Grow(Word Remixed and Reposted?)

A week after I posted my Labor Day blog last month, I woke up earlier than normal and I couldn't go back to sleep. The nation was on pins and needles, concerned whether or not Al Qaeda was going to strike again on the 10th anniversary of 911. I was restless, because I was wondering why I hadn't heard from an old acquaintance. I remember lying in bed about 4 a.m. looking at the ceiling and praying to God,” how long should I wait, how long can I wait."

After breakfast that morning, I turned to Ecclesiastes and read (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Oddly, the words that caught my eye were, kill (3:3,) refrain (3:5,) silence (3:7,) and hate (3:8.) These are things we don’t want. However, I noticed that Solomon tells us there's a time for what we don't want before the things we do want; to heal, to embrace, to speak, to love. You see we can never really know one without first experiencing the other. Yet, everything happens in its time. This is hard for me and a lot of us, because it involves patience and perseverance.

I remember after church that day, watching on the news footage of people around the world observing a moment of silence and asking, “why” at the same time. It's the ANTHEM OF THE LONELY. Could it be God had been talking all along through the pain? Was He still talking in the silence? My mind and my heart raced back over the last one year, three months and three weeks of silence that I have endured. You see, in HINDSIGHT, I realize God and my acquaintance were talking all along.

I'm not sure if I learned this in college or through my work in men's ministry, communication is the most important factor in any relationship. And it takes two people; one person can’t give it all you’ve got while the other gives nothing. In a recent message by Bill Purvis, he shared, “over the years I have talked with many couples who want to separate or divorce because they can't stop fighting.” And we all know how people hate to fight. Purvis continued, “as long as they are fighting, they are communicating and letting each other know how they feel. If ever there was a time to walk away. It's when you stop fighting and stop listening, because that's when no one cares anymore and they give up.” Then, there is nothing left to lose. There is nothing left to say, not even I'm gonna get over you,nothing. Christian Writers Guild mentor and writer Sandra Aldrich says it best in the title of her book Men Read Newspapers, Not Minds, sorry ladies. Jerry Jenkins continues sharing his conversation with Ruth Graham in his book Writing For the Soul, “someone once asked if she had ever considered divorce. ‘Never, she said. ‘Homicide, but never divorce.”

Fortunately, for us Christians, we don't have to stand and wonder, why. We never have to experience the sound of silence. If we do, it's our own fault. Listen as Solomon continues (Ecclesiastes 3:9-17.) Father, I know You make everything beautiful. Because, no matter how bad things may look, You are in control.

My favorite excerpt from Jerry Jenkins’ The Betrayal is by Drake Boone while he was trying to prove officer Lamonica’s innocence. Jenkins writes, “But if there was hope, it was in God, in prayer, in Scripture. And the ultimate realization of hope was not forgetting the pain but rather finding a balm for it in the form of a new life, a new love, a new family.” Did you catch that? ”HOPE in Scripture.” And that is what this remixed blog on spiritual growth is about, how God grows us through His word.

GROW (WORD REMIXED AND REPOSTED?)

Alright, the wait is over, I'm ready now to continue my series on how God grows us, this way is one I personally failed at in the past. As I have explained before, there was a time in my life when I was living in the dark. What triggered my spiritual REBIRTHING was when I met my friend Bradley " Jubba" Dyer and he asked me if I was a Christian. To which I replied, "YES, I BELIEVE IN GOD and I am a non-practicing Baptist!" Later my best friend at the time, Sanjay, confronted me and told me that I wasn't a Christian. He told me that my Bible was just a big black book that lay under my bed collecting dust. I knew he was right and that was the DEFINING MOMENT I knew I had to make a CHANGE, you know the rest of the story.

After my near-death experience, it was Jubba who gave me my first Bible while I was still in the hospital, if you look close in the video of my near-death experience you'll see Jubba standing by my father as Sanjay shaved my head. I knew God had given me another chance at life to be a Godly man. I knew I had been REBORN and ALL FOR A PURPOSE. But, I didn’t realize how much I’VE BEEN CHANGED and that I'M NOT MYSELF ANYMORE.

