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Author Archives: Gary Davenport

About Gary Davenport

Christian man, husband, father, father-in-law, and granddaddy

Thanksgiving Beatitudes

24 Nov

Free book from Gary: The Measure of One’s Life book

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.

God calls his people to be a thankful people.

(Psalms 107:1 NIV) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

(Psalms 107:8-9 NIV) Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, {9} for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

(Psalms 107:21-22 NIV) Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. {22} Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.

(Psalms 107:43 NIV) Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the LORD.

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) Be joyful always; {17} pray continually; {18} give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Are you aware that as early as 1400 B.C. the Israelites had a day of thanksgiving that was ordained by Yahweh? It came fifty days after the beginning of the harvest and was known as Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks. By that time the grain had been harvested, the fruits gathered, and the olives pressed. In the midst of great rejoicing for the Lord’s goodness, men from every tribe in Israel — often accompanied by their entire families — made their way to Jerusalem for eight days of feasting.

As a matter of fact, one could make a case for saying that all three of Israel’s annual pilgrim feasts were thanksgiving festivals. Passover was certainly a time of thanksgiving to the Lord for his deliverance from Egypt in a great exodus of grace. It praised God for sparing the firstborn of Israel’s children when death was being visited on the Egyptians. And the Feast of Tabernacles was a joyous festival that remembered God’s faithfulness to Israel during forty years of wilderness wandering.

God is glorified in the thanksgiving of his people!

Our American Thanksgiving Day had its inception in 1621. When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they were not prepared for their new environment. They wheat they had brought from England would not grow in the rocky soil of New England. They needed to learn new ways for a new world. Without the help of a Native American named Squanto, that original group likely would not have survived. A member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation, he had gone to England fifteen years earlier with an English explorer named John Weymouth. While there, he learned to speak English.

Squanto returned to New England with Captain Weymouth and was later captured by a British slaver who raided his village and sold him to some Spanish settlers in the Caribbean islands. There a Franciscan priest befriended him, helped him get to Spain, and eventually to England. There he rejoined his friend Captain Weymouth, who arranged to get him back to New England.

By this circuitous route, Squanto and a friend found the Pilgrim group in the spring of 1621. They were in terrible condition. During the winter, half their number had died. The crops had been poor, and they were depending on wild game for meat. They were obviously desperate for help.

Squanto, who knew more English than any North American Indian of his time, chose to stay with the Pilgrims for several months to teach them how to survive in their new environment. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other vegetables native to this continent. He taught them to dig and cook clams. He taught them how to get sap from maple trees. He showed them how to use fish for fertilizer. He taught them how to survive in their strange new environment.

In the fall of that same year — with conditions much improved at Plymouth — the Pilgrims determined to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate God’s gracious providences to them. They had, after all, observed thanksgiving feasts in November as a religious obligation in England for many years before coming to the new world. Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the pilgrims, invited Squanto and two other Wampanoag leaders and their immediate families to join them. Those “immediate families” turned out to be around ninety relatives! Within the first hour, the leader of the Wampanoag, Massasoit, sent some of his men home for more food.

Supplying the majority of what was eaten, the group sat down to five deer, many wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, cornbread, and berries. The feasted together for three days. The feast was quickly made an annual event among the Pilgrims.

Governor William Bradford posted this announcement “To All Ye Pilgrims” calling for a day of Thanksgiving in the year 1923: Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.
An attitude of gratitude is still the most appropriate spirit for the children of God to exhibit in this world of stress, challenge, and heartache. It is the alternative to and cure for such ills as joylessness, despair, and cynicism. As one spiritual pilgrim to another, may I remind you that it is still a good thing for “all ye pilgrims” to give thanks to “ye Almighty God.”

