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<div style=”width:425px” id=”__ss_10927087″> <strong style=”display:block;margin:12px 0 4px”><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/davidcrandall/do-the-impossible” title=”Do The IMPOSSIBLE” target=”_blank”>Do The IMPOSSIBLE</a></strong> <div style=”padding:5px 0 12px”> View more <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/” target=”_blank”>presentations</a> from <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/davidcrandall” target=”_blank”>David Crandall</a> </div> </div>
Sorry for the extraneous coding. It’s my first attempt at imbedding anything in my blog. As long as the quotes come through… Inspiring stuff!
-_Barry
Filed under: Bible Study, Discipleship, Family, Genesis, Grace, Marriage, Parenting, Personal Growth, Relationships | Tags: Abraham, Discipleship, faith, Family, Isaac, Marriage, Parenting, sacrifice, Sarah
In Genesis 15, God promises Abraham that a huge nation would be made of his descendants. That nation would eventually be known as Israel, but at the time of the promise, Abraham had no children. He and Sarah tried to make God’s promise come true by their own wisdom, but God insisted that Abraham and Sarah would have a child, even though they were advanced in years. But… that’s another lesson for another time. I want to consider some lessons we can get from Abraham once he started being the true “father of a nation.”
Lesson 1: Trust God to be able to work through your wife. (Gen. 21:1-21) Not long after Isaac is born to Sarah, friction increases between Hagar and Sarah, between Ishmael and Isaac. Sarah goes to Abraham and orders him to get rid of her former handmaiden and the boy Abraham had fathered by her. Abraham is hesitant, but God reassures him that He is in control and Abraham should follow Sarah’s request. Sometimes, our wives have a better perception of what needs to be done than we do. Just because husbands are to “rule” the household, it doesn’t mean that our wives can’t be used or trusted to be used by God as well.
Lesson 2: Go out of your way to get along. (Gen. 21:22-34) This is a lesson I have trouble applying, I must admit. Abraham had an interesting interaction with Abimelech in Genesis 20 (again, another lesson for another time). Abimelech comes to Abraham and wants to establish a treaty because he could see that God was with Abraham in everything he did. Abraham agrees to treat Abimelech fairly and then brings up the matter of a well under dispute. Abraham had dug the well, and Abimelech’s servants had taken control of it. Abraham then offers to give Abimelech seven ewe sheep if Abimelech would agree the well was Abraham’s. Yes, you heard it right. Abraham was “paying” for what was rightfully his in order to firmly establish peace with Abimelech. That’s going more than an extra mile, and that’s something I still need to consistently apply in my life!
Lesson 3: Being faithful to God does not require that you understand and know everything first. (Gen. 22) God had promised Abraham a son. That son was Isaac. God then demanded Abraham sacrifice Isaac to Him in worship. That’s right, kill the promised son to worship God. I’m astounded that Abraham didn’t bargain with God as he did concerning Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18). Abraham simply gets Isaac and some wood and heads for the mountain. When there, Abraham is just about to kill Isaac when an angel of God stops him. God says, “Now I know you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son.” (Gen. 22:12, emphasis mine) God provides a ram for sacrifice instead, but what about this amazing demand and Abraham’s even more amazing obedience? Didn’t Abraham love Isaac? Of course, he did. But Abraham discovered something about God in the process, too. Hebrews 11:19 says that Abraham deduced that God could resurrect the dead, since God had promised to make a great nation from Isaac. Who of us wouldn’t have argued with God about this command of His? Abraham stretched his faith to a deeper level of understanding about God. God can manage to fulfill His promises to us, even when we can’t see it ourselves.
