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  • MILITARY FORCE: Christ’s Church Seeks God’s Wisdom

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    This blog has been devoted to Christian meditations, but this is a first step in broadening its reach to topical issues.

    These discussions will be based on biblical principles as our Christian faith should inform our positions and viewpoints.

    So, here goes …

    COMPETING VIEWS

    EVERYONE IN THE WORLD knows of the recent “dust-up” between Israel and Iran and between Israel and Iran’s proxies — Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah — the three Hs. 

    The question is, from a Christian perspective, what should be the position of the United States? Should we as a country become involved in a military contribution on the side of Israel, and if so, to what extent?

    Let’s examine two possibilities: First, that Jesus preached non-violence, leading us to avoid unnecessary use of armed force. This view would emphasize using the bully pulpit, combining the pulpit’s teaching side with its preaching side. 

    This view would exhaust all “soft” policy, which is “statecraft” or negotiation, before engaging in “hard” policy, which calls on military force as a last resort.

    “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” – James‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” – Proverbs 2:6 NKJV

    The chief alternative considers the biblical response to evil. In the Old Testament, the Jews were to wipe out the natives in the Promised Land because God’s patience with them and their evil had worn out. He was imposing judgment on them.

    In Revelation, we see Jesus will wipe away all evil with just the spoken word – His Word, not ours – as He rides on a white horse from Heaven to take His throne in Jerusalem to reign over the land in the Millennium.

    The account of three battles in Revelation – Gog and Magog, Armageddon, and the final, unnamed battle, will spill tons of blood as God eradicates evil from the world.

    God’s wrath is righteous anger, while ours often is self-centered and harmful to community.

    So, how would we settle this discussion? Engage militarily or speak our truth into the storm?

    SPEAKING BOLDLY

    BOTH VIEWPOINTS have merit, but one point this column would make is that whichever course the church takes, it should speak boldly and without compromise. 

    How then can the church speak conflicting viewpoints boldly and without compromise?

    All such questions can be answered via the same formula: walk with the Lord, seek His counsel, read His Word, pray to Him, and seek His face. As we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us and reveal His answer.

    Let us as the church never chart any course without first seeking the Lord’s face and asking for His counsel. We should not ask Him to bless whatever it is we decide.

    This column questions how many in the church universal are seeking His face, turning to Him for His answer rather than asking Him to bless their answer.

    The view of this column is that the U.S. should make strong statements in support of Israel and its right to exist and that Israel is to own the land given to it by God. That includes Gaza, the Golan Heights, and Lebanon. 

    This column also believes the U.S. should bless Israel and support Israel through military might and that the bombing of Iran’s nuclear reactor sites was proper and in line with God’s declaration of support for the Jewish people.

    SEEKING HIS FACE

    MORE IMPORTANTLY than making a one-time decision is the process by which we continually seek God’s answers to our questions. 

    Let us as the church never chart any course ourselves without first seeking the Lord’s face and then asking Him to bless whatever it is we decide.

    This column is clear that the U.S. took the right course in bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities and then seeking a peace settlement, but at no time does this column end the process of seeking God’s face.

    We should always be humble, come together in prayer, learn from one another, and follow God’s lead as we understand it.

    We might well find that as we do so, God will reveal more of His commandment to us such that we will mold our response in some way, much like sanding a block of wood makes the block more aesthetic, easier to handle, and more useful.

    PRAYER

    ALMIGHTY GOD, PRINCE OF PEACE,

    You are both the Lion and the Lamb, 

    the conquering warrior and the humble sacrifice.

    Lead us into making the right decisions in all matters of public policy, that we as a church may represent You in truth and honor, according to Your desires, not according to our own.

    Lord, we bless You and thank You, we praise You and we worship You.

    In Jesus’ name we lift this prayer.

    AMEN

  • 1 PETER 1 – A Message of Hope for a Discouraged People

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    • Do you ever think about the promises God has made to us about an eternal kingdom in Heaven? 
    • Do you ever wonder what it takes to qualify, to pass the *entry* test, to get into Heaven? 
    • Do you ever worry that your salvation is not secure, that when you prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, God wasn’t listening, or if He was, you could *backslide* and lose His favor? 
    • If your answer to any of those questions is “yes,” or even if you’re not sure what your answer is, then today’s message is for you. 
    • Fasten your pew belts, church. We’re about to take a ride into the most important promise God makes in the Bible – our salvation and its security. 

    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. – 1 Peter 1:3 NCV

    THE BIBLE REMINDS US that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has caused those of us who believe in Him to be born again; as a result, He has promised us an eternal inheritance with Him in Heaven.

    WHAT CAN WE SAY ABOUT HEAVEN?

    This will be a place where sadness and sickness and accidents and pain and discord and jealousy and all the other ills of our current lives will be taken away. 

    New bodies, right! New minds! New spirits!

    Yet, we’ll still be “us,” with our emotions, our memories, our individual likes and skills, and our “circle” of family and friends, as well as our desire to meet new people, some of them from other parts of the world or who lived at a far different time in human history from us.

    WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET?

    Who do you want to meet from the past? What questions would you like to ask that person? 

