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ALL

I’m persuaded, readers of this magazine (blog) agree that all lives matter. Long before the current political verbiage, having no recent agenda as the fuel, uninfluenced by media, Christians insist that all lives matter. All lives matter to God. All lives matter to Jesus, who died for all.

This conviction drives much of what we do. It causes local churches to dig deep to support men who take the gospel to places beyond our border and help the native preachers in those locations as well as here. It is fundamental to our belief that the child in the womb is human and worthy of our care. It has motivated thousands of Christians to fund adoptions or become parents to children in need. It is heard from our pulpits. It is central to the work of personal evangelism that reaches out to all. It keeps us from ugly partiality that is exposed in James chapter two. It motivates benevolence. It separates us from the hostile reactionary partisan isolation that cripples a cherished sense of community.

And, there is something really simple about this profound conviction. It is captured in the New Testament by a single word: ALL.

Truth Connection: First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Tim. 2:1-4

That Sudden Surge Of Motivation

Warren E. Berkley

In the summer of 1966 I was sent to Ft. Benning, Georgia for Army Basic Training. It didn’t matter what your military occupation would be, everybody went through basic training.

One of the training exercises required that we gear-up in full field uniform, wearing a 40 lb. pack, with a steal helmet on your head and carrying an M-14 rifle, then jump into a fox hole and be ready to fire downrange on command. The drill sergeant gave the word, we would run several feet, jump into the fox hole and wait for the quick command to fire.

As you picture me doing this, keep in mind, I weighed 100 lbs. in 1966. Getting down into the fox hole – not a problem. After the exercise, getting out was another story. The drill sergeant or one of my buddies would pull me out (always making certain the rifle was on safety or unloaded).

One day in July when we endured this exercise, everything changed. After landing in the fox hole and chambering a round from the magazine into the rifle, for some reason I looked down at my feet. Wrapped around one of my combat boots was a Georgia coral snake. I came right up out of the foxhole. Continue reading “I’m out of here” →

“There Is Something Else

I Need To Receive”

Warren E. Berkley

The preacher drove to the church building every Sunday morning, driving past a neighbor’s house and observing his neighbor carefully working his thriving lawn. The neighbor was scrupulous about every inch of turf. He was awarded the “best lawn” prize year after year.

The preacher had conversations with his neighbor, but only discovered stubborn resistance to any invitations to attend services or study the Bible. The neighbor’s Sunday mornings remained as his time caring for his beautiful green grass.

One Sunday the preacher decided to leave early and stop by to visit the neighbor. The preacher started by complimenting the marvelously manicured lawn. Then he asked, “who gave you this lawn?” The neighbor said: “Did you say who gave me this lawn?”

“Nobody gave me this lawn! I’ve worked at the factory for over twenty years. I finally saved up enough money. I got in my truck one day and went down to the hardware store. I consulted with the clerk, bought enough seed, came back to the house, called for a load of topsoil, did the work, sowed the seed, did the watering, pulled the weeds and I take care of this all by myself. Nobody gave me this. I did this. This is my work, my lawn.”

The preacher said, “where did the hardware store get the seed you bought?” The neighbor said, “I don’t know. I guess from a wholesale outfit.” The inquiry went further (as the neighbor now expected): “Where did the wholesale outfit get the seed they sold to the hardware store?” With a little agitation the neighbor said, “I don’t know. I guess from a grower.”

There was no need to take this any further. The neighbor had to confess the obvious. The preacher, just before leaving for service, said: “Everything you have, God gave you. You just received it. This beautiful lawn came from God. All the efforts and work you have boasted about, simply amounted to your reception of what God made and gave you access to. This lawn is not really your own doing.”

The preacher left the thoughtful neighbor, went on to the building. That afternoon, the preacher answered a knock at his door. The neighbor was in tears and said, “I think there is something else God has given that I need to receive.” After a brief study, he became a Christian.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:9).

“Test all things”

1 Thess. 5:21

Warren E. Berkley

There are many people with some desire to be religious, but not enough desire to dig in; to read and study the Bible. Many of these just find a man, a preacher, and trust him. Whatever he says, they depend upon; he is their “man of God,” in a sense beyond the biblical. They believe what he says; trust his answers to every question, resting the salvation of their souls in him. They still read and study the Bible some, but always take his word as final.