Lesson 4: Be faithful and devoted to your spouse until death do you part. (Gen. 23) One might argue that there were times Abraham wasn’t all that faithful to Sarah, but if you take the whole of their marriage you have to conclude that Abraham was totally devoted to Sarah. While it was the practice of his neighbors to take multiple wives, Abraham only had Sarah. I know, I know, but Hagar was more of a surrogate than a substitute (and remember, that wasn’t God’s plan and it didn’t work out well, either). When Sarah dies, we see how close Abraham was to Sarah. He buys a parcel of land to bury her in, so that he would always be able to come back and visit her grave and be able to be buried with her. While this is a sad time, it is also a romantically sweet story. The Hittites are willing to give Abraham the land, but Abraham insists he buys it. This is security for Sarah’s grave, and security for Abraham’s future grave. Many more of Abraham’s family will be buried at Machpelah. For me, this is a touching end to a marriage that stands as an example for us today.
What other lessons might you find from Genesis, chapters 21-23?
Filed under: Church Growth, Discipleship, Grace, Personal Growth | Tags: commitment, devotion, grace, habit, holiness, maturity, Personal Growth, submission
I began to consider the phrase “providentially hindered” yesterday. I do that kind of thing often while driving. It helps pass the time, but if I find the inner discussion interesting, I may miss my exit.
Nonetheless, I spent two hours coming back from Abilene thinking about that phrase. We use it primarily to excuse one from not being at services, as in “I would have made it Sunday, but I was ‘providentially hindered.’ I was sick.”
Okay, first of all, that phrase is not in the Bible. In fact, “providence” is in the NIV only once (Job 10:12). In the NASB and KJV both, it appears only once (Acts 24:2) and refers to a man’s forethought or foresight. In the NRSV, it appears 8 times, but only in the Apocrypha (the books between the OT and NT that are not universally accepted as inspired Scripture).
What we know from the OT occurrence is that “providence” would be God “making an appointment” for us, either for us to be in a place at a time or for us to experience something at a time and place. The idea is definitely God arranging something for our lives. From the NT occurrence, the Greek word carries the idea of provision that is made by forethought, in this case by a man, not God. However, if we apply this to God, it would be that God provided something for us specifically for our benefit.
So the phrase “providentially hindered” would mean God, by His foresight, made us miss a worship service. Why would God keep you from worship? Oh, because He didn’t want you to make others sick. Really? How is that for the benefit of the one who missed?
Could it be that we have developed this line of thought to give us a God-ordained excused absence from worship? If so, that would mean that innately we consider NOT being with the saints when they meet is a sin. Why else would we need a valid excuse?
Why do we have to have a divine “excuse note” for missing worship? If it’s wrong, why not just confess it, accept forgiveness and move on? Oh, yes. Confessing sin is embarrassing. But if we are excusing our sin, or making it not a sin in this case, then why do we need grace? And if we really do need grace, why do we seek an excuse for our sin?
That brings me to another thought: Is it grace to change a sin to not be a sin in some cases, or is it grace to forgive for sin when we repent and confess it? What do you think?
Filed under: Discipleship, Personal Growth | Tags: commitment, Discipleship, maturity, miracles, opportunities, Personal Growth, possibility
Preached a sermon from the Feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21) last Sunday. Did you know this is the only miracle, besides Jesus’ resurrection, that’s recorded in all four Gospels? Makes for some interesting study.
Take for instance, John records that Jesus tests Philip by asking him where to buy bread for the huge crowd, who is in need of both food and lodging. John 6:6 states that Jesus already had in mind what He was going to do when He asked Philip that question. We know that Jesus knows all things, and knew things ahead of time. No big deal on the divinity issue there.
But this is significant in that in the other Gospel records, the disciples are trying to get Jesus to send the people away to find food for themselves. It seems the disciples felt that since Jesus didn’t announce a “healing service” (in fact, Jesus was trying to get some down-time with His disciples) and the people freely came out in droves that the disciples were under no obligation to help anyone in any way. After all, they “didn’t have enough money.”
Yet, in Matthew 14:16, Jesus countered that the people didn’t need to go anywhere. He then commanded His disciples, “You give them something to eat.” This is the same Jesus who, according to John, “already had in mind” what was going to happen. Jesus knew they didn’t have the resources to take care of buying the bread, much less something more substantial to put with it. That means Jesus already had heard in His heart and mind the excuses that would come. Yet, Jesus commanded this seemingly impossible act of His disciples. “You give them something to eat.”
