Roots by the River

  "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). "The Lord says: 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men'” (Isaiah 29:13). People have God-given escape valves to keep them from exploding. Laughter and tears are two of them. The mouth is another. The cure for a bad mouth is to keep good stored up in your heart. However, not everything that comes out of the mouth is from the heart. Some of what comes out of people’s mouths is just what they have been taught, whether true or false, like in Isaiah 29:13. This is why people can recite sound doctrine but lose their temper at home. The real person is the heart person, not the head person. We are two persons—the person ta...

  Merry Christmas! Roots by the River will return next week.

  Sometimes we will encounter another Christian or Christian group on the same battlefield. Will we oppose their presence, tolerate their presence, ignore it, or unite with them to win the battle? The question never really centers around the method of our group versus the method of the other group. The question is loyalty to the group versus loyalty to Jesus Christ. He commands both groups. For infantrymen not to accept the cooperation of tanks is not only stupid, it is disobedience to the one commander of both tanks and infantry. Our controversy is not with the other group— it is with Jesus Christ: “John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us’” (Mk. 9:38–40). Our determining factor is the person Jesus Christ. A man may not be with...

  Another way that pride is fostered is through the function of the unit. The method of warfare used in the particular unit becomes, so far as the men involved are concerned, the primary means of winning wars. For instance, the armor historian will tell of the heroic part that that unit played in winning World War II. In turn, we can find out how destroyers, submarines, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps, and the Army each won the last war. The pride and loyalty that are encouraged, the rivalry and competition that keep units sharp and on their toes, can and do backfire. After a few years in the service, the naval officer has been indoctrinated to such an extent that it is difficult to cooperate with the Army, even though aims are in agreement. The individual thinks his loyalty to the Navy is synonymous with loyalty to the United States. Unfortunately, the Army feels the same way. Strained cooperation results. Thus, the function of one’s branch can become ...

In the spiritual war the principle of cooperation is very important. First, it applies to each one of us individually. Most Christians are used to fighting (win or lose) their own spiritual battles. We are so used to fighting the spiritual war alone that when we come into contact with a fellow Christian in the same war at the same time or place, we find it difficult to cooperate and communicate. Cooperation is a prelude to concentration, and concentration is one of the keys to victory. It should be immediately apparent that the Christians have the advantage of a unified command. Furthermore, their commander is not too far removed from the situation to provide effective cooperation. Jesus Christ Himself experienced the temptations and difficulties encountered in this world, so He is close to our situation in the sense of personal experience. More important, He presently occupies a position close to all Christians from which He directs their cooperative efforts—that is, He dwells in ...

  In World War II, the United States narrowly escaped a crushing defeat because of neglect of a major principle of war: the principle of cooperation. Until the invasion of the Philippines on October 20–23, 1944, we had fought two separate wars in the Pacific: the advance through the Central Pacific and the Gilbert, Marshall, and Mariana Islands, and the war in the Southwest Pacific via the Solomons and New Guinea. The forces of the former were commanded by Admiral Chester Nimitz in Hawaii; the latter by General Douglas MacArthur in Australia. When these advances met in the Philippines, the two leaders had no superior short of the commander in chief, the president of the United States. The invasion was the responsibility of General MacArthur, with Central Pacific Forces filling a supporting role. The Seventh Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Kincaid was given to General MacArthur for the invasion and included units of escort carriers and old battleships, some of which had ...

  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see yo...

  Surprise in warfare means more than “to cause wonder or astonishment or amazement because of something unexpected.” It means “to attack or capture suddenly and without warning.” The passage from Romans 5 clearly tells us that the love of Christ expressed in His death for us was unexpected. If the message is used with people who are dependent on their own effort or relative goodness, they will be “amazed.” If the messenger catches that man with his defense down, he will be “amazed” and surprised. In other words, he will be captured suddenly and without warning. Surprise may be increased even more if we combine the message with a surprise in time and place. To hear the gospel in a Sunday evening evangelistic church service is no surprise. It is even possible that the message itself will surprise no one in the audience. On the other hand, a personal testimony of the saving grace of Jesus Christ backed up with the Word of God will be an effective surprise when it comes from a line ...

The Old Testament hero Gideon learned the principles of war by revelation from God, and one of them was “surprise.” The account in Judges tells us that the amassed armies of the “Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers” (7:12). This force consisted of one hundred thirty-five thousand. Fewer than fifteen hundred got away. We can say that Gideon with three hundred men surprised the enemy and won a battle of annihilation. There are only a few elements with which surprise can be effected: time, place, and method, or any combination of the three. However, surprise also depends upon two additional and essential factors, namely, ignorance on the part of one commander, and intelligence on the part of the other. This ignorance may be natural (e.g., incompetence or inadequate security) or it may be induced (e.g., deception). Gideon’s victory, Hannibal’s victory at Cannae, the German invasion through the Ardennes in 1940, and th...

This post is an excerpt from Billy Graham's book The Secret of Happiness . Here is a spiritual law which is as unchangeable as the law of gravity: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). We must get this fact firmly fixed in our minds: we live in an upside-down world. People hate when they should love, they quarrel when they should be friendly, they fight when they should be peaceful, they wound when they should heal, they steal when they should share, they do wrong when they should do right. I once saw a toy clown with a weight on its head. No matter what position you put it in, it invariably assumed an upside-down position. Put it on its feet or on its side, and when you let go it flipped back on its head. In our unregenerate state we are just like that! Do what you may with us, we always revert to an upside-down position. From childhood to maturity we are always prone to do what we should not do and to refrain from doing what w...

  The following is a ministry letter written by my wife Bessie in 1974: The way up is down. The way down is up. Contradiction, paradox, or simple truth? In Luke 14, at the conclusion of a parable about taking the place of honor, Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” Jesus came to the same conclusion in Luke 18 after telling the story of two men who prayed in the temple, “I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” In the second parable, the first man thanked God that he was not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer, that he tithed, and that he fasted twice a week. Jesus did not say that it was not true! What was wrong? He also thanked God that “he was not like other men, or even like this tax collector.” He exalted himself. The other man was bad, and he admitted it. Jesus did ...

  “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:22-23). Wonderful phrases these: holy in His sight; without blemish; free from accusation. This is in contrast to the phrases in the preceding sentence: alienated from God; enemies in your minds; evil behavior. This is what reconciliation means. It changes our relationship with God. The change is not minimal like from strangers to friends, but is overwhelming, i.e., “alienated from God” to “holy in His sight”; similarly, from “enemies in your minds” to “without blemish” and from “evil behavior” to “free from accusation.” Let us praise Him for His grace. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com ...

 

  “And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” (2 Cor. 8:1–5). We do not usually think of severe trials and overflowing joy going together. Nor do expect extreme poverty to well up in rich generosity. Another unusual image here is Paul’s description of how the Macedonians “ urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” This is refreshing to read after getting so many letters “urgently pleading with us” to give. In this passage, Paul teaches the Corinthians the ...

  God’s kind of righteousness has a positive effect on society. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matt. 5:13), and “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). Righteousness is not to be ineffective. Salt that does not have the characteristics of salt is good for nothing. Light that is hidden is not light. Men do not praise God for bad deeds in the lives of Christians. There are two events in biblical history which take this truth to two opposite extremes. One is the destruction of Sodom, and the other is the minor defeat of Israel at Ai. The stories are found in Genesis 18-19 and Joshua 6-7. God had promised the safety of a very wicked city if ten righteous people were found in it. In the other case, God allowed the defeat of a righteous nation by a wicked city because there was one unrighteous man in the camp. Thirty-six other men were killed because of this man’s unrighteousness. I think that these are not opposite principles, but only opposite effects of the same princ...

  In the many years I have been in the ministry, I have seen a series of different ideas sweep across the church. Some of them I participated in, and some of them I only observed. Each time this has happened, it sounded as if this particular teaching was the final answer. Here are a few of them: the indigenous church, small group Bible studies, one on one discipleship, city-wide crusades, the gifts of the Spirit, the local church, shepherds, discipleship; with bigger buildings and bigger congregations. I have strong opinions on most of these, but that is not the issue. The issue is that most of these have been means, and they have been treated as ends. In Colossians l:13-22, Paul speaks of the work of Christ in redemption and creation, “that in everything he might be preeminent.” Rather than focusing on having the perfect church, methods, gifts, or eschatology, we should seek our preeminent Lord. “Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength, se...

One way to keep from being attacked would be to keep no company with the wicked. But 1 Corinthians 5:10 tells us that “then must ye needs go out of the world.” Jesus prayed to the Father, “not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). It is His will that we be exposed to attack but not defeated. Our divinely ordered armor provides effective security. Lt. General William K. Harrison, Jr., in a message given in Yokosuka, Japan, drew attention to Romans 13:12–14, which says, “Let us put on the armour of light,” and, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” This indicates, General Harrison said, that in putting on the armor of Ephesians 6 we are putting on Jesus Christ. He is the truth (John 14:6). He is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). He is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). He is the gospel (Mark 1:1). He is our salvation (Exod. 15:2), and...

 

  Our intelligence of Satan permits us to set up defenses. Ephesians 6:10–17 describes this defense, with the reasons for each part of our “armor.” Before we put on the armor we must be strong in the Lord’s strength and power (v. 10). Verses 11–13 put the emphasis upon the whole of the armor, and 14–18 speak of the separate parts of the armor and their uses. Our combatants are not flesh and blood but “principalities,” “powers,” “rulers of the darkness of this world,” “spiritual wickedness in high places” (v. 12), and they are masterminded by the devil himself (v. 11). Like any wise general, Satan will not attack a strong point if weak points are available for a breakthrough. He is a good strategist. We need not fear his strength so much as his “wiles” (v. 11). The Scripture tells us twice to put on the whole armor of God so there will be no weak points. A wall around a city may be strictly defensive, but armor by definition is not. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary says of armor...

The art of entrenchment . . . shall serve the defender not to defend himself more securely behind a rampart, but to attack the enemy more successfully. —Carl von Clausewitz, Principles of War Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. —The Apostle Paul, Ephesians 6:10–12 Security may be divided into three parts: 1) intelligence of the enemy, 2) continual protection against the enemy, and 3) a final stand against the enemy. Before we can be secure from attacks by an enemy, we must know there is an enemy. The nation that has no enemy is very secure. The nation that has an enemy but does not think so is very insecure. That nation could be surprised, completely unprotected. In...

  This is a ministry letter written by my wife Bessie in 1974 for Inland Christian Laymen, now Community Christian Ministries (ccmbooks.org). It is good, so I am putting it out again: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels,” Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7. Looking at the passage before this, we see he has likened the light of the gospel coming into the heart to the light of creation. “For it is the God who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." It is light with a purpose. The face of Christ is illumined to us, not in visions necessarily, but in our coming to recognize that the Christ of the Gospels is indeed the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour. This then is our treasure, the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as He comes to make His home in our hearts. Paul says “earthen vessels,” and this represents our bodies, or more specifically our whole lives. When I was in Ja...

  Why pray? Christians do not pray enough. “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt. 6:7–8). Why do we need to pray when God already knows what we need? First, we should pray because God commands us to. We are to obey Him. “Rejoice always, pray continually , give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16–18). “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests . With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Eph. 6:18). The quality of our obedience is inextricably linked with the closeness of our walk with God. A major component of that walk is prayer. For a strong Christian life, look to the Lord continually. Seek His face. Pray the prayers of Scripture. God has chosen us to fulfill His will. He taught us to...

  All of this so far has had to do with the mobility of our firepower, or, in other words, our witnessing. But from the chapter on the offense we recall that our offense is directed with prayer in addition to preaching. We must be mobile here, also. Like the Word of God, prayer has no limitations. The limitations are in us. Prayer of intercession has greater range, accuracy, speed, and power than the greatest intercontinental ballistic missile we will ever produce. The prayer of intercession is one that agrees with God in His desire and purpose to win men to Himself. We can use as our guide the prayers of Jesus and of the apostles, both for Christian brethren and for those who are still under the command of the enemy. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” Let us ask for big things, things that we have never previously experienced. Mobility serves no purpose if we have no intention of going an...

  Another important means is the mobility gained through Christian books and literature sent via mail or passed from hand to hand. The ministry of moving Christian books, magazines, booklets, and Bibles is hardly being used at all. The Christian may be physically immobilized because of his profession or state of health, yet if he used Christian literature, he would not find the Word of God limited just because he himself was immobilized. The objective would be taken in near or distant places, though the Christian was absent. The giving and sending of books is just the beginning of fast mobile communication of the gospel. The internet can bring to anyone’s living room the most powerful preaching and teaching that is available today. Christian leaders are broadcasting the gospel of Jesus Christ on hundreds of radio stations and podcasts weekly. But this does not guarantee that people will be listening. A phone call, an emailed link, or a blog post to our friends would greatly incre...

  The British Army was defeated in France in 1940. If it had reached the coast and found that it was immobilized, it would not have suffered defeat only; it would have been annihilated. It was the British mobility at sea that saved the army at Dunkirk. If the Germans had been as mobile at sea as they were on land, they could have followed the British across the Channel. In this case the defenders were mobile, and the victors became immobile. In World War II, mobility was demonstrated in the existence and actions of the U.S. Third and Fifth Fleets. One component of the Third/Fifth Fleet (Under Admiral Halsey it was the Third Fleet. When Admiral Spruance was in command, it was the Fifth Fleet.) particularly exemplified mobility. This was the Fast Carrier Striking Force, Task Force 38 (or 58, under the Fifth Fleet) under the command of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher. This force could move hundreds of miles overnight in any direction and strike hundreds of miles farther with the Air Grou...

  “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover.” —Exodus 12:11 “But God’s word is not chained.” —THE APOSTLE PAUL, 2 Timothy 2:9 After four hundred years, some of which had been spent in slavery, six hundred thousand men of Israel, besides women, children, and possessions, moved out of the land of Egypt in one night. That is mobility! If we undertook the same feat today, we would use trains, planes, trucks, and ships. We would have better equipment, but we might not prove as mobile. Mobility as a principle of war is not absolute. It must not be measured against how fast we could move yesterday; rather it must be compared with the enemy’s mobility. We must move more quickly, farther, and for a greater period of time than the enemy. Mobility was defined in the statement of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, “I git thar fustest with the mostest.” The French of World...

  In February, my book Answered Prayer: The Faithfulness of God Made Manifest was released.  Here is the introduction I wrote for the book: "As I am writing this book and meditating on the Bible’s commands to pray, to thank God, and to intercede for others, and on the promises of answer to those prayers, I look back at my own history of answered prayer, and I wonder why I am not praying all the time, especially when I get such wonderful answers when I do pray. The answers are so good—I am just amazed. "The stories in this book reinforce the biblical teaching on prayer, the commands to pray, and the explanations of prayer. As you read these stories, you might apply them by praying for the believers in your city, that they would be convicted of sin and confess their sin to the Lord. I keep a list of all the churches in the two cities nearest me in my Bible. I regularly pray for the Christians in those churches. When Christians get back into the love and the joy of their salvat...