I purposed in my heart to do as the apostle Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 2:14-15 ,) so I could be UNASHAMED. That is why every day I grab my Bible, go to my hiding place and I DIG IN to THE WORD. It is also why Every Tuesday morning I meet with my pastor and a FEW GOOD MEN for Bible study and to PRAY. A few weeks ago we started discussing how God grows and leads us, my pastor got ahead of me in his comment that God grows us through more than just PAIN. He is right, the Bible is the first way God grows us and that is what this blog is about, growing through the word, God's original plan. It is A SHAME that we fail to learn from it. In his book Growing True Disciples, author George Barna writes, “less than one percent of all believers perceived a connection between their efforts to worship God and their development as a disciple of Jesus.’ This is nothing new; it has always been that way with God's CHOZEN not reading THY WORD.

Listen to the prophet Moses (Deuteronomy 6:9.) It’s not optional for Christians to teach the Bible to their children. However, listen to Moses by the end of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 31:26-29.) Next, listen to what the prophet Hosea had to say a little over 700 years later (Hosea 4:6-9.) I have heard countless preachers take this verse out of context to either urge their followers to buy something or to go back to college and it is a shame. How dare they take scripture out of context and use it for their own gain. At the same time, how can the PEOPLE OF GOD say I'M A SAINT and not read The Word of God? We have no problem putting the Ten Commandments in our store windows on our front yards, but we are supposed to put then in our hearts.

You see getting into the Bible is only half of what Jesus told us to do. Listen to Jesus in the Apostle John's letter to the church (John 15:1-5.) Here Jesus is telling us that getting into His word is only half of the battle, we have to get His word in our hearts or we are as good as dead. That is why I keep the word IN ME. Think about where vines grow, in gardens.

About fifteen hundred years before Jesus gave this message, there was another garden where God told man not to take of a tree or he will surely die, now Jesus is telling us if we stay connected to this vine (which is Him), we will surely live. I once read devotional by singer/author/actress Rebecca St. James where she said this, "someone once wrote to me and said, 'keep spending time with Jesus. I know it sometimes seems like there is no time, but make time to be with Him.' That really challenged me. We are what we fill our minds with. If we're serious about becoming like Jesus, we must spend time with Him." It all depends on WHAT YA WANT. She goes on to say, “the Bible is our instruction book." And we know men don't like reading the INSTRUCTIONS.

One of the things I remember from both Sunday school and high school was the story of Martin Luther and how he was responsible for leading the reformation of the church and his teaching on how we are saved by grace and NOT BY WORKS. However, it wasn't until after being TRANSFORMED that I learned until the Reformation, the Catholic Church had the only Bibles and gave its interpretation to the people. It was Luther that translated it to German and then it was printed for THE MASSES. The early protestant church considered having a copy of the Bible a gift and they were willing to die to keep it. That was six hundred years ago and now it is a much different story, isn't it? Especially for men, I had the opportunity a few years back as an ambassador for Promise Keepers to meet author David Murrow who writes in his book, Why Men Hate Going to Church, "men hate to read." That is unless it is a book or magazine with pictures. The success of Playboy and porn in America proves the opposite and I even confessed in my very first blog how I fell to the power of sex.

Now that I think about it, when I was a little boy, I remember my parents giving me my first Bible and it had big pictures of all the bible stories to help me understand and remember what happened. Pastors, what if we go out and buy a bunch of picture Bibles for our men's ministries? Maybe, we could do as Coach Bill McCartney (co-founder of Promise Keepers) said and turn this thing around?

Before you go and start saying I'm being too harsh, let me go ahead and share another reason for my passion for Bible reading. As I have already shared my brain injury affects my eyesight. So, it can be difficult for me to read, my vision is effected by my inability to focus and I lose track of where I'm at when I'm reading. Thus, I tend to read the same thing over and over. I've heard all the excuses; I have to work, I have a family (which is supposed to be a blessing, not a curse,) I just don't have the time, and of course, I hate to read. I learned a name for men like you while I was visiting Colorado last year, pansies. Get some Bible handles. The Bible is clear, we are to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6: 20, Matthew 19: 21, Mark 10: 21, Luke 16: 33, Luke 18: 22.) So what benefits your family in the long run, you spending hours away from your family working, family time in front of the T.V., or getting closer to God ALL DAY EVERY DAY and not just on Sunday? Guys, it's not your pastor's job, nor your men's ministry leader's job to read the Bible to you.

Listen to the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Philippi (Philippians 2:12-18.) Paul told the church to hold onto the Bible firmly. I've got great news for you, there are no hidden secrets. That is the beauty of the Bible it is written for everyone and everyone can read it. Like Rob Bell explains in his book Velvet Elvis, “when Jesus called His disciples, He choose normal, working guys that didn't excel in studying the scriptures.”You can do it. In case you don't know where to start, I link a men's daily devotion to my Facebook page every day and I double-Dutch dare you to DIVE into the Bible, it is STILL PREACHIN', for some REAL VISION. I challenge you to LISTEN to the WORD OF GOD SPEAK; it is the only voice of truth.

And guys remember, your kids are watching you. Like I mentioned earlier in this blog, God told the Israelites to teach the Bible to your children. It is your job to MAKE A MAN. Maybe then we won't have a bunch of kids with their pants on the ground. Luke goes on to describe how Jesus quoted scripture three times to fight the devil while he was being tempted in the wilderness. If you read the passage, you'll see how Jesus first defends himself with scripture, but by the end of the battle Jesus attacks the devil, by saying, “Do not put the Lord, thy God to the test!" Here Jesus is making a DECLARATION, He is God. After that the devil leaves. The apostle Paul goes on to call the word of God a sword in his letter to the church in Ephesus.

Men, it is time for us to start walking the WALK, not just talking the talk, teach the next generation the BASIC INSTRUCTIONS of how to fight by how you live. Listen to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 10:14.) I share that because in closing this blog, I want to remind you of the great commission Jesus gave us before He ended His earthly ministry here. Jesus didn't ask or suggest we take the good news to all nations, No, Mathew tells us Jesus commanded us to GO TELL THE WORLD. To take THE MESSAGE to all nations and LET 'EM KNOW about God's love letter. This is why we GOTTA GROW through THE WORD.

Blessed?
Since I originally posted this blog nearly two years ago a lot has happened in the world. And I am not just talking about the secular world; I'm more concerned about the spiritual realm and the Bride, which we know is the church. To be more specific, here in the town and the community that I live in there have been a lot of false teachings and doctrines floating around. It seems everywhere that I go I hear Christians boasting," I'M BLESSED, God favors me.” Personally I can't help but think, SO WHAT. Maybe they have forgotten that God did all of the work by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for everyone who believes in Him (John 3:16.) It seems that they don't remember the Apostle Paul’s warnings about boasting (2 Corinthians 11:30, 2 Corinthians 12:5-12.)

Then there the churches that brag and boast that they are favored because God has gifted them with the gift of speaking in tongues. As if it was a sign of spiritual growth. Yet they have forgotten the apostle Paul not only said the gift of speaking in tongues was the least of spiritual gifts and urged believers to seek greater gifts(1 Corinthians 12:27-31.) Paul even goes on to tell the church at Corinth that the gift of tongues will stop and to keep doing it would be childish (1 Corinthians 13:1-13.) To put this in perspective, speaking in tongues is a sign of spiritual immaturity. If you look at the first occurrence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:1-12,) you'll notice that the real miracle wasn’t that the disciples spoke in different earthly languages, but that “the Jews heard them in their own languages.” So the real gift was in hearing, not speaking at all.

Maybe they forgot to listen to Jesus in the gospel Luke (Luke 13:27-30.) You see Jesus taught His disciples that in the economy of heaven, the last will be first and the first will be last. It is an economy of servant hood and humility. And I'm not talking about some fake humility that is displayed in front of crowds; I'm talking about genuine humility that comes from knowing it's not about you. Listen to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 12:8-13.) John Piper has said, “If we take our doctrines into our hearts where they belong, they can cause upheavals of emotion and sleepless nights. This is far better than toying with academic ideas that never touch life.”

However, the doctrine that disgusts me the most is TWISTED teaching about God's blessings, most commonly known as the health and wealth doctrine. Here stupid preachers falsely teach believers that no matter what you do; God is going to bless you with money and things. Somehow they neglect to teach about the curses and consequences, especially when it comes to sin. You see the Bible is full of blessings and curses from the beginning to the end. You can’t preach about heaven and never preach about hell. Remember that blog I posted in February on half-truths? It's just like I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, people want all of the good things without experiencing the bad. King Solomon was clear there is a time for both (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15,) God is the God of every season. He makes the leaves change color and die, then grow back at just the right time (yep,yep.)

As I mentioned in my last blog, I understand people don’t want to hurt and want to have hope, but that's not the hope of the gospel. The hope of the gospel isn't a lie, big or small. The hope of the gospel is that God loves us and will be with us in the fire, ultimately sparing us an eternal fire through the sacrifice made by Jesus. If you are a pastor reading this, understand you cannot water down the gospel to satisfy “twitching” ears. The Bible warns us repeatedly about this (Isaiah 30:10, Ephesians 5:5-7, 1 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Jude 1:17-19, 1 John 2:17-19.) Martin Luther once noted, “You should not believe your conscience and your feelings more than the Word. Listen to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome (Romans 8:5-9.) Don't forget that in the Apostle John's Revelation, he warns us about a curse on anyone who adds to or takes away from the Bible (Revelation 22:18.) It is obvious that no one has a right to change any part of the Bible; to presume to add to it, or to take from it, or in any way to modify it(2 Timothy 3:16.) I guess these preachers forgot about that curse.

While working on this blog I watched the movie The Invention of Lying by Ricky Gervais. It takes place in some pretend version of the world where everyone always told the truth and no one was happy. Until one day the main character tells the first lie and he goes around telling everyone he meets lies to make them happy, even about God (the man in the sky.) The irony of the movie is that Gervais (an outspoken atheist) took just enough Bible truth and twisted it to give people hope. In the end the main character gets the girl by telling the truth, even though it hurt her. It’s amazing what a little honesty can do. Listen to Jesus as He explains this to a Samaritan woman in the gospel of John (John 4:21-25.) True worshipers who follow God will do it “in truth,” not lies. In the end truth wins. Cut to the final scene of the movie where the main character is teaching his son to lie to his mom about her cooking. Hmm, I get it.

This is the stuff the Bible says in THE LAST DAYS( Revelation 18:13-15,) people will flock to and stupid preachers know it. But it looks good, doesn't it? Oh, our church is growing. We are doing so much in the community. They even post it on Facebook. Where is the humility? Here's how it works, God is in control, right? Or have they forgotten that the Bible is clear God is in control of the rise and fall of every leader, King, ruler, president, preacher, teacher, those skyscrappers that fell on 911 (1 Samuel 2:7-8, Psalm 75:7, James 4:10, Ephesians 4:11-16) and even my BUSTED HEART.

The Apostle Paul is clear especially in the area of the church, God is in control. That’s why Jesus is referred to as the head. It is God who holds our DESTINY in His hands. If anything is God's will, it will happen IN TIME, His time. Listen to King Solomon's warning (Ecclesiastes 7:7-11.) It's our love for God and God's word that is supposed to set us apart from the world. The New Testament says we will shine like FIREFLIES in the night (Matthew 5:16, 2 Corinthians 8:21, Philippians 2:12, 1 Peter 2:12.) Former Seattle mayor Norman B. Rice challenges us, “Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light. YES, we have a choice to follow Jesus or not. Chuck Swindoll has said, ‘Few things are more infectious than a godly lifestyle. The people you rub shoulders with everyday need that kind of challenge. Not prudish. Not preachy. Just crackerjack clean living. Just honest to goodness, bone-deep, non-hypocritical integrity.


