsel of God's Word. We will suffer (1 Peter 4:12). We have many examples of suffering throughout the Bible (Jesus, Paul, the disciples, the many martyrs of our faith).  The special protection is against God's wrath (Romans 3:26), not this world's many woes.

Third, STOP it! If you can heal people of Covid-19 at your church, you can heal the MANY who are in desperate need in the cancer centers, children's hospital, and general hospitals. Do not propagate the virus in the name of Jesus!

The bottom line is this.  As a Christian, act responsibly in your faith.  Do not let your rebellion and defiance be the evidence of your faith.  Let your daily walk with Christ and obedience to His word be your testimony as you share the message of hope and display the love of Christ to a frightened world.

So...hold on. Pray. Read God's Word. Do what HE says for HIS glory.

How did we get to this?

I have read many posts about the recent decision in NY. and personally ask myself, 

"How did we get to this?"

Why do we fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness while fighting for the right to take life, remove individual rights and eliminate the pursuit of happiness?  It is insanity.  We are living life upside down giving more rights and protection to animals than we do our unborn babies!

If we were to look at the argument from the outside, we have group 1 condemning  group 2 for wanting to end life up to the point of birth and is calling for them to repent, while group 1 is perfectly fine with ending life up to 8 weeks in the womb.

In either case, we as a culture, are ending more than 880,000 lives in the womb every year, which makes abortion the LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH in the US! 😢. 

This is a LOW estimate because California, Maryland and New Hampshire do not report abortions to the CDC.  For perspective, "we the people" have successfully taken the lives of more than 61 million Americans since 1973 - that is nearly the population of California and Texas and far more than we have lost in war since the American Revolution! (which makes the greatest war for life in the womb)

Take a look at this site for a reality check by the numbers: Abortion Counter

But what about rape and incest?  They account for less than one percent of all abortions.source

But what about the mother's right to choose? She chose intimacy with a man (eighty-six percent of the time outside of marriage).  As a result, the mother has a responsibility for her choice. source. Unfortunately, we assist in eliminating her responsibility for a mere $480.

Fifty-four percent of women having abortions identify themselves as protestant and catholic!  So, there are more women declaring their faith in God AND killing the unborn than those who do not acknowledge God at all.  Unbelievable.

Honestly, where do you believe God, the creator of EVERY life, stands on abortion?
"You shall not murder" (intentionally taking the life of another). Exodus 20:13

At what point will we stand with the One in whom we claim faith?
When will our hearts be broken for the lives that are taken EVERY day?
When will our hearts be compassionate toward those who are blinded to the truth, sharing with them the forgiveness and love offered through Jesus Christ?

"always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15

What tools do I use?

So, you have joined me on the New Testament Challenge 2019. SUPER!

If not, here is the reading plan: www.bit.ly/NTChallenge2019

The goal is not to READ God’s word for completion, but to SPEND TIME WITH GOD in His word for transformation.  Each Sunday sermon will be based on something we read that week, and will facilitate meaningful religious conversations around our dinner tables, in Sunday school, with friends, etc... over the same scriptures (old and young alike).

You can access the sermons here: www.bit.ly/StevesSermonsOnline

Now that you are spending time in God’s word, what tools are available to dig deeper in your study?  You can purchase books or computer programs - or you can use something FREE! Preference? I thought so. A free tool that is available online and as an app is www.Biblehub.com.

I like this tool for a couple of reasons. First, it provides multiple translations for the same verse. I was told years ago that if you studied King James, New American Standard and New International Version together, you would have a pretty good idea of the original intent of the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. So, this site provides that availability.

Second, it provides an interlinear Hebrew and Greek source. This source shows the original Hebrew or Greek word, it’s grammatical form and it’s meaning. From there, we can gain a greater understanding of the intended meaning of the passage.

As an example... go now and read John 21:15-17.  For real. Go read it and come back.

(If you did not, shame on you!)