So with drumstick in one hand and TV remote in the other this Thursday, don’t forget to give God the glory he deserves.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on November 24, 2016 in Encouragement

Encounters With God: The Deadly Sin of Hypocrisy – Acts 4:36-5:11

17 Nov

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ¹ But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, ² and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. ³ But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? ⁴ While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. ⁷ After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” ⁹ But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” ¹⁰ Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

A 12-year-old boy was waiting for his first orthodontist appointment and was a bit nervous. Apparently he wanted to impress the dentist. On the patient questionnaire, in the space marked “Hobbies,” he had written, “Swimming and flossing” (Reader’s Digest [8/94], p. 112).

That’s a humorous example of how we’re all prone to hypocrisy. But spiritual hypocrisy is not humorous; it’s a dangerous and deadly sin. The hypocrisy of professing Christians has served as an excuse for many to disregard the claims of Christ, saying, “The church is full of hypocrites.” The hypocrisy of Christian leaders has caused many believers to stumble. While Jesus was tender with many notorious sinners, He used scathing language to denounce those guilty of religious hypocrisy.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira warns us of the danger of the sin of hypocrisy. It was literally deadly for this couple. Someone has said that if God dealt with all hypocrites in the church as He dealt with this couple, our churches would become morgues!

In Acts 4, we saw the enemy attacking the church from without. The Jewish leaders persecuted the apostles and threatened them with more severe measures if they continued to preach in the name of Jesus. But in spite of (or perhaps because of) their threats, the church continued to grow dramatically.

There was a spirit of unity, love, and unusual generosity among the believers (4:32-35). In this context, we are given a positive example of a godly man, Joseph, better known as Barnabas (4:36-37). Then we are given the example of this couple, who put on the mask of hypocrisy and were struck dead by God (5:1-11).

This threat of seduction from within is much more subtle and dangerous than opposition from without. It is especially a danger when a church is experiencing God’s blessing and power. The lesson is:

Because we are all prone to the deadly sin of hypocrisy, we should diligently pursue godly character.

1. We are all prone to the deadly sin of hypocrisy.

We need to be clear on the exact nature of the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. Their sin was not that they had sold their property and had given only a part to the church. In fact, Peter makes plain (5:4) that it would not have been a sin for them to have sold their property and not given anything to the church.

Their sin was that they conspired together to deceive the apostles and the church into thinking that they were giving the entire amount, when in fact they kept back a portion for themselves. In other words, they were trying to impress everyone with a higher level of spirituality and commitment than they really had.

Have you ever done that? I hope you do not say “no,” or we might need to have a sudden funeral this afternoon! We’ve all been guilty of trying to impress others with our commitment and devotion to Christ, even though we know in our heart that we are exaggerating.

A minister had been preaching on the importance of daily Bible reading. He and his wife were invited over to a member’s home for dinner. His wife saw a note on the kitchen calendar: “Minister/Mrs. for dinner—Dust all Bibles” (Reader’s Digest [3/90], p. 129).

Note four things about hypocrisy:

A. The seriousness of hypocrisy:

Liberal commentators are shocked at this sudden, severe punishment. Ananias is not given a chance to repent, even though his sin seems not all that serious. His wife is not even told of her husband’s death and of what will happen to her if she lies. The instant that she agrees with her husband’s lie, she is struck dead. In this age of tolerance, we might think, “What’s the big deal?”

But we need to view this sin from God’s holy perspective, not from our world’s relativistic view. Jesus always hit hypocrisy hard. In Matthew 23, He pronounced many woes on the scribes and Pharisees, whom He repeatedly called hypocrites. He warned His disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

Like leaven, hypocrisy starts small and unnoticed. It doesn’t seem to be a big deal. But if it is not quickly checked, it spreads. It deceives the person into thinking that things are right between him and God, when in reality, things are very wrong.

The leaven of hypocrisy can soon infect an entire church. The church at Laodicea thought that things were going well. They said, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” But the Lord’s perspective was, “You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17)!

Some ask why God dealt with Ananias and Sapphira so severely when He does not do so with other hypocrites in the church. Probably, it was because the church was in its infancy, and He needed to set before us a sober lesson of the seriousness of this sin among God’s people.