Jesus knew this task was impossible for the disciples to accomplish on their own. Jesus knew He would end up using the little boy’s “sack lunch” to multiply and feed the crowd. Significantly, it wasn’t until Jesus commanded them to do the impossible that Andrew finally found the boy with his lunch.
Isn’t that what Jesus commanding the impossible is all about, forcing us to get up and see just what we can do about something? Jesus knew He would be doing a miracle. He knew the needed materials were at hand. But He wanted His disciples to be a part of it all.
Reflecting on this and my ministry over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that there was not a positive moment that came about through my own resources or power. It was all Christ working through me. I am been crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me. and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 KJV
I live. I act. I do. But it’s really Christ living in me that does it all.
What’s the impossible thing Jesus is asking of you today?
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Front of the Pasir Panjang Church of Christ building
I had promised the folks at home that I’d be posting a blog or two while I’m here in Singapore teaching a class at the Sunset International Biblical Institute extension, hosted by the Pasir Panjang Church of Christ. I never thought finding the time to write a few words would be so difficult!
I’ve now finished one of the two weeks I have to teach Ed Wharton’s Historical Christian Evidences class (that in itself being no small feat), and I’m just about caught up with the grading for the test over the second section of material. The class has been a lot of fun to teach, both the material and the students. I think I enjoy the break times as much as the teaching times, because of the conversations I get to have with all the students. Some are from China. Some are young people from the congregation here who will be going on to college soon. One student is from Vietnam. There’s a total of 16 students taking the class for credit, and about another 10 from the congregation who are sitting in on as many classes as possible to just learn what they can.
The day starts with a devotional at 9:00 am. Class actually begins at 9:30 and runs until 12:00 noon. We do take a break in the middle, but one day we got going so hard and fast it was about 11:00 before anyone noticed and we just pressed on to lunchtime. We have a one-hour lunch period, during which we all eat together and the Chinese students sometimes get in some extra tutoring time. Afternoon sessions run from 1:00 – 3:00 pm with another break around 2:00. Students here drink as much coffee and tea as American preaching students, go figure! After the afternoon session, the Chinese students have their main tutoring session with the preacher for the Chinese congregation. He goes back over the lesson in Chinese to make sure they get everything. They also do their memory work in English, after they memorize the verses in Chinese. So they’re ending up working twice as hard as anyone else!
I’ve been able to do a little sight-seeing, but that’ll be for another post. As soon as I get the pictures posted on the web, I’ll include a link. I have to admit I’m missing Texas a little, but it’s not for the food! I’m really enjoying all the meals here, especially the ones with the students here. Just simple meals with good conversation. We don’t get enough of that back home!
We are using the book of Revelation for Leadership Training for Christ this year. This means that all Bible Bowl and Bible Quiz questions will come from that book. It also means that the theme for the year comes from Revelation (the one for the 2011 North Texas LTC is Coming Soon).
The book of Revelation contains a vision that was given to the apostle John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. In it, he sees many different scenes of heaven, of wars between heavenly beings, of God’s wrath, and of the bride of Christ. That’s not all, but I don’t want to turn this into a major thesis. Many of the things John sees and writes about speak about are things that (at least at the time of his writing) are in the future. There is much debate about what these things signify (the fall of Jerusalem, the vindication of Christianity that was suffering from intense persecution, or the end of the earth) and when they are going to happen. In fact, so many of the studies out there consist of trying to persuade one to believe one way or another that some of the important lessons get overlooked. I want to address a few of these things in a weekly posting, so I hope you come back. But for now: on to the first of this series.
There’s not much very controversial until you’re a good ways into the book, but I want us to think first about part of the scene in Revelation 4. John sees a picture of heaven itself that he attempts to describe in the grandest of ways. At this time, he sees 4 “living creatures,” 24 elders and a throne. John witnesses everyone praising God over and over.