    • How about asking Sarah what it was like to have a baby at the age of 90? 
    • Or maybe ask Isaac what he was thinking when Father Abraham tied him to the offering pile, just before he heard the sacrificial lamb’s bleating? 
    • Maybe you want to peer into David’s heart when he realized Bathsheba was pregnant and he had her husband killed in war? 
    • Would you like a trip to the Lion’s Den with Daniel or being dumped into a vat of boiling oil with John, or face your own execution, like Paul and James, the half-brother of Jesus, or John’s brother James, the first apostle martyred. Or Peter and Andrew, also martyred. 
    • Maybe, like me, you long to talk with those who come to us from the future, who saw the completion of things we saw started, or who saw the development of new technologies that made our current knowledge seem so primitive. 

    WE’LL SEE GOD FACE-TO-FACE!

    HEAVEN WILL BE A PLACE of worship, of seeing God face-to-face, of sitting down with Jesus for a heart-to-heart talk. 

    Park your imagination on that spot for a while and do yourself a huge favor: pledge to go back to it frequently. It’s worth the trip. 

    In the place of all the evil that we experience in this world will be an oasis of peace and love and joy.

    How can you possibly go through this life without experiencing even for a few moments the sheer excitement of anticipating that glorious future God has prepared for us? 

    We will worship our Creator, we will enjoy fellowship with believers from the fullest extent of time, past and future, of every race, color, language, era – a sea of loving, compassionate, and faithful believers. 

    They – the world’s believers – will be our family and friends. 

    MY RESIDENCE 

    WE WILL ALL HAVE A RESIDENCE.

    Call it a “mansion” or a “room,” depending on your Bible translation. I like to think of it as an apartment or condominium. All the comforts of home without any outdoor maintenance.  

    As for eating, I don’t know. I’d like to know I could score a big breakfast readymade for me … as well as a dynamic dinner and an over-the-top Sunday mid-day brunch/buffet. 

    The rest of the meals I can fix for myself in my mansion – sandwiches, soup, crackers, potato chips, popcorn – nothing will be harmful for us. 

    There’ll be plenty of ice cream, maybe one of those soft-serve dispensers with 3 flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and flavor-of-the-month. 

    As for work, yes, I know our Creator values work, and frankly, I’m good with work. I’m also good with rest and relaxion; so, I guess I like plenty of both. 

    What about companionship?  

    Introverts don’t require as much companionship as extroverts do, but I imagine we’ll all have plenty of time to ourselves, just as we’ll have time to fellowship and enjoy the presence of other believers.   

    We’ll learn. We’ll learn about God, and we’ll have all of eternity to learn about Him, even if we never learn everything there is about Him.  

    PIVOT 

    ALL OF THIS is fine, you say, but what does any of that mean for me? How can I use any of what we might imagine Heaven will be like for my life now? How does this apply to my here-and-now? 

    The apostle Peter, in our text verse, encourages us with the reminder that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, God has caused us to be born again; that is, for those of us who believe.

    2 Corinthian 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is past; behold the new has come.” 

    That means we were “reborn,” or “remade,” our old, sinful selves replaced with new selves through the blood of Jesus. Our new selves still sin, but we don’t live steeped in sin; we’re no longer slaves to sin, but we strive, with His help, to live without sin. 

    As a result of this new birth, we, as believers, are promised an eternal inheritance reserved for us in Heaven.  That’s only for those who believe.  

    The Bible says … 

    • God planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours more and more.  – 1 Peter 1:2 NCV
    • There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this, unless it were true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together.  – John 14:2-3 CEV 
    • Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. – Ephesians 4:30 NASB 
    • He has also put His seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. – 2 Corinthians 1:22 CSB 
    • And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. – 1 John 5:11-12 NIV 

    We know that the term “down payment” means a good faith offering that seals the promise of future payment for the desired good or service. 

    MORE TO THE STORY

    BUT WAIT! There’s more! 

    GOD says our earth-bound lives are not the whole story.  

    There is much more for us, and it will be glorious! God does not give us many details about Heaven, but He does tell us in Eph. 3:20, and other places, that our lives with Him will be better and more rewarding than we could ever imagine.  

    WHY DOESN’T GOD GIVE US MORE DETAIL? 

    Could this be the answer?

    1. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. – Deuteronomy 29:29a ESV
    2. It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. – Acts 1:7 BSB

    When the apostles/disciples asked Jesus if this was when He would restore the kingdom to Israel, He said, “NO.”

    >You have a job to do in this world. You are to leave the end times stuff to My Father in Heaven, and you carry the Word to your neighbors, your surrounding region, and to the ends of the earth. My Father will take care of the rest.<

    Perhaps God knew that giving us more information about Heaven would be like telling a young child, who needs to eat his dinner first, what dessert will be. The child’s attention will shift from the vegetables to the ice cream, and that is not the mother’s intent.

    Revelation 21 and 22 give us a brief description of the New Heaven and the New Earth:

    • Crystal-clear streets of fine gold, 
    • Precious stones along the walls,  
    • Gates and pillars with the names of the 12 Apostles and the 12 Patriarchs,  
    • Everlasting light of Jesus,  
    • Worship with the saints, along with angels and the four living things,  
    • The gates will never be closed. 

    Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven says we’ll be ourselves with our personalities and our memories – without our memories we wouldn’t be ourselves, would we? We wouldn’t recognize anyone because we wouldn’t know them.  

    So, we’ll know who we are and who others are.

    Our bodies will be young and healthy, yet we’ll still – somehow – recognize everyone, even those we only knew when they were old or sick. Children who die before maturity will grow to adulthood, and babies who were aborted might well be present. 