The word “church” first occurs in Acts in verse 11 (out of 16 times). The word means an assembly or congregation of people. Luke wants us to know that the church should live in the holy fear of God and especially should be on guard against this serious sin, hypocrisy.

B. The subjects of hypocrisy:

This couple that fell into this sin were professing Christians, “members” of the church in Jerusalem. This means that we’re all in danger of falling into this subtle sin. We don’t want other Christians or those outside the church to think that we have problems. That wouldn’t be a good testimony, would it? So we put on our spiritual mask when we’re around others, even though we know and our family knows that we do not live as we profess to live. When a prominent Christian is shown to be a hypocrite, the world heaves a sigh of relief, thinking, “Christians are really no different than anyone else. If they’re phonies, then Christianity must not be true.”

Notice also that this sin affects both men and women. Some sins may be more prevalent in men, while other sins are more prevalent with women. But both sexes are vulnerable to hypocrisy. Ananias and Sapphira had agreed together to this act of deception (5:9). Whether you are male or female, you need to guard yourself against hypocrisy.

By the way, some argue that a wife should submit to her husband, even if he asks her to join him in doing wrong. This story shows the error of that view. When Peter asked Sapphira whether they sold the land for the amount that her husband had claimed, she should have obeyed God above her husband (5:29) by telling the truth.

C. The selfishness of hypocrisy:

Motive is everything in this sin. If Ananias and Sapphira had sold their land and had told the apostles, “We feel led to give half to the church,” it would not have been a problem. Their sin was the evil intent of their hearts, to make others think that they were more spiritual than they really were. They were motivated by love of self, not by love of God and others. God, who always knows the motives of our hearts, judged them on the spot.

Hypocrisy is always motivated by self-love. We want to impress others, to make them think that we are something that we know in our hearts we are not. Kids, by the way, have a built-in antenna to detect hypocrisy in their parents. Nothing turns kids away from the faith as quickly as hypocritical parents. If they hear you put on your spiritual voice around church people, but you verbally abuse them at home, they can see right through you. They will not be drawn to follow the God you profess to follow. That’s why it is crucial for parents to acknowledge their wrongs and ask forgiveness of their children when they sin against them.

D. The short-sightedness of hypocrisy:

Hypocrisy is short-sighted in several ways:

1) Hypocrisy focuses on group dynamics, not on personal reality with God.

It was an exciting thing to be in the Jerusalem church in those days. There were the large gatherings in Solomon’s portico, where thousands heard the apostles preach about Jesus (5:12; 2:47). The church had an unusual sense of unity and caring (4:32). The apostles were performing extraordinary miracles to confirm the message of the gospel (4:33; 5:16). Every day there were stories of more people getting saved (5:14). Even by those on the outside held the church in high esteem (5:13). It was easy to get caught up in the group dynamic and to ride on the bandwagon of what was happening, but to lack personal reality with God. That’s what happened to Ananias and Sapphira.

2) Hypocrisy focuses on what people think, not on what God thinks.

Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look good in front of the apostles and the rest of the church. Barnabas had just given the total amount of a sale of some property. Everyone thought highly of Barnabas. Ananias and Sapphira wanted everyone to think highly of them. But, sadly, they didn’t stop to consider what the living God thought about them.

To avoid hypocrisy, you must live daily with the aim of pleasing God above all else. The minute you start trying to look good to others, without being concerned about what God thinks, you are into hypocrisy. Both Peter and Barnabas later fell into this sin. The church in Antioch had both Jews and Gentiles together in one fellowship. When Peter first visited there, he ate together with the Gentiles, contrary to Jewish customs. But when the Jewish circumcision party showed up, Peter withdrew and only ate with the Jews, out of fear for what they would think. Peter’s hypocrisy wrongly influenced Barnabas. Paul confronted him publicly, and to his credit, Peter accepted the rebuke (Gal. 2:11-14). If such godly men as Peter and Barnabas could be carried away by this sin, then certainly we all need to be on guard!

3) Hypocrisy focuses on this life, not on eternity.