Forgetting any sermon you may have heard on this passage, what is happening here? Jesus is asking Peter if he loves Him three times, Peter responds and actually gets a little upset at the repeated question - as if Jesus did not believe him.

What do YOU love? Jesus, spouse, children, family, pizza, a good steak, dessert, the beach, golf, etc...

Do you find it odd that we use the exact word for our love of food as we do our love for Jesus? So, reading this passage, regardless of how much time we meditate on it - we will NEVER understand its intended meaning without looking at the original language. Therefore, we assume meaning and insert our thoughts.  “Jesus must have asked Peter three times because Peter denied Him three times.” There is nowhere in Scripture that states that!

By looking at the interlinear Greek source, we see the difference.  Jesus asked twice, “Do you agapao me?” Peter answered, “I phileo you.”  Defining those words will bring a deeper meaning to the conversation.

Agapao - showing love through obedience by God’s power and direction. It is an expression of loyalty and devotion.

Phileo - to love like a brother. It is an expression of emotion.

“Peter, do you follow me in obedience more than the other disciples do?”

“Jesus, I love you like a brother.”

Now we begin to see what is going on here. Jesus was asking for an expression of loyalty to accompany Peter’s expression of affection.

In verses 15 and 16, Jesus asked the same question. In verse 17, Jesus matched Peter’s word for love in His question. In each verse, Jesus commanded an action (Greek imperative) as an expression of love.

MY take away.  It is not sufficient to simply SAY I love Jesus. My love for Him is expressed when I do what He says to do in His word.

What is He teaching me in His word through personal devotion, Sunday school, discipleship and worship?

As an act of love and loyalty to my Lord and Savior, am I doing what He taught me?

Are you Flying?

Suppose you want to fly to LA (not sure why, but stay with me here). You spend the afternoon searching Kayak, CheapOAir and Expedia. Finding the best prices and the best days for travel, you purchase the ticket to LAX.

At this point, you have made a decision to enter into a contract and have even made a personal sacrifice. The day finally arrives, but you decide to go to the movies instead. Even though you made an agreement, sacrifice and a decision– you did not get on the plane.

Are you flying to LA?

I agree that is a simple question of logic with a simple answer, but might the same process be applicable spiritually?

1 John 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Your loving obedience to the Lord’s commands is you "getting on the plane".

It really does not matter what you claim, how much you have given or where you hang out on Sunday's – loving obedience in your daily life is the evidence of a genuine personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

John said if you claim it, yet do not live it - you are a liar and God's Word is not abiding in you.

Obedience to God’s Word is proof of our love for Him. There are three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because we need to, or because we want to.

A slave obeys because he has to. If he doesn’t obey he will be punished.

An employee obeys because he needs to. He may not enjoy his work, but he does enjoy getting his paycheck to feed and clothe his family.

But a Christian obeys his Heavenly Father because he wants to out of love for Him.

Therefore, we have 2 questions to ask ourselves.

1. Do I keep His commands?

2. Why?

You can use John's teaching above to determine where you are spiritually.

Thankfully, the grace of God is extended to everyone who would receive it! In our humility, we surrender to Him as Lord and Savior, committing to follow Him and obediently doing what He says. It is because we experience His love that we choose to obey and it is through our obedience that He is made manifest in the world today. Are you flying?

There are Many Ways to Heaven

You have heard it. We must be politically correct. We cannot offend anyone. We must be accepting. But what is the end result? In this podcast, we shed light on Satan’s lie and search for the truth in God’s Word.



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You Will Always Have Tomorrow

Believing we will always have tomorrow eliminates the urgency of today. Believing the lie not only affects your family, it sets the next generation on a course away from God. Believing the lie cripples the church and renders the saints ineffective. Do we believe it? If so, how do we counter it? Join us as we seek God's wisdom!



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You Are Good Enough

Do we really believe Satan's lie? While we may not confess it, our actions may confirm it. Join us as we clarify the problem with this lie and rejoice in the remedy God brings!



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