Not into Tradition - Who said?

2 Thessalonians 3:6

When reading the Bible do you apply it to your life today?  As I read this verse this thought came into my mind, what would I do if my pastor, Ray Still, commanded me to do something as Paul is doing to the Church and to us.  It was not a suggestion, it was an order, a command, and what was its reference, keeping the teaching or the tradition that he had taught them, and to stay away from those who are living a life of self-absorption.  

In my home on 3738 Liberty Drive, we took great pride in the fact that we were different from others because we did not have a bunch of tradition that we had to do, not in our home or in our church.  I believe we equated traditions to being a Pharisee; and we all know that they were self-righteous when it came to rules and formalities; the Rice’s were not that kind of people.  

Looking back on my childhood in the area of traditions, we had many, most were good I think; like we ate our meals together as a family, and dad always ask God to bless our home, family, and the food we were about to eat.  We had a tradition of honoring those who were older than us, showing respect for authority.  We had a tradition of reading the Bible in our home, and worshiping together as a family.  We had a tradition of working for our needs and wants, and never expecting anyone to give you anything.  Others may have thought we were self-righteous, but from a very early age our parents taught us that God loved sinners and at best that’s what we were, but if we invited Christ into our hearts He would open His word to us, and the Spirit would guide us into truth.

Now when it came to the Baptist church, we were proud (good pride not the kind that set a person against God) that we were not like those Methodist.  Do you know that they called baptism sprinkling?   That is what mother did to the yard or clothes that she was going to iron yes, we Baptists knew how to get a person wet all over.  You may not have known that the Methodist danced, but they did in fact, they had square-dances in the church fellowship hall, where as a good Baptist only ate fried chicken in our fellowship halls.  Yes, we Baptist had a few traditions, we did not drink beer or wine in public, and in our home it was viewed as one of the worst of sins.  If you were going to dance with one of those misguided Methodist, you needed to cross the county line, and pray that the deacon kids would not turn you in to the pastor. 

Looking back on being a Baptist, we had some very good traditions, we were taught that God loved sinners, that the Bible was true, and that in it you would find the mystery of living life on planet earth.  We were taught from a child to read and study the Bible, we were taught to honor authority, and that all authority was sent by God.  We were instructed to honor our parents, to assemble together, and the Rice’s had that assemble together down perfect, if anyone was assembling we were there.  The best thing I was taught from a young child is that Jesus Christ the only Son of God loved me so much that He was willing to become like me, to take the form of a human and pay the price for my sins. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Grill and Me

 

The day God spoke to me while cleaning my grill

While cleaning the Barbecue grill these thoughts came into my mind, and because I do not think like this, I believe God was speaking to me about “Sin.”  It went something like this; have you ever given thought to how a barbecue grill and sin have a lot in common?  Wow, where did that thought come from?  No seriously, look at that decayed matter you have left on the grill, it seems as if it is imbedded into those stainless steel bars of your grill.  I’ve been watching and you are spending a considerable amount of time with steel pads and soap and a good amount of effort, and that decayed matter still has a hold in those hard to get areas.

I’ve notice how over the years you have been careful to put aluminum grill covers on the grills to keep the grease from dropping on the grill and yet like sin it was getting below the surface, out of sight, but today you have discovered it, and trying to remove it has been a long and difficult task.  Sin begins with just a small deception in your business with a customer, or in a marriage, it may be the girl at the club, and flirting with her makes the man feel young.  The wife, who feels the need to have a couple of glasses of wine during the day just to take the edge off while she watches “The days of our Life” or some other soap to fill her mind with doubt and disappointment about her place in life.  It a lot like your grill, at first it looks ok, but like the decayed matter on your grill, if not dealt with it gets real ugly.

You see what began with a flirtation will often end in adultery, it never begins there, but at the root is a man who is willing to put his desires before the vow he made before God and witnesses.   At first, he will fantasize, but after that he wants to conquer, and the end game is broken promises, broken lives, and often divorce.  What about the stay at home mom, those glasses of wine increase and before she has any understanding she is an alcoholic.  Like your grill it did not happen over night, it took a while, and sin, no matter what sin, has a way of building decay into the lives of people.  Bob, you need to pay attention to your grill, and you also need to pay attention to you mind, for it is your mind that is the door to your heart.  Embedded sin will dig deep into the heart and mind of a person, and it establishes roots that will leave blemishes and scars.  It has taken hours to clean your grill, but it will take your acknowledgement and confession for my grace to remove your sin.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why do we Pray?