If Ananias and Sapphira had been thinking about the shortness of life and the certainty of judgment and eternity, they would not have done what they did. But whether we get struck down instantly for our sin or have to stand before God at the judgment, in a few short years we all will face God.

Scripture reminds us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13, NIV).

Twice our text mentions that great fear came on all those who heard of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira (5:6, 11). Great fear of God should come on us as well! We’re all a heartbeat away from standing before God and giving an account. Keeping eternity in view will keep us from the sin of hypocrisy.

Ananias and Sapphira warn us of the deadly sin of hypocrisy. But our text not only warns us about what not to be; it also shows us, in both Barnabas and Peter, how we should live.

2. We should diligently pursue godly character.

A. To pursue godly character, we must grow in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

We have already seen (2:4) how the apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, before he preached before the council, Peter was filled with the Spirit (4:8). In 11:24 we read that Barnabas “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” It was the Holy Spirit who showed Peter that Ananias was being deceptive. Peter accuses him of lying to the Holy Spirit (5:3), whom Peter also calls God (5:4).

By way of contrast, Peter says that Satan had filled Ananias’ heart (5:3). As we have seen, to be filled means to be controlled. Peter and Barnabas were under the control of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Ananias and Sapphira were controlled by Satan in their act of deception because they had yielded to his temptation. Being full of the Holy Spirit and of faith does not mean that a believer will be sinless. As we have seen, both Peter and Barnabas later fell into hypocrisy themselves. But it does mean a daily walk of dependence on the Spirit, yielding to Him so that the fruit of the Spirit grows in our lives. To be full of faith means that we daily trust in God and His promises, rather than leaning on our own schemes or on worldly wisdom.

B. To pursue godly character, we must grow in the ministry of encouragement.

We hardly remember Barnabas’ real name, Joseph, because his nickname is so prominent. Scholars cannot determine the etymology of the name, but Luke translates it for us as meaning, “son of encouragement.” “Son of” was a common Hebrew designation for a dominating characteristic. James and John were “sons of thunder.” Judas was the “son of perdition.” Barnabas was so marked by his encouraging spirit that he was the “son of encouragement.”

You communicate encouragement by your attitude, your actions, and your words. An encouraging person has an attitude of trust and hope in God that makes others look to His promises. He acts in ways that encourage those who are down. This may mean helping a person with some overwhelming task, or just taking the time to listen to the person’s problems. His words are not sarcastic and demeaning, but full of hope and love. He communicates, “I believe that in the Lord’s strength, you will live in a manner pleasing to Him.” All of us should seek to be sons of encouragement.

C. To pursue godly character, we must grow in the ministry of generosity.

Barnabas sold a piece of property and gave it all to the apostles to use in meeting the needs of the poor among them. Believers will grow to be like Jesus, who was rich, but for our sakes became poor, that we, through His poverty might be rich (2 Cor. 8:9). No doubt greed was a factor that motivated Ananias and Sapphira to hold back part of the profit from the sale of their land. As believers, we must put all greed to death and grow in generosity by sharing what God has given to us.

D. To pursue godly character, we must grow in integrity.

I imagine that Ananias and Sapphira’s gift was quite substantial. If Peter had not been a man of integrity, he could have thought, “I dare not offend these wealthy donors.” Even if he suspected some deception, he would have been careful to praise them for their generosity in hopes that they would give more in the future. But Peter was more concerned with purity in the church than he was with taking a gift that was given with the wrong motives. So he strongly confronted their deception.

Liberal commentators castigate Peter because, they say, he did not display the grace that Jesus showed toward sinners. They say that he was more of the spirit of Elijah calling down fire from heaven, than of Jesus who offered forgiveness to sinners. But Peter did not pronounce the death sentence on Ananias. He rebuked him, but I believe that Peter was a bit surprised when Ananias dropped dead in front of him. With Sapphira, he predicted that the same thing that had just happened to her husband would happen to her. But Peter was simply God’s instrument to speak His truth. It was God who cleansed His church of these hypocrites.