Now, look at the description of the 4 living creatures. In verse 8, John notices that, among all the other odd features, these creatures are covered in eyes. Yes, blinking, staring, tearing, “looking-around” eyes. John says that each one had eyes even “under his wings.” I can’t imagine what the view was like from there, but all those eyes had to take in everything. Everything from God’s court to man’s goings-on down on earth, from the battle between heavenly beings and the devil’s minions to the appearance of the New Jerusalem. Everything good and bad, great and small, had to have been seen by these creatures. The impact of what they saw caused these creatures to “never stop saying:
“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”
(Revelation 4:8)
Everything they took in caused them to call out praise to the one, true, eternal God. No commentary, no “play-by-play,” no inferred interpretations, just pure praise: God is so holy, you have to say it three times and keep on saying it over and over.
Studying God’s word is important. Figuring out what God wants us to do is important. Discussing (in a civil way, of course) our differences in opinions is important because we may be wrong in what we are thinking and being corrected would be needed, even if a little uncomfortable at times. Still, as we go about living our Christian lives in anticipation of the heaven that John sees in his vision, and after all is said, done and seen, we should not overlook the fact that, above and beyond all of our concerns,all of our actions, and all of our teachings, God, and God alone, is to be praised.
What are some of the attitudes, actions, or concerns we may have today that could keep us from simply and wholly praising the God who created us? Why do they get in the way?
Plant three rows of peas
Peace of mind – Romans 14:5
Peace of heart – Acts 15:9
Peace of soul – 1 Peter 1:22
Plant four rows of squash
Squash gossip – Levitcus 19:16
Squash selfishness – Luke 18:11-14
Squash grumbling – John 6:43; James 5:9
Squash indifference – Mark 14:32 – 41
Plant five rows of lettuce
Lettuce be kind – 1 Peter 2:1-3
Lettuce be faithful – Daniel 3:16-18
Lettuce be obedient – 1 John 3:22
Lettuce love one another – John 3:16
Lettuce financially support our church – Malachi 3:6-12
No garden can be without turnips
Turnip for service – Acts 3:1
Turnip for meetings – Hebrews 10:25
Turnip to help one another – Romans 12:13
We must have Thyme
Thyme for God – Psalm 3:1-8
Thyme for prayer – Psalm 54:4
Thyme for each other – John 15:12-14
Thyme for Bible study – Ezra 7-10
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My 50th birthday was actually ten days ago, now. It wasn’t the kind of 50th birthday one would have imagined. Considering my immediate family (wife and kids), I was alone. However, I was able to be with my parents, my sister and her family, an aunt and uncle, and a cousin and her husband. When this bunch of people gets together, it’s always a party! And I mean that there was lots of laughter, uninspired by alcohol, but brought about from hearts that beat as one in many ways (i.e. one funny thought from my cousin inspired something in me which led to my sister chiming in and… well, you get the idea).
But that’s all about my birthday party (which was sans black icing and black balloons, by the way) and not about turning 50. So, allow me to get back on track by going back in my life a ways.
My absolute worst birthday ever was my 29th. Not sure exactly why, but it was. I was more depressed about turning 29 than I was turning 30 the next year, or when I turned 40, or even this year! I had just finished two full terms at the preaching school I attended (that’s like a seminary for those outside of churches of Christ) and was working “part-time” as an associate/youth and family/worship minister with the Brownfield Church of Christ. There, we had periodic elders/ministers meetings early in the mornings, where a breakfast of sorts was served. This particular meeting was on the morning of my birthday. My wonderful wife had conspired with the preacher, the elders and as many of the youth group as she could get up at the building at 7:30 a.m. on a summer morning to throw a surprise party in the teachers’ workroom at the church building. It was nice, but hey, I was still turning “29.”
Looking back, perhaps it was the fact that Marsha and I had no children yet. Maybe it was the hard realization that I was, after all, only mortal, and soon I would be “old.” I’m not sure what it was in 1989, but when my birthday in 1990 rolled around my attitude was different. Of course, we had our firstborn and I was starting my first full-time work in ministry.
Some people suffer depression when they turn 40. Honestly, I was too busy searching for a new congregation to work with at the time to worry about turning 40. I had already thrown myself onto Jesus (one of those times there was only one set of footprints in the sand, if you know what I mean), so perhaps turning 40 was indeed the least of my worries. I had already started using Grecian Formula in my hair, so appearances weren’t that much of a worry. And Clairol for Men kept that going for the next 3 years or so.