    We’ll have our individual skills. If you could play the piano on earth, you should be able to play the piano even better in heaven. Let’s hope so, anyway. If you don’t know how to play the piano, you’ll have all of Eternity to learn. 

     CLOSING WORDS

    YES, TODAY WILL BRING with it many moments of joy, of peace, of kindness, of pleasantness – but today also will bring reminders of our loss, the loss that became our heritage in the Garden of Eden. God did not create this world to be experienced the way we experience it. 

    Remember, we – in the persons of our ancestors, Adam and Eve – defied God by tasting the forbidden fruit. God told us there would be consequences if we disobeyed him. We did it, anyway, and we experience that punishment every day.  

    You remember when Jesus cried? It’s in the Bible. John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” (See also Luke 19:41-42 ESV.) Why do you suppose He wept? 

    Perhaps for at least three reasons: 

    • He felt a personal sorrow for the loss of His friend Lazarus.
    • He felt the sorrow experienced by Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha, who also were friends of Jesus. 
    • He felt sorrow for the heartache of humanity’s self-inflected grief. 

    The Good News is that God sees our pain and our hopeless condition, and He has promised us a Savior – Jesus the Christ – who paid the penalty for our sin, which satisfied God’s wrath so He could restore us to full fellowship with Him. 

    The Bible reassures us by emphasizing God’s faithfulness, even when we are faithless; He fulfills His promises, even when we break ours. 

    God keeps His promises. You will not lose your salvation. The biggest reason? Because you did not earn it. God gave it to you as a gift. This gift is because of His grace and His desire that you will live in Eternity with Him. 

    PRAYER

    Thank You, Lord, for Your goodness, Your grace, Your mercy, and Your love. We deserve none of it, but we are grateful, eternally grateful, for all of it. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

  • FINDING SPIRITUAL STRENGTH: Lessons Drawn From 1 Peter 1

    Christian Message

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    1 Peter 1 is a message of hope.

    God used the life witness of the Apostle Peter, and his words in this letter, to provide encouragement to First Century Christians, who were facing torture, beatings, ostracism, and even death for practicing their faith.

    God is using the same words to encourage believers in the Twenty-First Century to keep us faithful as we journey through our own burdens.

    We do not need to be defeated by our cares, pains, worries, disappointments, or discouragement.

    God

    Peter wrote his letter to the dispersed church when early believers faced persecution for their new faith, which taught that the Jewish Messiah had arrived at the time and place prophesied in the Person of Jesus.

    This new teaching was designed to give men and women hope for a better life, even if that better life was not on Earth but in Heaven.

    Even though life in modern Western countries is relatively tame and comfortable, God’s words through Peter’s writing give men and women comfort today, as well.

    However, please remember, the special blessing of salvation is accorded only to those who accept Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

    In this lesson, we focus on Chapter 1 and five lessons we can draw from Peter’s writing.

    FIRST POINT: Heaven Awaits

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy, He has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. – 1 Peter 1:3 NCV

    SUMMARY SENTENCE: The Bible reminds us that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has caused those of us who believe in Him to be born again; as a result, He has promised us an eternal inheritance with Him in Heaven.

    First Century Christians faced persecution, torture, even death. Peter wrote to encourage them by giving them a guaranteed vision of a better future, in Heaven.

    That guarantee was based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    LESSON: We also face trials and tribulations, but “better days” await us; if not here, then in Heaven.

    SECOND POINT: Battling Regret

    “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials … yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” – 1 Peter 1:8 BSB

    SUMMARY SENTENCE: God assures us through the Apostle Peter that He wants only good things for His children, and so the primary goal of His calling on our lives is not to grant us our every wish but to prepare us for glory, for an eternity with Him.

    Life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to.

    God wants us to keep our focus on Him, not on ourselves.

    That promise sustains us through our troubles.

    Jesus told us that same point when He urged us to take heart because He has overcome the world.

    This Earth is not our home, just our temporary residence. Our eternal home is where we go after our lives here are over.

    • Heaven
    • Hell

    LESSON: We rejoice through our troubles. For a short time, if necessary, we may suffer grief, but God is with us, giving us hope. The Bible says our trials, as we go through them successfully, make us stronger in our faith.

    THIRD POINT: Our Time

    “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him … now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8a-9 BSB

    SUMMARY SENTENCE: Our test of faith as Christ followers is to believe that Jesus Christ is who He said He is, even though we have not seen Him in bodily form.

    Who did He say He is?

    The Son of Man

    – The Son of God

    – The Messiah

    – Our Redeemer

    – Our Savior.

    LESSON: The Lord has made His presence known through His creation; that creation not only includes the universe, but all life, including us! We are His creation.

    FOURTH POINT: Always Relevant

    “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because ‘All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.’ Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” – 1 Peter 1:22-25 NKJV

    SUMMARY SENTENCE: God’s Word is universal and eternal. As such, it is as fresh, active, and relevant today as it was yesterday and 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, when it was written. No church should distort that Word to make it “relevant” or “fit in” with secular culture. His Word will remain just as relevant tomorrow.

    Peter reminds us that, as believers, our souls have been transformed from corruptible seed to incorruptible.

    LESSON: We are encouraged to avoid false teaching and keep our focus on God’s promise of a glorious future with Him.

    FIFTH POINT: Holy Trinity

    “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those chosen, living as exiles dispersed abroad … according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” – 1 Peter 1:1-2 CSB

    SUMMARY SENTENCE: Peter references the Holy Trinity to a people conditioned to believe in the unity or oneness of God.

