Our 47th Wedding Anniversary! WOW!

It is hard to believe, but Linda and I have been married 47 years! That’s a long time for her to put up with someone like me! There are so many reasons that I thank the Lord for my wife, but you might find the story of my proposing to her interesting.

We met at Emmaus Bible School (as it was called back then), located in a suburb of Chicago (it has since moved to a beautiful campus in Dubuque, Iowa). When we first met, I was entering my second year of the three-year program and she was a freshman. We met at the freshman retreat and yours truly fell head over heels in love with this young lady from New Jersey.

She and her friend Robin, for some inexplicable reason, decided to switch names for the first week of school. So my roommates mercilessly teased me when I lay in my bunk bed in the men’s dorm moaning, “Robin! O Robin!” (my wife’s name is Linda).

Pretty soon she took pity on me and we began dating each other. Although it took her a bit longer than me to realize that we would be life partners, we began making plans to get married after I finished my third year at Emmaus.

Her mother gave us an engagement ring that had been in the family for quite a while. We took it to a local jeweler’s to have the diamond put into another setting. The jeweler told us that it would be three weeks before it was ready. So my official proposal had to wait.

What Linda didn’t know was that the jeweler called me to say that the ring was ready about a week early. I picked it up and began to plan “the proposal.” At the time I was playing second string on Emmaus’ basketball team and Linda was the best-looking cheerleader for the school. I decided I would propose to her at half-time. On the court. In front of the twenty people who came to see our game.

At halftime we were losing to the other school by seventy (that’s “7” followed by a “0”) points. The mood was ruined. I kept the ring in my pocket and we headed back to the school after the game.

There was a small coffee shop just a block from the school where we would occasionally go and split a piece of apple pie. As we were walking down the street, the ring was burning a hole in my pocket and I made my mind up.

I pulled Linda into a dark alley (just before the coffee shop) and asked her, “Will you marry me?” She started to laugh. “Why are you laughing?” I said. “You don’t have the ring! It’s not ready for another week or two!”, she said. I then realized the ring was still in my pocket. I pulled it out, held it in front of her, got on one knee, and asked the question a second time.

She began to scream. In a dark alley. Outside Chicago. I think she said “Yes!”, because we then went to the coffee shop where I got the whole piece of pie. But the best was — I got Linda!

 

A Brief Report on Recent Ministry!

This past week was quite busy for me, friends.  I presented three workshops at Emmaus Bible College’s “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference.  My messages were entitled “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events,” “Courageous Preaching: The Spirit of God and Today’s Preacher,” and “Unlike Jesus: The Lost Art of Being a Friend of Sinners.”  Each of my seminars was fairly well attended.  So I thank you if you prayed for me.

Last Sunday I preached at Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know those folks!

I’m now home and preparing for my trip to Korea.  I’ve been  enjoying working in the book of Galatians and ask for your prayer as I teach the students at Word of Life!  I’ll be there from June 7-16.

Your reading my blog and lifting me up in prayer means a great deal to me.  Thank you for your friendship.  Here’s one picture of those attending the conference:

 

My Workshop “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events” (for “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference) Part 5

Emmaus Bible College’s leadership conference “Iron Sharpens Iron” gives me the opportunity to present several workshops.  We’ve been thinking about my first workshop entitled —

“Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events”

We’ve noticed the first certainty which is: Man is fallen and capable of great evil. The second certainty is that  God is holy and will judge rightly. Third, we must teach that this life is brief– one must be ready to meet God!  And the fourth certainty that we must keep in mind is that man is still made in the image of God and is capable of incredible acts of kindness and heroism.

There are many other certainties that we could discuss, but the fifth that occurs to us this morning is this: Heaven and hell are real! Hell is not God’s over-reaction to sin, but rather the application of His righteousness to human depravity. We agree with C.S. Lewis who said, “In reality, along with the power to forgive, we have lost the power to condemn.”

The Bible is quite clear that we are not to seek vengeance ourselves, but to leave room for the wrath of God (Rom. 12:19). I’ve studied the wrath of God — and it is a fascinating study. Those in Christ should rejoice that they have been “rescued from God’s wrath” (“And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” I Thes. 1:10).

Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” caused the people in that Connecticut church where he was a guest preacher to cling to their wooden pews, lest they fall into hell then and there.  Our society, raised on Stephen King horror films, seems not to be frightened by anything.  But — “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!”, says Hebrews 10:31 (KJV).

God allows some human evil to occur.  As the late Paul Little once said, “If he were to stop all evil at midnight tonight, which of us would be left at 12:01?”  We grieve with those who have lost loved ones in terrible, man-made tragedies.  But we rejoice that God is holy and will wrap up history righteously!  And these certainties we must preach!

 

 

 

My Workshop “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events” (for “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference) Part 2

Friends: We are thinking about three workshops that I will give at the upcoming conference at Emmaus Bible College. Registration for the conference can be found here.  Let’s continue our thinking about —

Workshop #1: “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events”

We’ve seen the first certainty which is: Man is fallen and capable of great evil.  Let’s notice the second certainty which is: God is holy and will judge rightly.

If there is no judgment beyond this world, then absolute despair over the cruelty of this life (and its inhabitants) is quite logical.  If death leads to nothingness, then when Stephen Paddock (the Las Vegas mass murderer) turned one of his guns on himself, he ceased to exist.  He was not immediately cast into a temporary hell, awaiting final judgment before a holy God.  What an awful thought.

But the Bible is quite clear that God is holy and will just rightly!  We must take the long view of life and recognize that God will hold all evildoers responsible at the end of history.  In Psalm 37 the Psalmist challenges us not to fret about evildoers (v. 1). We are to trust in the Lord and do good (v. 3). He will one day vindicate the righteous (v. 6).

We are not to fret when the wicked are successful in their evil schemes, for those who are evil will be destroyed (v. 9). A little while and the wicked will be no more (v. 10). [May I remind you that “be no more” does not mean annihilation in the Bible. It means they will have no more impact on God’s good world].

The Lord laughs at the wicked, knowing their day of judgment is coming (v. 13). The power of the wicked will be broken; “those he curses will be destroyed” (v. 22). “All sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked” (v. 38).  And we must say to all who think otherwise, “You will stand before God’s judgment even if you don’t think you will stand!”

How would you answer this question?

 

My Workshop “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events” (for “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference) Part 1

Friends:  I will be presenting three workshops at the upcoming conference at Emmaus Bible College.  Registration for the conference can be found here.

Workshop #1: “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events”

How is the believer to respond to the evil in our world, such as occurred in Parkland, Florida, Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas? What can we Christian leaders say with conviction to God’s people without fear of contradiction that will help them in our broken, violent, destructive world?

Let’s talk about certainty #1 this morning. The first certainty is this: Man is fallen and capable of great evil. This is an obvious point to believers, but many in our world have been duped into thinking that man is basically good (the myth of secular humanism).

The Bible clearly teaches man’s depravity (see Titus 3:3-8 and Isaiah 59:7). Every aspect of who man is has been tainted by sin. We, all of us, are capable of enormous evil.

Not at all what the devil looks like!

The Bible also teaches the reality of a supernatural enemy, the devil. We read in John 10 that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (v. 10). Jesus also teaches us in John 8 that “the devil . . . 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.”

Please pray for me as I prepare for these three workshops!

 

 

 

Come Attend “Iron Sharpens Iron” at Emmaus Bible College! May 24-27

I will be presenting three workshops with the following titles: “Five Certainties in the Light of Tragic Events”; “Courageous Preaching:  The Spirit of God and Today’s Preacher” and “Unlike Jesus:  The Lost Art of Being a Friend of Sinners.”  Here is the conference’s website for registration!

 

A Ministry Update! Preaching and Teaching and Editing, O My!

The Lord is so good! He is keeping me busy during my early days of retirement. After I was downsized from my teaching position at CIU, He provided a fourteen-month position as preaching pastor at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Augusta, Georgia.

After they called their next senior pastor, I began to wonder how the Lord would use me.  A church in New Jersey, Cedarcroft Bible Chapel, brought me up last week to do some ministry with them.  I preached both Sundays (New Year’s Eve and Jan. 7), gave an overview of the book of Acts for their mid-week Bible study, spoke at a men’s breakfast, surveyed I-III John for Sunday school, and consulted with the elders on a variety of subjects.  I’ll be finalizing a position paper on marriage, divorce, and remarriage for their consideration over the next month.

They’ve invited me to come back in April and I will speak on two consecutive Sundays (April 15 and 22), conduct two Sunday school classes, and lead a half-day seminar on preaching for area lay preachers.  I’ll use my Ten Specific Steps You Can Take to Make Your Sermons and Preaching Better! as well as a workbook for those men.

My larger projects are producing two online courses for Emmaus Bible College, editing a manuscript for a Scottish publisher, getting ready for my two messages for Biblical Eldership Resources in Rochester, NY, in March, and preparing for a three-week teaching ministry in Myanmar in August!  I’m not letting any moss grow under my feet!

I’m also open to conducting my “Theology Matters” conferences and have a brochure I would be glad to mail to you and your church for your consideration.

Again, I’m so grateful for the opportunities HE is giving me to serve Him.  Please lift me up in prayer, would you?