You might think by all this that turning 50 would be completely devastating to me. I have to say that, so far, it hasn’t bothered me as much as I would have expected. Oh, yes, I’m still looking back and seeing only one set of footprints in the sand. I gave up on coloring my hair years ago, so I do get the questioning look when I go in and order just a cup of coffee. You know, the look that asks, “You mean, a ‘senior citizens’ cup of coffee for only 50¢?” Since I haven’t been bombarded with invitations from AARP to join their ranks, that doesn’t bother me, either… at least, not too much. And all the comments on a “half-century” haven’t sent me spiraling into a depression, either.
However, I am seeing the world with different eyes. I’m more acutely aware of my parents’ conditions. They’re 78 and 75 this year, and I now think of terms of what will happen when they can’t live on their own not if they can’t live on their own.
I’m more at peace with the idea of my oldest getting married at any time (a whole lot more than either my wife or my daughter will give me credit for, even though, I still say it won’t be pretty if I’m having to do the ceremony!).
I’m more concerned about “retirement,” even though I will still have to allow God to provide somehow, someway, somewhere.
One of the more significant differences I’ve noticed lately is that I’m less patient in allowing others to come to their own decisions in whether they will take steps to secure their salvation (or become more mature in their faith) or not. Maybe that’s because I’m realizing that all those great ideas for books I have are going to have less time to materialize than before, or that if I’m ever going to get into shape to run even a half-marathon (okay, maybe even a 5k) that I will have to get on that soon, or maybe it’s just because I’m less comfortable about people putting those kind of decisions off than I was earlier in my ministry.
I guess, all in all, that if I had to analyze just exactly how I’m feeling about turning 50, I’d have to say that I’m less worried about myself and my future now more than ever, but I worry more about the decisions others are making about their spiritual well-being, especially when they are “deferring” their decisions until “later.” I have every confidence that my family will be able to handle things well if I have very little “later” left for myself, but what happens to those who need to make the decision to submit to Jesus and end up running out of “later?”
Perhaps, I’m still needing to trust the Lord of the Harvest more after all.
Filed under: Discipleship, Family, Marriage, Relationships | Tags: Discipleship, Family, love, Marriage, marriage improvement, Relationships, respect, submission
Ephesians 5:21 says that we are to submit to each other. Paul goes on to talk about the relationship between husbands and wives, and how that relationship is to be characterized with love and respect (verse 33). All three of these things (submission, love and respect) are choices one makes.
By our own free will, we choose to submit to anyone: government, parents, teachers, spouse, even Christ. Submission can’t be forced; it has to be by choice. When submission comes by force in relationships, it becomes something ugly and evil.
Love is more than a feeling or base attraction. While there are chemical and physiological factors involved in our attraction to others, it’s only when we choose to care for and seek the best for another that all our degrees of “like” becomes love.
Respect is an honor Christians give others. Through the New Testament, Christians are commanded to give respect, even if they haven’t earned it yet. In the meantime, Christians are to conduct themselves in a way that is worthy of respect, but we still give respect to others (contrast 1 Timothy 3:8, 11 and Titus 2:2 with 1 Timothy 6:1 and Ephesians 5:33).
Given this, what have you done today to improve your marriage? What will you do tomorrow or next week? Share your ideas.
Filed under: 1, Discipleship, Personal Growth | Tags: being Jesus, benevolence, caring, Discipleship, homeless, Personal Growth
Take a look at this video. It’s a news story about a man who took in a homeless man in Sacramento, CA, and reconnected him with family who had not seen him in many years.
Would you do something like this? I almost asked “Could you?” and then realized that until the first question is answered the second one is distracting. When you answer the first one, then the second is irrelevant. If you truly would, you’d find a way.
To be honest, right now, for myself, I’m afraid to answer. Afraid I might honestly say, “No.” Afraid that if I say, “Yes,” that God will test me in this.
What about you?