Not a good idea because no man is infallible.  Regardless of how much you love and admire someone, that affection does not make them infallible. Men may prove themselves to be educated, eloquent, charming and able to fill buildings with people. Yet they remain fallible, capable of error

Those in Berea searched the Scriptures daily, to see if what they were hearing was true to God’s Word (Acts 17:11).

John and Peter both warned of false teachers, and Jesus said they may come to us in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15; 1 Jno. 4:1; 2 Pet. 2:1). John said our duty is to “test the spirits,” and Paul said: “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thess. 5:21).

There is one body of religious instruction that should govern all that we believe, teach and practice. That is the Word of God. Nothing should be accepted as true; nothing should be practiced or recommended – unless it is taught in the Word of God.  Each individual must take this obligation seriously.

Adult Jobs Require Adult Tools

“But a prudent wife is from the LORD.” Prov. 19:14.

When I was about eight years old my daddy bought me a little toy tool belt. While he was doing woodworking in his shop, I would use my little rubber hammer to whatever destructive purposes came into my little head. From time to time I would ease over to his BIG project and try to help, with my little toy tools. He was patient with me, but I soon learned that my toy tools were not capable of the real jobs.

When teenagers get married this can be one of the tremendous challenges, learning that the tools and methods teenagers use in their relationships are not suitable to the adult jobs (marriage, parenting). The tools and methods teenagers use in their friendships may seem to be effective in dealing with schoolmates and friends. You may get what you want through intimidation, threatening, charm and the use of allies who take up your cause. These tools do not work in marriage. Marriage is an adult thing, requiring what the above passage calls “prudence.”

I cannot lay down a law that teenagers must not marry, but I can caution young people to be aware that marriage is an adult relationship that God intends to be permanent. The tools and methods of adolescence must be abandoned, and replaced by prudence, maturity and the love described in 1 Cor. 13. Here are your tools: “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7). And the same passage says, “When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” – Warren E. Berkley

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When I undertake the study of any New Testament book, after several readings I sometimes attempt to generate a view of the book in sections. It is not something I insist others accept. It is a personal device to help me navigate the book. Often, the theme emerges from this assembled sectional structure. I am sometimes asked to share it. Here is what I see when reading Romans. The alliteration may seem forced at first, but it has become a useful memory device for me.

The PROBLEM is the unrighteousness of men. SIN is our problem; that is, not living as God wants us to live (1:1-3:20). Whether Gentile or Jew, the problem is the same, the guilt is equal (3:23).

The PROVISION of righteousness in Christ. God, in His grace and love for us, provided a way for us to be saved – to be righteous people (3:21-5:21). It should not be described merely as a plan or system or set of conditions. While it was planned, it is systematic and there are conditions, it is about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the Provision. We respond by the activity faith to accept what God has provided.

The POWER of righteousness is about keeping sin out of your life; walking in newness of life and embracing the hope and promises of God (6:1-8:39). Chapters six through eight might be considered “post baptism living.” The power for that kind of living is from God and described in this section.

The PREDICAMENT is a section in Romans that deals with the difficulties that arose between Jews and Gentiles (9:1-11:36). This was the cultural divide of the first century. And it presented temptations and conflict for both Jews and Gentiles. Paul, in this section, shows how God was just in all that He did and His sovereignty should be accepted by all.

Then, the final section of Romans is about the PRACTICE of righteousness – the obligations, relationships and principles that must operate in the lives of Christians on a daily basis (12:1-16:27). Again, but now in more specific terms, this is post-baptism living.

This may help you in your study of Romans. Or, perhaps better, you may want to craft your own navigation tools and memory devices as you read this superb book of what God has provided for us to know Christ, serve Him and go to heaven.

From the book, ROMANS SUMMARY PAGES, click here

Will You Love Me In December?

Warren E. Berkley

Care giving responsibilities are best learned in the setting of love in relationships.

For several years we took care of my mother-in-law, who suffered with Alzheimer’s. First, we cared for her in our home. After that, she needed a level of care that required her admission into a nursing home. We were there several times during the week, often daily. I saw things that were unpleasant but I learned valuable lessons about care. A few years after that, we went through the same with my mother, first in our home and then a facility.