 

Preparing for the “Iron Sharpens Iron” Conference (Emmaus May 25-28) Workshop #2 (con’t)

I’m in the preparation stages for the “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference at Emmaus Bible College.  I’ve been asked to give two workshops.  The theme this year is ‘Training for Godliness” and the plenary sessions will be focusing on I Timothy 4-6.  My two topics are:  “Guarding and Discarding: The Keys to Sound Theology (1 Timothy 6:20-21)” and “Sanctified Hedonism: The Case for “Worldly Saints” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).”

Let’s continue to think about the second workshop this morning: “Sanctified Hedonism: The Case for “Worldly Saints” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).”
We read the following in I Timothy 4:

These false teachers, these faith-abandoners, will be inspired by demons to teach their heresies.  Personally, they are characterized as being “hypocritical liars” with seared consciences!

In terms of their teaching, two categories of error are specified by Paul: (1) they will forbid God’s gift of marriage, and (2) they will order their followers to follow certain dietary restrictions.

Specifically, their commands about diet focus on abstention, not thanksgiving.  “Don’t eat that!” is their command.  Not, “Wow!  Isn’t God good to give us such delicacies!”  Refusing God’s good gifts is as bad a sin as gluttony.  It expresses a lack of thankfulness for what “God created to be received.” Finding a balance between restriction and liberty is a challenge at times, isn’t it?  We can fall into the trap of being gift-denyers and think that we have somehow become more spiritual.  (to be continued)

 

Preparing for the “Iron Sharpens Iron” Conference (Emmaus May 25-28) Workshop #2

The “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference at Emmaus Bible College is fast approaching — and I have two workshops to prepare!  The theme this year is ‘Training for Godliness” and I will be presenting two workshops:  “Guarding and Discarding: The Keys to Sound Theology (1 Timothy 6:20-21)” and “Sanctified Hedonism: The Case for “Worldly Saints” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).”

Let’s focus on the second workshop this morning: “Sanctified Hedonism: The Case for “Worldly Saints” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).”
We read the following in I Timothy 4:

A number of issues jump out at me from this text.  The passage is eschatological in tone.  That is, Paul is referring to “later times” and is warning Timothy about how some will abandon the faith and follow demonic doctrines.

The human avenue of these deceiving ideas will be “hypocritical liars” who have callous consciences.  Wow!  Paul isn’t pulling any punches as he refers to the sources of these wrong ideas.

But what about the ideas themselves?  Their errors fall into the categories of FORBIDDING MARRIAGE and DIETARY RESTRICTIONS.  Marriage was God’s idea in the Garden and was clearly affirmed by the Lord Jesus when He said, ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mk. 10).

These false teachers, the Spirit of God says, will forbid marriage.

We will look at their dietary prohibitions in our next post.  (to be continued)

 

 

Preparing for the “Iron Sharpens Iron” Conference (Emmaus May 25-28) Workshop #1

I’m preparing for Emmaus Bible College’s “Iron Sharpens Iron” conference.  The theme this year is ‘Training for Godliness” and I will be presenting two workshops:  “Guarding and Discarding: The Keys to Sound Theology (1 Timothy 6:20-21)” and “Sanctified Hedonism: The Case for “Worldly Saints” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).”

Let’s think about the first one for the next few posts: “Guarding and Discarding: The Keys to Sound Theology (1 Timothy 6:20-21)”

Has it dawned on you that what we Christians don’t believe is almost as important as what we do believe?  For example, we don’t believe in reincarnation.  We don’t believe in a plurality of gods (as our Mormon friends do).  We don’t believe that Jesus was really Michael the archangel (as our Jehovah’s Witness friends do).  We don’t believe that every person without exception will be saved (as our Unitarian Universalist friends do).  Denials are as important as affirmations, aren’t they?

Let’s think about our main text in I Timothy 6.  Notice the verbs used in these two verses:

(1) GUARD  (2) TURN AWAY FROM

What is involved in GUARDING?  We guard what is valuable to us.  We protect it; we shield it; we put our own lives at risk for that object or person.  When I was working my way through graduate school, I worked at night (11 pm to 7 am) as a night watchman or security guard.  I had to make rounds both inside and outside the factory I was guarding.  I was the only one there.  I remember one wintry night (this was in NJ) making my outside round and having to go up several steps to punch my time clock to show I had actually walked around the perimeter of the building.  Coming down those ice-covered steps — I don’t remember what happened then.  I found myself in a pile on the concrete sidewalk.  I put my life in jeopardy for a soap factory!

I also got caught a time or two asleep at my post.  That did not go over well with management.  Sleeping on the job — a night watchman’s job — was not cool.

We need to be vigilant in guarding what has been “entrusted” to our care.  Prepared to be vigilant today? (to be continued)