Any time we take a strong stand against sin in the church, someone will accuse us of not being loving. But to tolerate sin in the church, sin that will spread like leaven and contaminate and destroy many others, is not to act with love or compassion. We must always offer forgiveness and restoration to those who repent. But we must never tolerate sin under the banner of love. People of integrity hold both to kindness and truth (Prov. 3:3).

Conclusion

Hypocrisy is a deadly sin. It destroys the hypocrite and it damages many that are contaminated by it. In this New Year, I urge you to allow God’s Word to confront your life. If you’re playing the religion game, quit now! Get real with the living God. Spend time each day with Him. Judge your sins and turn from them. Seek to grow in godly character. Our God desires truth in the innermost being (Ps. 51:6).

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Posted by Gary Davenport on November 17, 2016 in Encounters, Encounters with God

Encounters With God: The Victory of Gideon

10 Nov

The story of Gideon is one of faith and courage. Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV) And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

Background: The Period of the Judges. The generation contemporary with Joshua was courageous, faithful, and, for the most part, free from the obstinacy and doubt which had dishonored their fathers. (Jud. 2:7) But as each tribe received its portion of the land, though, they became engrossed in establishing and cultivating it thus becoming self-centered.

Living among idolaters, whom they had failed to drive out, the Israelites copied their example, intermarried with them, and became contaminated by their abominations and idolatry. (Jud. 2:10-13). The people abandoned God and became their own standard of conduct.

‘“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes’ (Judg. 17:6; 18:1;19:25). Each tribe took thought for itself how best to serve and maintain an adequate territory, so that separate interests of all sorts soon became prevalent, and regard for general welfare was more and more forgotten. This separation of the parts of the nation was aided by the early disunion and jealousies of the several tribes, no one of which held the preeminence …Then, too, the ancient inhabitants still retained their hold on large tracts, or on important positions throughout the country. The neighboring powers still looked upon the newcomers as an easy prey to incursion and devastation, if not to actual subjugation. Nor did Israel escape the pernicious influence of idolatry, both of Canaan and the surrounding countries.” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, pp. 617-618)

“The book of Judges is one of the saddest parts of the Bible, humanly speaking. Some have called it the ‘Book of Failure.’ The last chapter of the preceding book, Joshua, anticipates continued blessing upon God’s people in the rest land of their inheritance (Joshua 24:19-28). But one does not proceed far into the account of Judges before he senses that all is not well.” (Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament, p. 152).

Time span: Due to disobedience, Israel was in oppression. Out of the 350 years between the death of Joshua until Samuel the prophet, about 100 years were spent in disloyalty to God. The books of Judges and First Samuel present fifteen “deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies”. God raised up Gideon, a “mighty man of valor.”

Israel was in trouble because the people failed to: Complete the task they were given to do-drive out the other nations. Carry through with the lessons they learned in their reform. When God raised up judges to deliver them, the people only responded so far as it served their selfish ends of the moment.

They did not sincerely love God nor did they serve Him from the heart. When things got somewhat tolerable for them again they would swiftly abandon Him and go back to their old ways. Deal with a family, national, or community problem. They were so self-centered that they did not seek solutions to their problems until they were desperate.

The judges were not judicial officials who presided over Israel’s courts. They were deliverers directed by the power of the Spirit of God, whom God raised up to lead Israel to freedom from opposing nations.

You have a garden, and you work hard all spring and summer to make that garden produce abundantly. But every year, just about the time you’re ready to gather in the harvest, your neighbors swoop down and take your produce away from you by force. This goes on year after year, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

If you can imagine that scenario, then you’ll have some idea of the suffering the Jews experienced every harvest when the Midianites made their annual raids. For seven years, God allowed the Midianites and their allies to ravage “the land of milk and honey,” leaving the people in the deepest poverty.

About the time of the eighth Midianite invasion, God called a farmer in Manasseh named Gideon to become the deliverer of His people. He was an idolater from the family of Abiezar. When he is first encountered, he’s a failure in unbelief…but when presented evidence he developed faith and yielded to the will of God.