 

2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Why do we pray?  When you pray do you believe God is listening or is it just a last ditch effort or playing the long shot?  Are your prayers having any affect on those whom you are praying for?  Jan and I have been active in local assemblies we call the church for almost forty years, and one prayer seems prevalent, that is the prayer for the sick.  And often we prayed that prayer, always desiring that the brother or sister in Christ return to good health, and that is a good thing to do.  Often we are told that the doctor does not give then any chance, if we are not careful it will skew our prayer life, why, because we put more faith in what the doctor has said than in trusting the Creator.  I also believe we often do not want God’s will for that person unless it agrees with our will.  But, do you know what is very unusual in those local assemblies and also in the small groups, we often refer to as Adult Bible Studies, the pray that the apostle Paul is asking the Church of Thessalonica to pray is not voiced.  Pray for those with no understanding of the price paid by Jesus for them, by His death on the cross.

We might refer to this as the lost prayer of the local church, we might also give the lack of this type of prayer as the reason for the decline of the American Church.  “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men.  For not all have faith.  But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.  And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.  May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”  It almost seems strange; we pray diligently for those who are saved are going to heaven that they won’t go too soon, and we seem to give no time to those that are perishing, those who have not the promise of eternal life in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ much less our enemies.  If Jan and my observations are in error and some how it has only been the assemblies and small groups we been part of over the last forty years that do this, forgive me for implying that it is a major problem in the American Church.

If you are of like mind and agree that we have lost the urgency, the importance of praying for those who are perishing, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead, and many will come to know Christ.  Begin to ask for prayer, do we not believe that the Lord is faithful?  Do we not believe that He will establish us and guard us against the evil one, have we lost confidence in the Lord?  My prayer for all of us is, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”  For this is the heart of God, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  (John 3:17)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

It is not cool to be a Follower of Christ

 

2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

Who would have thought that one day in the United States of America being a follower of Jesus Christ would be looked down on by a large number of people!  But it has happened, and it was prophesied, and we did not believe it would happen on our watch.  I read yesterday that some foolish man who claims to be a preacher of the Word of God has given an exact date in May of 2011 for Christ’s return.  There is a very big problem, he is wrong, God has not given that information to anyone, but he has told the church to always be ready.  The sad news is that this kook is not a new phenomenon; from the time of the apostles to this guy, we have had people telling others the exact day that Christ is coming back and so far, they are 100% incorrect and that number will stay consistent.

For us who are followers of Christ, I have some very bad news, it’s going to get worse, the world system hates us because we are light and they are in darkness and the light always exposes what is taking place in the darkness.  Jesus has taught us not to hide our light, but many of us have; we have sold out to this present darkness, hoping that by doing so they would like us, and it has only made us a reproach to God.  It is time to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ and to give thanks for them.  It is time to stand firm and hold to what you have been taught about letting Christ live His life through your earthsuit.  It’s time to understand that you are greatly loved by the Father and the Son, and that grace will bring comfort to your heart and establish you both in righteous actions and in the word of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Written on December 9, 2010

The Enemy Christian seem to underestamate

 

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12

As I was reading these verses, this thought flooded my mind; what chance does a person have in a battle or war that has no understanding of the enemy that is seeking to destroy them?  As I reflected on that thought, it explained so much about the church of 2011, the apostle Paul was instructed by God to tell us about an enemy that is unseen but has been allowed authority on this earth for a season.  Paul did not address this message to the unbeliever, but to the Church, and yet the majority live with no regard or understanding that they are engaged in a battle of kingdoms.  If you read Ephesians 6:10-18, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to this truth, because without a clear understanding you will live in defeat!  The battle is taking place with rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

It may come as a shock to many Christians, but you have never been lucky, not one thing has ever happen by chance, God has never been surprised at any of your circumstances.  So if many who go by the name of Christian do not understand this truth, what chance does the non-believer have?  I always come back to this truth, God once spoke through a donkey to get the attention of Balaam, and my prayer is that I will be foolish enough to believe God can speak to you from this written word.

A few days ago, a friend told me that he just could not buy that God would only accept in heaven those who put their trust in Christ, referring to what Jesus said, John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  And now the line is drawn in the sand, I did not say that, Jesus did, and I agree that “Faith” believes Jesus, who is God, cannot lie, that He tells the truth.  But my friend said, “what about the American Indian who never heard of Jesus, I’m sorry I could not believe in a God who is that cruel.”  And my thoughts went to, could you believe in a God who would send His only Son to die in your place, to reclaim you from sin?  Could you believe in a God who before He created you or anything, knew that He would ask His only Son the Creator, to die for His creation?  And would you trust a God who was not able to keep His written word from be contaminated?  I must testify, I must confess that I believe that Christ came to save sinners, and I agree with the apostle Paul that I am one of them.