    We might miss Peter’s reference to the Trinity if we glide quickly over the text. Here is how he defines it:

    1. Foreknowledge of God the Father,
    2. Sanctifying work of the [Holy] Spirit,
    3. Sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.

    TRANSLATION: God the Father knows the future; God the Holy Spirit guides us [teaches us]; and God the Son cleanses us [forgives or purifies] with His shed blood.

    Together, the Three-in-One God:

    1. Knows us
    2. Grows us
    3. Forgives us
    4. Prepares us — for eternity with Him.

    LESSON: We are a chosen people, and those of us who have come to believe God is who He says He is, and that His promises are solid, are promised eternal life. You can bet your life on that – your eternal life.

    CLOSING WORDS

    That is the message of hope brought to us in 1 Peter 1.

    God used this letter of the Apostle Peter to give encouragement to First Century believers, who faced torture and death.

    God uses those same words to encourage Twenty First Century believers through our life trials.

    Our study of 1 Peter 1 shows us that:

    • God promises us better days ahead (Heaven)
    • We should keep our focus not on ourselves but on our Lord
    • We are blessed to believe Him even though we have not seen Him
    • We can rest confidently in God’s promises
    • Why? Because His Word is eternal, universal, and relevant to the time … and will remain eternal, universal, and relevant right up until the day Jesus returns.

    Believe it … and be blessed.

    ~PRAYER~

    HOLY FATHER, Our Redeemer – We come to You this day – and every day – confessing our weakness, confessing our sin nature, confessing how lost we are. We are like sheep without a Shepherd.

    Lead us, Lord, into humility so we will admit to our sin, pray to You and seek Your face. Lord, we lay claim to Your promise that if we do those things, You will honor our prayers by forgiving us and healing us.

    May those of us who need to turn our lives over to Your hands and have not done so, do so now; and may those of us who have turned our lives over to You be encouraged and energized in renewal of our faith and our commitment.

    We thank You, Lord, for Your many blessings on us ~ many of which we don’t even know ~ but we know You are a good God who loves to give good gifts to His children.

    In our gratitude, Lord, we ask that You strengthen us to be salt and light to a disbelieving world hungry for Your presence.

    We lift this prayer in Jesus’ name. AMEN

  • GOD’S WILL — Embracing a Relationship With God

    Our God left nothing to chance. He exists, and He wants us to know who He is. Moreover, He wants us to know His character and His plan for creation and for us, His people, whom He fashioned in His image.

    MESSAGE BY WARD PIMLEY

    “I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.” — Exodus 18:11 (NLT)

    “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” — John 17:3 (NIV)

     Who hasn’t woken up in the middle of a deep sleep — maybe that proverbial 3 am midpoint — and wondered in panic, “Where am I?” 

    In the light of day, that question often morphs into “Who am I?” and “Why am I?”

    Those questions, and others like them, have occupied the minds of nearly all of mankind since our earliest days, with some of the greatest minds spinning yarns as they attempt answers for themselves and for us.

    Often — most often — they are wrong. 

    Why?

    Because they leave out of their equation the Creator of everything, the God who spoke life and matter into being. He and He alone determines the correct answers to those questions.

    ~God Speaks~

    FOR GOD TO COMPLETE HIS PLAN, He has given us “general revelation,” which is God speaking to us through creation itself, the majesty of the world and the universe around us, even down to the smallest specks of stuff we can see only through the most powerful microscopes.

    For those of us who believe, He has given us something more. It’s called “special revelation,” and it’s the Word contained in the Holy Bible, interpreted for us by the Holy Spirit.

    Through the answers God has given us, we can draw comfort in knowing there is a Plan, written by a Creator of mighty power and incredible intelligence, who – fortunately for us – is loving, patient, forgiving, merciful, and grace-filled.

    Imagine the terror that would befall us if our God were angry, mean, and unforgiving.

    ~Man’s Stubborness~

    WHY, THEN, DO so many people turn away from God’s invitation to meet Him and enjoy a personal relationship with Him?

    Because we are stubborn.

    Somehow, in our self-importance, in our arrogance, we think we know better than God does how we should live our lives and what should occupy our time.

    When we do that, at some point, we might realize we chose wrongly. For the unfortunate, that point never comes; for others, it comes so late in life, there’s little they can do except enjoy a brief course correction.

    But for those who come to that point early in life, God’s radiance can guide their steps through the peaks and valleys that mark our days, leading them along the pathway set out for them by their Creator.

    ~FLICKERING LIGHTS~

    THEY ARE THE ONES who live the most fruitful lives. They are the ones we call on when we are mired in our own mess. They are God’s flickering lights showing us a straighter path.

    They walk with a self-confidence knowing a personal God is Sovereign and ruling from His throne; they know life’s battles have been won by the One on the throne; they can testify to the joy and peace God has given them in exchange for their faithfulness.

    That life is available to all of us, if we choose it.

    Just open your heart to a prayer like this one:

    “Lord God Almighty, I know I am a sinner in need of Your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son sent to die on the cross for my sins, and that by believing in Him, You will transform my soul and reward me with eternal life in Your presence. Lord, I want that. Come into my heart and save even me.”

    That’s all it takes, but you have to be genuine. If you are, the Holy Spirit will bath you with His presence and remake you into the image Your Creator designed you to be.

