Roots by the River

  In reading different histories of World War II, we can learn how the British won the war, how the Americans won the war, how the tanks, submarines, destroyers, airborne divisions, bombers, etc., each won the war. We were all on the same team, but it was not always evident. Unity is comprised of two things: primary loyalty to the supreme commander of all units and great love for all those who are under the supreme commander. Think of this as an equilateral triangle. The two points at the ends of the base of the triangle represent two units: tanks and infantry. The apex represents the supreme commander. If the two units get far away from the supreme commander, the distance between the units themselves also gets greater. Likewise, the closer they are to the supreme commander, the closer they are to each other. Here is Jesus’ prayer for His army in John 17:20–21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of...

  Cooperation is working together with other units in the same army or with other nations against a common enemy. When we apply it to the spiritual war, there are two much stronger terms for it: love for the brothers and unity in the body . This love is a very strong witness to the lost. Love for the Brothers “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:34–35). This is a major issue in evangelism. When the unsaved man looks at the fighting between Christians or Christian churches, why would he think we were followers of Jesus? Or why would he want to be a follower of Him? “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Cor. 12:13). “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be complete...

  Tactical surprise is where a small group or a single person is caught by surprise. The object of surprise is to catch the listener with his guard down. We do not want to warn him that he is going to get hit. It was December 31, 1949. I was in my senior year at the Naval Academy. I had been invited to give my testimony at an evangelistic dinner at the roof garden of the Hotel Astor in New York City. I gave my testimony and went back to my table. Jack Wyrtzen, the evangelist, was preaching the gospel when a note was handed to me from across the table. It said, “If you look behind you at the next table there is a sailor. I am his sister sitting next to him. When Jack gives the invitation to receive Christ, will you encourage my brother to receive Christ?” When the invitation was given, I turned around and started to talk to the sailor. He was obviously ready. He was convicted, he believed, but he would not call upon the Lord. I pressured him. I got him to talk with the members...

  In 1 Corinthians 9 and 10, Paul makes a few amazing statements about himself and then says that we are to follow his example. “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings” (9:19-23). “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in ...

  The word ungodly is used four times in Jude 15. Verse sixteen gives the characteristics of these ungodly people. The difficulty is that they sound like characteristics of Christians we all have known. Here is verse sixteen: “These men are grumblers and faultfinders ; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.” Grumbling and faultfinding are stock in trade for the world. However, Christians who work in the world may find it easy to pick up the practice. Instead of providing light in the world, we pick up some of the darkness. Let us remember that Jude says that it is and ungodly practice. Written in 1983.

  Unfortunately, the Christian church has frequently violated this principle of economy of force. It is important to send out men in twos. In this country, we have fallen into the trap of thinking that big is good, bigger is better, and biggest is best. So we have megachurches. In place of two-to-one concentration, we have six hundred-to-one or six thousand-to-one. This is not effective evangelism. It is not economy of force. We have no idea how big the church in Jerusalem was, but it had five thousand men in Acts four. This did not include women and children. “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number” (Acts 5:14). “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). So this church was a mega-church. It met in Solomon’s colonnade. What happened to it? “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jer...

  Communication is the logistic supply line that exists to get food, ammunition, and aid to the troops on the front lines. If the supply lines are cut off, the army will be defeated. In the spiritual war of evangelism, everyone is on the front lines all the time. The supply line is keeping daily, hourly in fellowship with God by prayer and the word of God. Extra cover is provided by other people praying for you. If our line with the Lord is cut, we are going to be defeated. There are several ways to stay in the Word of God: Reading through the entire Bible (not just now and then and here and there). If you have read it through, read it again. If you would like a plan to help you read through the Bible, join the #SamePageSummer Bible reading challenge at TotheWord.com . The plan begins June 1 and will take you through the whole New Testament before beginning a whole-Bible reading plan in September. Study: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a work...

  “Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?'” (Romans 2:4). Here we see a funny confrontation, contempt for kindness . The requirement of God that man should repent is seldom regarded by man as an act of kindness of God. Yet it is! The next sentence tells us that “your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart” is the means of “storing up wrath against yourself.” In ministering the Good News with love and kindness, occasionally we run into contempt and stubbornness. Written in 1983.

