THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB

  The Church is a very interesting institution or organism, if I can use that term. Especially if you are part of an Evangelical Church that reaches out into the community to win and bring in the lost. All the effort that goes in to outreaching, all the money, time & resources, to win the lost and bring them in to the Church. A lot of planning and strategy goes into evangelism, but do we ever think, "what will we do with them once they are in the church, will we be able to keep them?" We have a plan to "reach out" but do we have a plan to "reach in".  Paul in our text is admonishing us to "accept those who are weak in faith, and don't argue with them...".  I know people who are weak in faith bother you, I know people who seem to struggle a lot, bother you, I know.....people in general, that are in the church bother you.  I know this person bothers this person, and that person bothers that person. Paul is writing to the Romans to instruct ...

    You ever notice how some people have so much DRAMA in their life?! Do you feel bad for them? Do you feel like maybe there's something you could do? Do you ever wonder where God is in the midst of their drama? I do...or I have until today.  In our O.T. reading today we see such a dramatic change in atmosphere once Jehoiada dies.  Our reading goes from peaceful, happy times to more of a reading that's more like a Godfather Saga. There is murder, treason, chaos and revenge; this stuff makes the mob seem like kids play.  We see our story turn from peace to chaos, from no drama to nothing but Drama.  And the one difference is....Jehoiada has died.      You will find that where there is plenty of drama, there is often an absence of God.  We can easily be sucked in to people's drama and begin to have sympathy for them and perhaps get an attitude with God, but often, the attraction of drama in one...

   The lesson we can all learn here, especially someone filling in as the newly appointed leader; is that we shouldn't be too quick to judge. Just because everyone doesn't jump right on your idea(s), doesn't mean they are rebels and evil people with no heart for God. Joash decides it's time to fix up and restore the temple.  "Go to all the towns of Judah and collect the required annual offerings, so that we can repair the Temple of your God. Do not delay!".   Joash wants this done and he wants it done quick!. As we read in the story, the people do not respond quick at all, as a matter of a fact, they do not respond at all. Joash is not pleased with this lack of response and now he starts getting on Jehoiada's case. "Why hasn't this been done, what's going on, haven't you demanded that the Levites go out and collect the Temple taxes? Don't you know Moses instituted this tax for the maintenance of the Temple!".  Joash just starts go...

   "If the natural branches were not spared, but broken off because of unbelief, you have been grafted in by Faith" (paraphrased). You may or may not know, the natural branches Paul is referring to, is the Jews. The unnatural branches are the Gentiles, you and I (unless of course you are Jewish). God still has a special promise for the Jews, but for you and I, Faith is critical. Paul writes that they (the Jews) have been rejected because of their unbelief. I believe this is more proof that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews (there is debate over who wrote Hebrews) because the author of Hebrews also mentions that the great sin of the Israelites was their Unbelief and the reason they did not enter the Promised land was because of their Unbelief. The Israelites mirror the American Church of today, we are devoutly religious, but we are full of unbelief. Paul also writes, "in the last days, men will acknowledge God, but render him powerless". Which is partly because of unbel...

        I was looking over my blog stats and to my surprise one of the most read blogs is titled  "My Christian Life is Private".   And I know, or have experienced over time, that often, the title of the blog is what draws people to read. And I am alarmed that the title "My Christian Life is Private" drew so many readers.  Is this the crowd that I am catering too, I wonder? That TITLE "caught" your eye, didn't it. Unfortunately, as you read the blog it probably ended up being the complete opposite of what you thought. Readers probably thought it would confirm their delusion that their Christian Life was "private".  Instead, the blog was meant to blow that theory apart. I wonder if this title "My Christian Life is Private II" will draw another slew of readers. It discourages me that there are so many Christians out there that are off track, looking to confirm and console themselves in their decision to withdraw and become spiritual r...

        I was quite encouraged to finally read about a King who is doing well and serving God. "Jehoshaphat, you are the man", I thought....until....until out of nowhere we read,  " 1  Now Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor, and he allied himself with Ahab by marriage."   You must be kidding?! Out of nowhere....isn't this how it normally happens. We see people doing "seemingly" so well and then "out of nowhere" they make a blunderous, stupid, ungodly decision.  And we think, "where did that come from?".  It proves that any one of us, can tomorrow make a decision that will totally throw us of course if we are not honest with ourselves, with others and foremost, with God.  The story gets worse as Ahab eventually convinces Jehoshaphat to go to war against Ramoth Gilead, even though, the very prophet Jehoshaphat requested, prophesied against it.  And on top of that, Jehoshaphat also lets Ahab to convince him to d...