So we come full circle back to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, and the man of lawlessness who God is restraining at this time.  But it may be on any day that he will come on the world stage, and it is clear to anyone with eyes, that lawlessness is already at work.  It is imperative to understand that this person will be empowered by Satan with powers and false signs and wonders, and all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Now this may come as a real shock, but it is written; “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  It is so important that you understand that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to bring salvation, but if you read John 3:16-18, there is a message to those who refuse to believe and put their trust and hope in the finished work of Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

    

Misunderstanding of Christ’s return

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

Do you remember Y2K? “The Year 2000 problem (also known as the Y2K problem, the millennium bug, the Y2K bug, or simply Y2K) was a problem for both digital (computer-related) and non-digital documentation and data storage situations, which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits. Without corrective action, it was suggested that long-working systems would break down when the "...97, 98, 99, 00..." ascending numbering assumption suddenly became invalid. Companies and organizations worldwide checked, fixed, and upgraded their computer systems.” (From Wikipedia)   Many books were written, and I must say that much of the hysteria was from so called Christian writers who were cashing in on the frenzy. They not only implied but many said it was the end of civilization as we knew it and that the utilities and the banking industries would shut down.  They had people buying food and storing water and you name it they were telling us that the end would come because a computer had only two digits.  When the big day came and companies around the world had spend millions of dollars and the clock ticked to January 1, 2000, no major problems, planes did not fall from the skies, banks did not shutdown, stores were running well, no major power outages, and life was normal.  And one last fact, the dollar stores were full of Y2K books, still worth more than their value.

I was teaching a very large class of young couples, most of them were in their twenties and thirties at that time, and my message was simple, do not buy the sales job, it is not going to happen, and I did not fear waking up on January 1, 2000.  Now Y2K had some basis, but it became a feeding frenzy on rumors and just out and out lies, and as always we think we are the only ones this has happen to, but it happened to the church at Thessalonica.

It seems as if Paul’s first letter to this church had been misinterpreted and many believed that Christ’s coming was at hand or had already taken place.  As was the hysteria at Y2K this misunderstanding of Christ’s return resulted in undue excitement and many were holding wrong views about the nearness of the Lord’s coming, this was upsetting many lives.   Paul did what many of us tried to do during Y2K, look at the facts, do not listen to the ones making money off of the fears of the moment.  This was the facts Paul gave them,” Let no one deceive you in any way.  For the day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-call god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”   What should we take from this, men, all men at best are liars in comparison to God, trust God and do not put your trust in men.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Whose kingdom gets the credit, yours or God’s?

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

The question; how much is my effort and how much of it is God doing through me?  That question gives many Christians who desire to be not just Christian in name only, real problems; especially those who have a personal walk with Jesus Christ and are His followers.  James a servant of God had this to say on that subject: “What good is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?  James 2:14   It is important not to miss what James has said, he is not saying faith is not part of Salvation, he is merely saying that faith that has no action with it is of little or no value.  But James has more to say on the subject in verses18-20, “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”  Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.  You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe and shudder!  Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless.”  So even to someone as simple as me, it is clear that faith does not just talk, but faith always produces action of some kind.

My dear friend John opened a new car dealership in another state and had partners who knew the car business and ran it for him.  As happens in business, there were parties whose actions caused my friend to be exposed criminally as well as to civil lawsuits, unless he acted quickly and made right the wrong that had been done.  It was not a quick process and it looked as if it would require all his personal worth to make right this wrong.  My friend is a follower of Christ, a man of the highest integrity and a leader in his community and his church, and over the many months John came to some new insights about God.  In one of our many talks over this period of time he and his wife were going through this nightmare; God opened John’s eyes to a new truth.  The truth is   that God wants to do it all for us, but it requires us running to him, and crying Father, I can’t, and agreeing with God that, He never said I could, that He can and He promised He would.  You see my friend who was a leader in the local church, a leader in his home, and in the community, had wrongly believed that he should go to God with the big things like the cure for cancer or world peace, and that God expected him to handle the small things; anything below solving cancer and world peace.  He learned at that point in time to look totally to God, (because it is such a warfare with our flesh, the moment you believe you have learned to only look to God, a new battle of wills takes place.)  It may be more correct to state at that time he submitted and looked to God for all his needs. 

This truth is very clear in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Being a bottom line person, it is whose kingdom gets the credit, yours or God’s?

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From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice