Roots by the River

  There is so much in Scripture about the relationship of the Holy Spirit to our presentation of the gospel that we will take up the subject in sections. In Divine Power “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt. 3:11). “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4). “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentile...

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). There are many kinds of Bible study: reading, synthetic Bible studies, group Bible studies, Old Testament references in context, subject studies, and more. There is a kind of Bible study that goes beyond these. It is meditation. Meditation is more mystical and more practical than these other types of Bible study. In order to explain this, let me tell you first what meditation is not . It is not looking for a deeper, hidden meaning in the passage. It is not numerology or looking for a codified arrangement of the text. It is not saying that the plain meaning of the text is not the right meaning. Meditation does not have to do with our understanding of the text, but rather where we understand it. Studying generally results in head knowledge. If we memorized Matthew 5:38-48, we might come up with all the right answers on a written exam about it. Would we do as well if we were put in...

  "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:1-2). In this world there are sad songs, love songs, and battle songs, but the songs of salvation are all songs of joy and gladness. David knew this when he wrote Psalm 51. In it he sings, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation" (Psalm 51:12). Salvation means joy, and joy means singing. Psalm 126 is about release from physical captivity, but it is also a great picture of salvation: "When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion , we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev . Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, wi...

"Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders" (Psalm 107:23-32). There is nothing more tranquil nor more violent than the sea. Psalm 107:23-32, Luke 8:22-25, and Acts 27:14-44 all describe violent storms. Ships were caught i...

  God has granted us a great range of powerful weapons. Another is the name of Jesus. “‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ … Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call’” (Acts 2:36–39). “They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’ …. ‘Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.’ …. They called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name Jesus” (Acts 4:7, 10, 18). “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servant...

  Here are a few suggestions on how to handle gossip: 1)     Draw the gossiper’s attention to Romans 1:29-32 and 2 Corinthians 12:20: " They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Rom. 1:29-32). "For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip , arrogance and disorder" (2 Cor. 12:20). Romans lists gossip among the characteristics of unbel...

Love has first priority in the Bible. It is the most important and most comprehensive fruit of the Spirit. It is the first commandment, and it is the second commandment. All the other teachings of the Bible fit into it. God is the source of all love, and He expresses His love to the world by giving. Giving is preached much more than it is practiced. Perhaps this is because the preaching is prompted by the desire to receive rather than the desire to give. Many churches and radio and television programs teach giving by encouraging people to give to their ministry. The emphasis is, “You are to give so that I can receive.” It is a veneer to hide covetousness. Another reason giving is taught more than practiced is that we are not taught how to give lovingly by example. If godliness were widespread, it would not be necessary to teach giving. People would give themselves and their money, rather than giving their money instead of themselves. They would also give their money to the rig...

  As Scripture describes it, another great weapon in our arsenal is the blood of Jesus Christ. “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death’” (Rev. 12:9–11). “They” are “our brothers” (v. 10). The “him” they triumphed over is “Satan” (v. 9). Their weapon was the blood of the Lamb, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ works in our salvation, our redemption, and for our continual cleansing: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, ...

God has not only been gracious to us, but also merciful. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy , made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions” (Eph. 2:4–5a). “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3). “ He saved us , not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy ” (Tit. 3:5). “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (Jas. 3:17). Mercy is the work of God. It also comes in quantities, just like grace does. The Bible describes God’s mercy as rich, great, and full. We are to show mercy to the people we are preaching to: doubters, those in the fire, those who are caught up in sin. It must be genuine mercy, not feigned. “ Be merciful to those...

  Politeness, political correctness, and relational communication have something positive in common. They are attempts to use words to be friendly, to not cause offense, and to avoid confrontation. Aren’t these good things? Yes, they are. They are also surface attempts at kindness. They are mechanics. Teaching a little boy to say “Thank you” certainly makes things more pleasant, but it is not the same as teaching him thankfulness . I was taught politeness as a boy. Then I was really taught it when I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy . I was trained to be an officer and a gentleman . I found out that politeness worked (standing when ladies came into the room, opening doors for them, etc). I discovered that these positive mechanics were not the outward expressions of the heart. They did not express kindness, love, or patience. In many cases they actually covered up unkindness, unlove, and impatience. Isn’t covering up unkindness better than expressing it? I am tempted to...

One of the freedoms that man has received from the Lord is the ability to refuse to listen to Him. Man has exercised that freedom many times. Here is an account of one of those times: “But they refused to hearken, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts like adamant lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets” (Zechariah 7:11-12). But God has the same kind of freedom that He has given man. Here is His response: “As I called and they would not hear, so they called and I would not hear” (Zechariah 7:13). This is a dreadful statement. He had also said, “I will not listen” 200 years earlier and 100 years earlier in Isaiah 1:15 and Jeremiah 11:11. There is something that God will listen to, though. He will listen to a prayer of repentance. But repentance is more than the words, “I’m sorry.” Repentance is a change of heart, mind, and action. Look a...

Our first weapon in the spiritual war is the gospel. What moved God to offer the gospel to us? The answer is the grace of God, which we in turn wield as weapons in this warfare. “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:16–17). “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Rom. 11:5–6). “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Col. 4:6). “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rom. 5:20). “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Cor. ...