By now, you're probably saying, “Martin, life is tuff these days.” I know and that is why we should be getting into God's word that much more. Listen to the Psalmists (Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 25:4, Psalm 27:11 and Psalm 119:15-30.) The Psalmists are clear WE ARE to meditate on God's word; notice there is a clear connection between studying God's laws and His blessings. That’s why I like’em all. This relationship is evident throughout the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 17:19, 29:9, 31:24, Joshua 1:8, 8:34.) Maybe that is because they were under the law and we are under grace, right? But what did Jesus say? Go with me back to Matthew (Matthew 5:17-18.) Perhaps Jesus had the prophet Isaiah in mind when he spoke (Isaiah 55:11.) God's word will last FOREVER and it will fulfill His purpose only, no matter how stupid preachers twist them, we can’t change them or control the Holy Spirit (I'll discuss the Holy Spirit later in this series.)

They are basically playing God. Have they forgotten there is NO ONE GREATER than God? The creation is not greater than the creator, this is what the devil failed to learn (Isaiah 14:13, Jeremiah 49:16.) Go ahead and say it, “you're being legalistic” actually it's more like being lovalistic, remember communication takes two. If God is trying to talk to us and we won't listen by reading His love letter, then what does that say about this relationship? Remember what Jesus said in His sermon on the mount (John 15:8-11?)

Later this month most of the world will celebrate Halloween, what scares me the most is that even seasoned evangelists are walking away from sound doctrine and the word. Last month Pat Robertson agreed with a caller that their friend’s wife, who suffered from Alzheimer's, ‘"his wife, as he knows her, is gone." Robertson went on to encourage the colleague’s friend to seek a divorce. Has even he forgotten what the marriage vows are?

Has he forgotten that the writers of the God-breathed Scriptures used the analogy of marriage to compare the relationship of the church and Jesus to a relationship between a husband and wife (Ephesians 5:25-33, Colossians 3:19, 1 Peter 3:1-7?) Clearly, the church (the Bride) is jacked up with false doctrines and not herself anymore. Yet, the Bridegroom (Jesus) is still coming back for her. He still sees her as BEAUTIFUL. So should our wives leave us for ANOTHER MAN? You see love and respect go hand in hand, it's IMPOSSIBLE to have one without the other, especially in the Greek language in which the New Testament was written. The Greek word for respect is Kairos ,time(value, esteem.)

The Oxford English Dictionary defines Kairos as a right or opportune moment: Fullness of time; the propitious moment for the performance of an action or the coming into being of a new state. When the Lord has set in motion the right events in the world, He established the idea in the hearts of the people involved; He moved in the spiritual world so His will can be accomplished, this is Kairos, time. A combination of circumstances, ideas, changes in people, merging of events — a melding together of all the elements that make up the completeness of a situation, sound familiar?

It is particularly used in Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. Here Paul is saying, if the church/wives respects (spends time with) the Bridegroom/husbands that is an indication of our love for Him. So, the time we (the church) spend with God (in the word) is an indicator of our love for Him. Guys, what does it say, if we spend more time on Facebook and playing PS3 than talking with the women in our lives? Likewise, ladies, if you are on Facebook or cell phones more than you are talking with your man, do you respect…. do you love him? Come on actions speak louder than words. Maybe these stupid preachers have forgotten that the Bible is clear, THIS ONE THING sums up the law, love (Galatians 5:14, Matthew 22:39, John 13:34, Romans 13:8-10.) Remember, this is what the young Pharisee didn't understand (Luke 10:25-37.)
TIME?
In closing this blog, I need to address the men reading this particularly. I'm a little concerned that we are SO FAR GONE from the Bible that we are left with a FULL COURT MESS. If a change is gonna come, we need to become renegades to these false doctrines. I can almost hear our SAVIOR saying, “DON'T LEAVE ME.” You need to let God's word come Alive in you and make you STRONGER. If we and our homes are going to truly have VICTORY, we need to MAN UP just FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS and get into the Bible.I HEARD A WORD from the Bible, not men(Proverbs 8:1-11.) I don't need anyone to FILL ME IN on the word.







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