Most nursing homes (since 2003) have paid “feeding assistants.” They may not be nurses or nurses aids, though they should be under professional supervision. A feeding assistant completes eight hours of state-approved training. The course deals with very basic things like feeding techniques, hydration, hygiene, emergency choking procedures, how to handle patients who have difficulty swallowing, etc. The charge nurse may or may not oversee. The feeding assistants sit at a “feeding station,” surrounded by four to five patients, moving on swivel chair from patient to patient – feeding the residents who need help. It is a rather mechanical procedure; necessary but not best.

When visiting my mother-in-law, there was this one man. He came to the nursing home every day at meal times to feed his wife, who could not eat without assistance.

He knew his wife through many years of care. He was the most competent one to feed her, knowing exactly what she liked, the pace of her eating and the size of the bites. What’s more, he took great delight in this task. He fed her with quiet dignity, and perhaps an occasional sadness is felt as he remembered their younger years. He tended the wife of his youth with napkin, as she would do for him. All of this was done with such care and patience, it was tempting to stare with delight and admiration at this example of a husband’s long lasting love, “through sickness and in health.” His capacity to do this job was not learned in a class. Unconditional love certifies him as best for the job.

It is not my purpose to imply criticism of the feeding assistants, editorialize about institutional care, or impose any rules on family members. I only wanted to say, the best caregivers are not trained in a course, but nurtured in real relationships over time. See more about this in Eph. 5:25-33.

And consider this . . .

Will you love me in December as you do in May,
Will you love me in the good old fashioned way?
When my hair has all turned gray,
Will you kiss me then and say,
That you love me in December as you do in May?
~ James J. Walker

I Get To Shoot!

(excerpt from a sermon on Desire Discipline)

Warren E. Berkley

I remember the day in 1966 when a big Army sergeant handed me a real rifle. Imagine, 18 Year Old Boys – some holding a rifle for the first time! You realize, some of these boys, like me, went from a Daisy Pump Red Rider BB Gun to an Army issue M-14, 7.72 mm Rifle, with a 20 round clip? In semi-automatic mode, at maximum skill you could fire 750 rounds a minute. They gave me one of those!!

With great fear and trembling the supply sergeant issued these weapons to 18 year old boys – who had no concept of the potential of this weapon; didn’t know how to load it, fire it or clean it. And many of these young men, when they received their rifle, had only one predominate thought: Oh, boy, I get to shoot!

So the day you get the rifle, you don’t get any ammo {the army can recognize immaturity a mile away}! That comes after days of classes, safety orientation, and learning how to handle this powerful weapon. Only after intensive training do you get to fire the weapon the first time, and that is under highly secure and controlled circumstances.

We ought to consider the tongue as a powerful weapon, only to be used as intended by the Maker, and to be used with much training, control and respect. But many of us know how it is. Much like the teenager with the rifle: “Oh, I’ve got a tongue; I get to talk . . . this ought to be fun.”

We need to put our heads under the control of God’s Word so our tongues won’t get us into trouble. Desire discipline can be built in us to well govern the tongue.

The desire to talk when you should listen – can be deadly. This is why James says, “be swift to hear,” but “slow to speak.”

If we will let it happen and pursue it daily, Scripture rears us through a maturing process toward living our lives with the discipline that pleased God. Also, that godly discipline enables us to be effective in serving people.

Grape Vines
A confession from my youth

Throughout the opening chapters of Proverbs, wisdom (knowing and using God’s
truth) is personified in the feminine voice and she cries out for our
attention (see Prov. 1:20 and 8:1-6). The foolish woman described in
Proverbs chapter nine represents the opposite, and her appeal includes the
empty promise that “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is
pleasant,” (see Prov. 9:17).

I offer here a personal illustration/confession from my youth. This is not
something I take any pride in, but I have no reason to believe I am the
exception to the rule – insofar as boys are concerned. Anyway, the
confession illustrates the point.

When I was about 11 or 12, I would venture into “the woods” with other boys.
We would find a comfortable, secluded place and smoke grape vines. It was
painful. Your lips would burn with pain, your mouth and throat would swell,
you would cough and spit … and talk about how great it was to smoke!

The attraction was not taste, sophistication or any appealing intoxication.
The attraction was, we were doing what was forbidden. We were hiding, in
secret doing what we were told not to do, and that was the adventure. You’ll
be happy to know I grew out of that habit quickly.

One sign of immaturity is, to find something attractive simply because it is
forbidden. In adulthood, it is also a sign of a lack of character. When our
character isn’t developing in the right direction (toward God, based on His
Word, honoring His Son), we are liable to find some things attractive simply
because they are forbidden.