Of course barely anybody reading this knows what a “seesaw” is.   A seesaw is a found at a park (a park for you younger folks is a place outside your house where you actually go play) and there you used to find a seesaw. A kid would sit on one end and another kid at the opposite end and it would go up and down. Up down, up down, until you got sick of up down, up down; then you would move on to the swings.  There are some Christians that are the up & down Christians. The only difference, they don’t seem to get sick of it. In our reading today you should recognize who I’m referring to, Rehoboam! “After he was established as King, he abandoned the Law of the Lord”.  Then God brings judgment on Rehoboam and we read  “The King humbled himself and said, The Lord is just”      And the moment Rehoboam is doing fine again, he’s going down again. When I’m doing well, I stray from the Lord and then when I go down, I come back to The Lord.  Rehoboam is th...

   "F or many had traveled from Israel to Judah during Asa's reign, when they saw the Lord was with him" .  The truth of the matter is, we can tell when God's Grace is on someone's life and we can tell when it is not.  There is a drawing that comes towards those that have God's Grace on their lives. People want to rally behind a winner in the secular world and the same is true in the Kingdom of God, Christians want to rally behind a person who seems to be a winner for God, we call it a "man or woman with God's favor and Grace upon their lives" or as we read in our text, "The Lord was with him". People traveled quite a distance to be with Asa. It wasn't as simple as going to the next block to choose Burger King instead of McDonald's, This was a big move and there may have been family that did not follow. This will no doubt alter their lives, Israel and Judah were at war, opposite spectrum's in life. Was this a wise decision? ...

   We have areas in our lives that are so obedient to the Will of God and we have other areas in our lives that are so flagrantly disobedient to God. As I read about Solomon bringing this heathen women back to Jerusalem with him and building her, her own house, I am nauseated. Either in disgust, because God had told him not to marry foreign women because they would turn his heart away or I'm nauseated because it reminds me of my own life, at different seasons, or maybe it's a little of both. And of course, as with you and I, to appease his conscience he does something devoutly religious, after being devoutly rebellious, "Then Solomon offered burnt offerings unto the Lord on the altar of the Lord".  I wonder if Solomon had read about when Samuel rebuked King Saul with these words, "Obedience is better than sacrifice". I remember as a young Christian going out of town with a foreign woman. We stayed over night in a city, I got a hotel, requested twin beds and ...

   You would think, that by reading Paul's writing today, that he was the worse Christian. The type of Christian you sure don't want in any kind of leadership position in your church. You wouldn't want Paul in any ministry where he is supposed to be an example to anybody else.  "And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is , in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right,  but I can't .   Let's just stop right there! What do you mean you want to do what's right but you can't?! What is that Paul? You're an example here to all these converts you have won over. Paul goes on to write,  "I want to do what is good, but I don't".     Paul, you're the one that has started all these churches, you're the one who wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and now you're sitting here saying, "you can't do good". Paul continues in his writing, " I don't' want to do what is w...

    I'm always reminded when I read my Bible that "we are made in God's image". How often, I as the authority in my home have been persuaded by the children that I love so much to be persuaded against what I have said. I clearly laid down how things would be, it was set in stone (or maybe not) how things were going to be, what we were going to do or where we were going to go and how long we were going to stay, but yet, as I look back, somehow, these little kids were able to influence me, the great authority in the home, to do otherwise. How does a child, who knows really nothing about nothing, influence an adult who has been living & experiencing life for 50 years? It must be this thing called "love" that allows us to be influenced by a lesser "species" (if I can use that term). Take the example I have just given you and multiply it  to the Nth  Degree  and you have some sort of resemblance of us, a much, much lower species, influencing the Alm...