  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth, He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable, He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (Matthew 12:34-35). I would like to draw your attention to the words overflow and stored up . Whatever is stored up is brought out. Good stored up; good comes out. Evil stored up; evil comes out. Not only is good or evil brought out, but they overflow out. Apparently from this text the mouth is an overflow valve venting what is stored up. The teaching here is not on watching your mouth, but on storing up good. If we endeavor and succeed in keeping our mouths shut to keep the stored-up evil from coming out, it would be like blocking the safety valve on a pressure cooker. Sooner or later there will be an explosion, and the contents would come out anyway. The emphasis is on the heart not on the mouth. Let us store up good. We then will not have to watch our mouths. Written in 1983.

  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13). The first three chapters of Ephesians tell us of the riches we have in Christ. It would be difficult to meditate too much on these riches. Then we come to two and a half obedience chapters. Now we have teaching on war, real war, deadly war. Notice that verses 10 and 13 both say “Put on the full armor.” The emphasis is on the wholeness, the completeness of the armor, “so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” He, the devil, is not stronge...

  Since the great battle, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Enemy of our souls has been severely handicapped. His power is limited. :But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 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” (Rev. 12:8–9). His intelligence is limited. “No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:7–8). His time is limited, and he knows it. “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, for he knows that his time is short” (Rev. 12:12). Yet his arrogance is unlimited. “How you have fallen from ...

  Although we should take up the offense against the Enemy, we must also be able to defend ourselves against his attacks and counterattacks. The more effective we are in our attack with the gospel, the more we will be counter-attacked. People who are ineffective with the gospel are not usually the ones who get martyred. “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your...

  In the First World War, there were trenches from Switzerland to the English Channel. These trenches were called the front lines, and it was there that the battles were fought. There were also front lines in World War II, but they were not as stationary. War today ignores front lines because of missiles, air bombardment, guerillas, and terrorists. Both sides fighting in the spiritual war also ignore lines (unless you consider every home, every vocation, every church, school, and college in every nation a front line). The Enemy is on the offense in all of these places all of the time. His offense is through lying, stealing, rape, murder, and war. “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:29–31). “Bu...

  There is no question whether we are at war. We are. There is limited thinking among evangelicals about spiritual war. They mostly picture it as fighting with demons, devils, and evil spirits, either in possessed people or in the heavenlies. These things are a concern, but they are not what the war is really about. This war is over the souls of men. That is what the Bible, the gospel, the Incarnation, and the cross are all about. Evangelism is a war against the enemy to set free those who are held captive by him. Ignorance of the enemy is one of the reasons why evangelism is not effective. The Bible gives some very clear information about the Enemy. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). He is a murderer from the beginning. There i...

  “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:33-34). We see it everywhere and all of the time: the influence of the world on the character of believers. Instead of becoming godlier and godlier, it seems to be the other way around. Paul in effect says “Stop it. Stop sinning and start informing people about God.” Written in 1982.

  I would like to share with you Colossians 4:6 and 1 Peter 3:14-16: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know ow you ought to answer everyone.” “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abased, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” Gracious answers, gentle answers, are God's effective means of reaching people. Written in 1982.

  The key communicator of the gospel is the saved man. He is alive with the Holy Spirit. He has access to unlimited amounts of Bibles, books, tracts, videos, podcasts, blogs, television, radio, smartphones, postal services, airplanes, ships, trains, buses, automobiles, and horses. He has the ability to go from his hometown to the uttermost parts of the earth, whether personally or electronically. He is not hampered. It no longer takes three months to get to India. Many saved people travel much and communicate much, but they do not preach the gospel everywhere they go, as they go. They have mobility, but they do not use it for the kingdom. Every Christian should have books, booklets, tracts, and New Testaments in English—or any other languages which people he is around speak—in his possession or within easy access at all times. Have them with you on the plane, in the hospital, in restaurants, etc. In the weeks just prior to writing this, I was away from home. On planes, in airpo...

This is what the Lord says:   "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth for in these I delight" (Jeremiah 9:23-24). There is a parallel to this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5: "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redempt...

  “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone” (Titus 3:3-8). Verse eight says, “I want you to stress these things.” Join with me in stressing these things. Written in 1982.