    O Happy Day!

    ~PRAYER~

    ALMIGHTY GOD, Our Lord and Savior — Thank You for loving us, for creating us and fashioning us in Your image, male and female, equal in worth but designed for different and complementary roles. Thank You for being a God that spreads joy and peace, patiece and kindness, faithfulness and peace. Lord, thank You for salvation. In Jesus’ name we lift this prayer. AMEN

  • FAITH IN SMALL THINGS: God Is Working for Us

    Jesus said His Father — our God — is always working, and so was He. The call to work is one of God’s gifts to mankind. We derive pleasure and pride from what we accomplish. When our service is God-directed, when we are acting in His will, the reward is sweeter. To experience that joy, to claim God’s promise, we must humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and repent from our evil ways; then

    He promises to hear our prayer, forgive our sins, and heal our land.

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE By WARD PIMLEY

    But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” – John 5:17 BSB

    “For who has despised the day of small things?” – Zechariah 4:10 NKJV

    GOD IS ALWAYS WORKING, yet from our limited and temporal perspectives, we often miss seeing what He is  doing, unless we are actively looking for it, unless we want to find it.

    How often we find it much easier to see what God is doing in our lives when we look backward, instead of forward, to see how He has managed to combine events and bring people into our lives that have changed us in some way. 

    However, when we look in front of us, we often miss what God is doing now, or how He is preparing us now, for what lies ahead. 

    There’s that famous example of someone walking along the shoreline who sees two sets of footprints — one set beside the other — and then sees only one set of footprints, and asks, “Lord, where were You when I needed You?” — and the Lord replies, “See where there’s only one set of footprints? Those were Mine. That’s when I was carrying You.”

    In my own life, I can see, looking backward, how God has intervened when I’ve humbled myself and asked Him for help and He has carried me for a term.

    Of course, He won’t always carry us because, without our struggles, there’s no growth, so He’ll gently let us down from His strong shoulders to resume walking beside us. He doesn’t abandon us; He just shifts position.

    ~GLORY IN WORK~

    IN OUR BIBLICAL TEXT, Jesus had just healed a man who had been lame for 38 years. This was the Sabbath, and Jesus and His followers were on their way to worship. 

    The Lord saw the man resting beside a pool with others who were blind or deaf or lame, and Jesus had told the man to stand up, pick up his pallet, and walk. As the man obeyed, he was healed.

    While the man obeyed Jesus, carrying one’s pallet on the Sabbath — plus healing a lame man on the Sabbath — were both forbidden by the Jewish leaders. 

    When the leaders questioned Jesus about His healing on the Sabbath and directing the man to pick up his pallet on the Sabbath, Jesus replied that He and His Father were always working, even on the Sabbath!

    That added another problem with the Jewish leaders — for Jesus was equating Himself with God — which, we know, He was and is.

    Jesus used that example to teach the eternal presence of God in our lives, that the Sabbath is holy but it was made for man, not the other way around, that He was and is God, and that there is dignity and worth in working. 

    It is worth noting, again, that the man who was lame was not healed until he obeyed Jesus’ command to stand up; then, he could pick up his pallet and walk.

    ~ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE~

    THIS PASSAGE IS LOADED with meaning. Besides the ones we just mentioned, there were at least two more important lessons. 

    One is that God has an eternal perspective while our viewpoint is very limited. At most, we see what’s happening to us and around us right now, and as we’ve noted, often we miss it, but God sees today’s events as part of the eternal landscape. It takes faith on our part to recognize that God is working even now when we cannot understand what He is doing or why He is doing it.

    Besides the eternal perspective, the other meaning from our passage is that God calls on us to help in His work. In the passage we cited, Jesus did not just heal the man; He asked if the man wanted to be healed. Was he even interested in hearing from God and doing what God asked him to do.

    We were to find out. Jesus told him to pick up his pallet and walk. It was in the doing that the lame man was made whole.

    ~WISP OF SMOKE~

    WHEN WE ASK GOD for guidance, we want ASAP, yet God works through eternity. Our days are numbered; His are unlimited. He  exists from eternity past to eternity future, while our lives are a wisp of smoke.

    That’s why He calls us to faith – to believe those things that we cannot see and to trust that He is working out His eternal and universal plan in our lives even at this very moment.

    When we look behind us, we are more likely to see the progress, the change, the work that He has done. 

    When we look ahead, we often see a blank slate. God sees what He will do … but we have to wait, in faith, that He will act; in fact, to see that He is acting. We will see it in time, if not right away.

    In the Old Testament, God is speaking through the prophet Zechariah to tell His people these three truths: “You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit”; “For who has despised the day of small things?”; and “This shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Zech. 4:6 GNT; Zech. 4:10 NKJV; Zech. 6:15 ESV)

    The Bible tells us not to despise “the day of small things,” of limited progress (at least, to our eyes), because the days pile on, one after another, one month after another, one year after another, one decade after another, and then that compilation of “small things” over time becomes something grand. 

    Just as a little faith will move mountains, so faith in the “small things” can lead to greatness. God is always working, even when we don’t see it. He is with us, and He is faithful.

    ~FINAL WORDS~

    MY QUESTION TO YOU, faithful church, is this: Do you have faith that God is present in your lives, that He sustains you when you are discouraged or face defeat, that He carries you when you need a lift and accompanies you when you just need a friend. 

    Do you listen for His voice. Do you hear Him reassuring you, or is your own voice drowning out His voice.

    Are you even walking with Him in faith? Do you not know that all of the benefits that God promises are available to everyone, but only those who humble themselves before the throne, who receive His Spirit into their hearts, will ever know the peace and joy that He willingly offers.

    Today, if you have not turned your life over to the Lord, or even if you’re not sure you have, or you’re ‘pretty sure’ you might have at one time but have since walked away, I invite you to change that now. Don’t let this moment pass without calling on God’s grace. 

    Pray this with me, or use your own, but similar, words:

    ABBA FATHER – I confess that I am a sinner in need of God’s grace. I cannot earn salvation on my own. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son who came to earth to save the lost, to reconcile fallen man to Himself, and that He died on the cross for my sins, to pay the price that I am unable to pay. Almighty God, today I turn my life over to You. I humbly confess my sins and my need for a Savior, and I ask You to wash away my filth with Your spilled blood. Give me the peace and joy that only You can give, and when I die, take me — body and soul — to live with You forever. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN and AMEN

    Church, if you’ve prayed that prayer for the first time, then welcome to God’s holy and eternal Kingdom. If you prayed that prayer in recommitment to Your Creator, thank God that He is patient with all of us, not wanting anyone to perish but all to come to repentance. 

  • JESUS IS CALLING: ARE YOU LISTENING?

    God has given us the gift of “free will,” which means we can accept Him or reject Him – our choice. That’s how much He loves us. He will not force Himself on us. Those of us who are listening to the Lord’s voice benefit from His peace and grace — and the promise of eternal life. Our burden is for those who are not yet listening.

    He who has ears to hear, let him hear. – Matthew 11:15 (LSB)

    All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. – John 6:37 (ESV)

    Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

    CHRISTIAN MESSAGE By WARD PIMLEY

     JESUS IS CALLING. He came to earth “to save the lost.” (Luke 10:10 CSB) So, who are the “lost?” All of us.

    Here’s some proof from the Word of God:

    • “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 CSB) 
    • “For my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd.” (Zechariah 10:2b NLT)
    • “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and  helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36 NIV)

    THE BIBLE TELLS US that our Lord and Creator wants fellowship with us and wants us to choose Him. He will not force His love and mercy on us but will give us that choice. 

    How it must sadden the Creator to see His children abandon Him and turn  away from Him. The Bible says, “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3 NIV)

    Yet, Jesus patiently, through the Holy Spirit, works to gain our attention. He promises us that if we seek after Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7). However, since our natures are sinful, we naturally will not seek the Lord. Instead, we enjoy our sins (John 3:19). 

    We want to live our lives our way, regardless of what our Creator wants.

    Salvation, which requires a heart change on our part, is a free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8) offered to all and given freely and lovingly to all who accept, even a condemned criminal dying on the cross. (Luke 23:43)

    HEAR HIS VOICE

    WE SHOULD NOT WAIT beyond our time, because the Lord will harden our disobedient hearts (Romans 1:24). When the Holy Spirit prompts us, we should respond (Isaiah 55:6; 2 Corinthians 6:2). 

    While He is patient (2 Peter 3:9; Psalm 103:10; Romans 2:4), He will not wait forever, and those who reject him throughout their lives will face judgment (Matthew 7:23; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:15).

    That is not God’s desire (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4; Ezekiel 18:32), but it is the only alternative acceptable to a Holy God.

    We are offered a choice: believe in God and live or reject God and suffer the consequences. God tells us today what He told His children thousands of years ago when they were about to enter the Promised Land:

    “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV)

    We end this meditation where we started. Jesus is calling us. He wants us to live. He will not force our choice, but He has made it clear with His perfect life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven that He wants us to choose Him and live.

    GOD ASKS THIS OF YOU: Which choice will you make?

    PRAYER

    ABBA FATHER, You are holy and perfect, yet You love us with a never ending love, so much so that You sent Your Son, Your only Son whom You love, to suffer and die in our place. Lord, forgive us when we fail to believe and strengthen us in faith, that we will know and affirm that You, and You only, are God. Lord, we praise Your name and cast all our cares at Your feet. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

  • OVERCOMING ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE: One Man’s Journey of Faith

    The biggest obstacle to placing confidence in my Creator was a dependance on alcohol to blunt my emotional pain. Once I submitted to Him, He helped me kick that habit. Now, instead of alcohol in my blood. I have peace in my heart.

    Message by Ward Pimley

    • “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” – 1 John 4:4 (NKJV)
    • “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (LSB)

    WHEN I BECAME A CHRISTIAN, a believer in Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, He began to change me, to transform me into the man He designed me to be, not the man I had become. 

    While I wanted His saving grace, I also chaffed at the changes He sought because, at the time, I still “enjoyed” my sins. That’s where most of the world is, and I was in the beginning stage of being rescued from the mire. 

    The biggest obstacle to placing confidence in my Creator and would-be Savior was a dependence on alcohol to blunt the pain of my broken life. He wanted me to stop, and I wanted me to continue. He started putting on some pressure; I resisted. 

    I had used the blunting power of alcohol to keep depressing emotions from overtaking me; He wanted to free me from that. You’d think it was a no-brainer. In a sense, it was because I certainly was not using my brain.

    I was stubborn and resisting His call on my life. 