   As we are reading our text today in the Old Testament, we are reminded of a Solomon that we often forget ever existed. It's hard to imagine a Solomon that was not always wise, powerful and influential, but it is a reality that there is a Solomon that we could never imagine. We've come to know Solomon as the Wisest, Richest most powerful influential King Israel ever had and cannot think of him otherwise. If I sound redundant here it is simply because I am trying to stress the point that we only know of the Solomon that God raised up and did the miraculous in. This is God's work! I stand before a congregation every Sunday and they look at a Pastor, they look at a man that has some wisdom ( I at least would hope), a man with influence, a man that is different from before the miraculous change.  Only a few people will ever know the Richard that once was; the rest, will only, ever know me as Richard, the Christian, the wise Pastor, the steadfast one, etc...etc.....I ca...

        I was just speaking with a brother (a Christian) the other day who has willful sin, but yet seems to continue in it. I wonder if God would find him blameless, I wonder if God would find you blameless? In our text we read,  " 1  LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?    2  The one whose walk is blameless,"  We can try to worm around this if we want, but why would you want to risk eternity on trying to squirm around a clear call from God.  Question you might ask then is "so do we have to be perfect to get in to heaven? No, of course not, but we do have to repent and turn away from "what we know" to be sin in our lives. Paul writes to "the Saints" at Corinth and says, " don't be deceived .....the  ________ will not inherit the Kingdom of God". And he goes on to list a whole plethora of "willful" "knowledgeable" sins that people in the church are indulging in. Be bla...

         In our reading today we are admonished  by God  to be  "kind to the poor".  I believe Christians today are confused on this whole issue of " the poor ". Perhaps it stems from Jesus condoning the breaking of the alabaster jar on himself and when the disciples criticize this act and say, "what a waste, the bottle of perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor", Jesus rebukes them and says, "the poor you will always have with you, what she has done is a good thing".  We almost see a disregard for the poor being reflected in Jesus' statement. Sometimes the Church can project an anti-sympathy for the poor, "the poor are like that because they refuse to serve God, or they deserve it or they are just lazy people that want to collect welfare, they don't want to work....blah...blah..." and what this can create in Christians is a lack of empathy for the poor. Christians may be insensitive to the needs of the poor...

   " Some men were set apart for the ministry of prophesying " That's interesting....the text goes on to say  "t he sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king " Imagine your ministry is always to prophecy? I wonder if they ever just prophesied something, for the king, that really was more them, then it was, actually God speaking?  Do we ever do that? Have we ever prophesied, "thus saith The Lord" but it really is " thus saith me ". It's not necessarily evil, neither is it a blatant lie like the false prophets during Jeremiah's time, but yet, they are not really words from God. God actually speaks on this issue, The Lord says, "they prophecy out of the premonitions of their own heart"  It's not "necessarily evil", they hear a sermon, are moved by it, think of a few scriptures that could attach to that sermon and they are really in agreement with the sermon and next thing you...

  Some might be surprised, in the reading today, at the scope and enormity of The Temple duties. "The duties of the Levites was to help..."  So I guess now that we are all New Testament believers, we know that Old Testament ministry has fallen by the wayside...or has it? Hundreds or perhaps even thousands, (depending on the size of your church) just show up each Sunday and everything seems to just be functioning fine.  I remember as a child I put a tooth under my pillow at night and in the morning, "shazam" the tooth was gone and money was in its place.  How did that happen? To be honest, I really didn't care, as long as I got the money.  Many believers show up to church every week-end and "shazam" everything is working and in its place.  How did that happen?  Like, me, as a child, they probably have the same sentiment, "who cares".  The fact is, the care and functioning of the Temple takes a lot of hands.  For the Temple to function man...

    I remember sometime before either my sister or myself, came to know Christ, my sister had changed her Dog Tags (we were both in the Marine Corps) to read “Jewish” as her religion. I was dumbfounded by this. My Dog Tags had “Roman Catholic” in scripted on them. My sister was always eccentric, but this was odder than ever to me and to a family that grew up in the French Province of Quebec , we were Caucasian French Catholics, where did Jew fit in with that? And who would want to be a Jew anyway? In my eyes, Jews were strange people. I grew up around many Jews in Montreal . We had a whole Community in Outremont , of Orthodox Jews, with their side locks or side curls, black hats and long black trench coats. They seemed to be the most religious people in the City. Who would want to be religious, who would want to be a Jew? What was wrong with my sister? In our text today Paul makes this profound statement, “For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish paren...