    ~Three-Year Dance~

    WE DANCED THIS WAY for three years, with Him ratcheting up the pressure, and me resisting and then bending, until finally I broke and said, “I’m ready to do this Your way.”

    It has now been 14 years since I received eternal life through the Holy Spirit and  nearly 11 years since I’ve tasted alcohol. Show me a chilled Martini with three olives in it, lined up on a tooth pick, and I am still, even today, tempted to join in; but, fortunately for me, He who is in me is stronger than he (Satan) who is in the world, and I resist.

    I still resist, but, frankly, from time to time, I still wonder. Maybe I could have just one drink, I think, but then I remember what it’s numbing power does to me, and I’m even more determined to resist the pull.

    As a result, I remain sober and faithful to my Liberator, the One who saved my life from its brokenness and my soul from eternal torment.

    ~An Offer Good for All~

    IF YOU WANT that life-changing transformation for yourself, you can have it, today, right now, by earnestly confessing your need for the Savior. God wants to hear from you. 

    He gave us this guarantee in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV):

    “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

    His promises are good for everyone, no matter who you are or where you’ve been or what you’ve done. He longs to hear from you, and He wants to forgive you and welcome you into His family. 

    In Romans 8:14 (NIV), He tells us:

    “For those who are being led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

    THAT MEANS, while He loves everyone, those who love Him back, who trust Him for their salvation, receive a special blessing: They become His sons and daughters, His children.

    Pray with me a prayer like this (or use similar words): 

    “LORD GOD, Creator of the universe who designed me in Your image, please come into my heart and save me from the brokenness of my life. I confess I am in need of redemption. My soul is evil, and my heart is selfish. I believe Your Son died on the Cross for my sins, and the sins of the whole world, and that whoever believes in Him, who calls on Him, will be saved. Lord God, save even me.” AMEN

    ~POSTSCRIPT~

    IF YOU PRAYED that prayer with sincerity, then welcome into the Kingdom of God! You now will be held securely by the hands of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and no one can take you from His grip. 

    Grow in your faith. Read your Bible daily. Pray constantly. Tell someone what God has done for you. 

    MOST OF ALL: Enjoy your walk with Jesus Christ!

    ~PRAYER~

    ALMIGHTY GOD, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, we thank You for Your grace and mercy, unmerited by our actions, thoughts, or plans. You are the great I AM, the One who creates, the One who sustains, the One who saves. We praise Your holy name. Through Jesus, we lift this prayer. AMEN

  • JUSTICE! From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Promise – to Balance the Scales

    In the end, the Bible tells us, God will judge all mankind, restoring order and sinlessness to Eternity and sending the impious and rejectors of His mercy to everlasting punishment. He also tells us that vengeance belongs to Him, not to us. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. 

    “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” – GENESIS 18:25b (ESV)

    “And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.”” – REVELATION 16:7 (BSB)

    Message By Ward Pimley 

    HAVE YOU EVER WISHED you could – for just one moment – have enough power and force to exact vengeance on those who have hurt you in some way? 

    I know I have. Yes, it’s “in the flesh” when I feel that way, and not according to God’s Holy Spirit, but He assures us that vengeance belongs to Him, and He will repay (Deuteronomy 32:35). 

    Well, in Revelation 16, God reveals to us what will happen in the future toward all of those who have rejected Him and have harmed His “saints, apostles, and prophets.” 

    The prophets and apostles are Old Testament and New Testament teachers; the saints are those of us who trust Christ for our salvation.

    FIRST BOOK, LAST BOOK

    THE BIBLE’S LAST BOOK reinforces a point made in the Bible’s first book – that God, who is the judge of the world – will judge fairly (Genesis 18:25; Revelation 16:7). Those two verses appear as our text source at the start of this message. 

    I found it interesting to translate those verses into Spanish and French for the two other North American languages, figuring that God’s Word not only is true eternally but also available for everyone.

    “Nunca tal hagas! El Juez de toda la tierra¸ ¿no ha de hacer lo que es justo?”  – Génesis 18:25b (RVR95)

    “Y oí una voz que venía del altar y decía: «Sí, oh Señor Dios, el Todopoderoso, tus juicios son verdaderos y justos».– Apocalipsis 16:7 (NTV)

    “Celui qui juge toute la terre n’appliquera-t-il pas le droit?»” – Genèse 18:25 (S21)

    “Puis j’entends une voix qui vient de l’autel. Elle dit: « Oui, Seigneur, Dieu tout-puissant, tes jugements sont vrais et justes. »” – Apocalypse‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ (‭PDV2017‬‬)

    God’s final judgment will right the scales of injustice throughout the world for all time. That knowledge should help those of us who often want to do that job ourselves, to avenge wrongs we think were done to us.

    God will take care of everything in His time according to His will, and it will be just. We can rest easy and focus on the job He has given us – to live our lives with patience, joy, and self-control.

    ~PRAYER~

    ALMIGHTY GOD, Creator of all life – Your glory and honor and power reign, and You will avenge all evil and right the scales of justice. You are perfect in all of your ways, and we worship You. Thank You for the Gift of reconciliation through the sacrifice of Your Son that, by believing in Him and calling on His name, we will live. In the name of Jesus we pray. AMEN

  • SHARE THE GOSPEL: It’s the Good News!

    Message By Ward Pimley

    “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” – Mark 16:25 NKJV

    “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” – Romans 10:17 ESV

    YOU HAVE SOMETHING very important to share.

    Our Savior, Jesus Christ, *commands* us to spread the Good News. He said in Mark 16:15 (NKJV): “Go into all the world and preach the gospel [the Good News] to every creature.” [cf Acts 1:8, Matt. 28:19-20]

    What is the Good News? This: That Jesus came from Heaven to reveal to us God in human form, to live a sinless life, and to be our atoning sacrifice on the cross; after which, He rose from the dead and then ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right side of the Father’s Throne, interceding for us.

    ~FIRST FRUITS~

    AS THE FIRST FRUITS of that resurrection, He has given us the assurance that, we, too, believing in Him, will be resurrected from the dead to eternal life.

    As Sam Cooke sang, “Ain’t that good news? Man, ain’t that news?”

    So, tell someone! Share it with those in your life. The Bible tells us to “walk as He walked,” so we are to live out the Gospel and then share through our testimony, just as Jesus told the demoniac whom he healed, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” (Luke 8:39 NKJV)

    ~HONOR CHRIST~

    REMEMBER THE ADMONITION from Apostle Peter, who said (1 Peter 3:15 ESV): “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”

    Our main text verse today (Romans 10:17 ESV) reminds us that “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

    So, it’s not enough just to live out the Gospel, which we definitely should do, but we need to tell others that the joy and peace we feel is because we walk with Jesus. 

    Otherwise, we’re stealing His glory for ourselves.

    ~PERSONAL MINISTRY~

    TO KICKSTART YOUR personal ministry, or renew what you once did but lost zeal, you could pray these words alongside me (or use words of your own): 

    Lord in Heaven, bless me to be a blessing to others. Help me to see the hurting souls around me and give me the words to say and the assurance and boldness to say them, not for my glory but for Yours alone. Help me, O Lord, to walk as our Savior walked. In His name and through His blood we pray. AMEN

    If you prayed that prayer, then let’s share the GOOD NEWS together!

    PRAYER

    ALMIGHTY GOD, our gracious and loving Lord: We thank You for Your lovingkindness, Your grace and mercy, and Your willingness to forgive. We know our access to the throne of grace is only through the shed blood of Your Son. Lord, we pray for the health and prosperity of our loved ones, that they may come to know You, the only true God. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

  • A BLESSING FOR YOU FROM GOD

    The Bible contains many greetings and blessings, benedictions and prayers, most of which we tend to gloss over as just part of the background. Yet, why not spend some time thumbing through the various books, especially the New Testament epistles, to uncover some gems that you could use in your correspondence. This lesson contains one such promise.

    Message by Ward Pimley

    “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – III JOHN 2 (NKJV)

    “Amado, yo deseo que tú seas prosperado en todas las cosas, y que tengas salud, así como prospera tu alma.” – 3 Juan 2 (RVR1960)

     DO YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF looking for the “perfect” card for someone? 

    You know, something with a message that feels “authentic” and heartfelt, that conveys the love or admiration or respect you have for the card’s recipient, instead of a packaged saccharine sentiment that does not quite match the moment?

    Awhile back, a pastor friend sent me a card with a note to check out 3 John 2, a one-chapter letter written by the Apostle John to his friend Gaius. [John’s third letter has only one chapter; sometimes it’s written as 3 John 2, other times as 3 John 1:2.] 

    The verse is appropriate for scribbling inside a card or even to share on social media or your signature panel. It’s also good for meditation! 

    Here it is: 

    “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – 3 JOHN 1:2 (NKJV)

    Think about it, how it captures a well-being for both the spirit as well as the body and mind.

    What message could be better!

    But wait! That’s not all! The Holy Bible is filled with great verses that offer hope, encouragement, love, grace, forgiveness … whatever compassionate feeling you want to express.

    So, the next time you select a ready-made card that misses the mark, why not thumb through your Bible and select something uplifting from the Creator? 

    ~Finding Daily Gems~

    Better yet, why not look for those gems every day? That way, you’ll find them daily and you’ll know exactly which one you want to include in that card to a loved one.

    Peace as you spend time with your Lord in prayer.

    While we’re at it, this message assumes the blessing of 3 John 2 is true for you, as well. 

    Are you in good health, are your basic needs met, and most importantly, is your soul in synch with the Creator? If so, you already know how to share the Bible’s gems with others.

    If not, then would you like to take this moment to correct that? If the Lord leads you in prayer, you can pray along with me (or choose your own words) this prayer of salvation, called the “Sinner’s Prayer.”

    ALMIGHTY GOD, please hear my prayer. I know I am a sinner in need of Your redemption. I believe Jesus is Your Son, the second Person in the Trinity, and that He lived a perfect life and died a painful, degrading death on Calvary’s Cross for my sin, to atone for me. Lord, forgive my sin, and help me live a transformed life, in Your image, as You planned for me. Lord, I commend my soul to You and Your safekeeping. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN

    IF YOU JUST PRAYED THAT PRAYER (or one similar to it), and were genuine in your prayer, then welcome to the Kingdom of God and the blessings of peace, joy, and eternal life. 

    May you prosper in health and prosperity … just as your soul prospers.

    ~PRAYER~

    ALMIGHTY GOD, our gracious and loving Lord, we thank You for Your lovingkindness, Your grace and mercy, and Your willingness to forgive. We know our access to the throne of grace is only through the shed blood of Your Son. Lord, we pray for the health and prosperity of our loved ones, that they may come to know You, the only true God. In Jesus’ name. AMEN