Gideon started his career as somewhat of a coward (Judg. 6), then became a conqueror (7:1-8:21), and ended his career as a compromiser (8:22-35). But more space is devoted to Gideon in the Book of Judges (100 verses) than to any other judge; and Gideon is the only judge whose personal struggles with his faith are recorded. Gideon is a great encouragement to people who have a hard time accepting themselves and believing that God can make anything out of them or do anything with them.[1]

1. “Does God really care about us?” Judges 6:11-16 (NIV)
¹¹ The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” ¹³ “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” ¹⁴ The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” ¹⁵ “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” ¹⁶ The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”

He displayed his loyalty to God and abhorrence of idols by throwing down the altars of Baal.

Gideon threw down the altars of Baal. (Judges 6:25-31 (NIV) ²⁵ That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” ²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. ²⁸ In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! ²⁹ They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” ³⁰ The men of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” ³¹ But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”

Since idolatry was the prevailing sin in Israel, here is Gideon’s chance to display his loyalty to god and his abhorrence of idols. Idolatry is a constant sin in all ages.

The symbol of idolatry had to be removed if Israel were to have hope. How do you define idolatry? Something that comes between you and God. Something that takes precedence over God.

2. “Does God know what He’s doing?” (Judg. 6:14-24)

Gideon’s first response was to question God’s concern for His people, but then he questioned God’s wisdom in choosing him to be the nation’s deliverer. The Lord’s statements recorded in verses 12 and 14 should have given Gideon all the assurance he needed, but he wouldn’t believe God’s Word. In this he was like Moses (Ex. 3:7-12), whose story Gideon surely knew since he was acquainted with Hebrew history (Judg. 6:13).

It has often been said that “God’s commandments are God’s enablements.” Once God has called and commissioned us, all we have to do is obey Him by faith, and He will do the rest. God cannot lie and God never fails.

Faith means obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, or what the consequences might be. Our modern “practical” world laughs at faith without realizing that people live by faith all day long. “If there was no faith, there would be no living in this world,” wrote humorist John Billings nearly a century ago. “We couldn’t even eat hash with safety.”

A.W. Tozer wrote, “All God’s acts are done in perfect wisdom, first for His own glory, and then for the highest good of the greatest number for the longest time.” That being true, who are we to question Him?

Gideon asked for a sign to assure him that it was really the Lord who was speaking to him (1 Cor. 1:22), and the Lord was gracious to accommodate Himself to Gideon’s unbelief. Gideon prepared a sacrifice, which was a costly thing to do at a time when food was scarce. An ephah of flour was about a half a bushel, enough to make bread for a family for several days. It probably took him an hour to dress the meat and prepare the unleavened cakes, but God waited for him to return and then consumed the offering by bringing fire from the rock.

God had to give Gideon a message of peace to prepare him for fighting a war. Unless we’re at peace with God, we can’t face the enemy with confidence and fight the Lord’s battles. It was customary for the Jews to identify special events and places by putting up monuments, so Gideon built an altar and called it “The Lord is peace.” The Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) means much more than a cessation of hostilities but carries with it the ideas of well-being, health, and prosperity. Gideon now believed the Lord was able to use him, not because of who he was, but because of who God was.

3. “Will God take care of me?” (Judg. 6:25-32)

What kind of a day did Gideon have after his dramatic meeting with the Lord? Remember, he belonged to a family that worshiped Baal; and if he challenged the Midianites in the name of the Lord, it meant defying his father, his family, his neighbors, and the multitudes of people in Israel who were worshiping Baal. My guess is that Gideon had his emotional ups and downs that day, rejoicing that God was planning to deliver Israel, but trembling at the thought of being named the leader of the army.

Knowing that Gideon was still afraid, God assigned him a task right at home to show him that He would see him through. After all, if we don’t practice our faith at home, how can we practice it sincerely anyplace else? Gideon had to take his stand in his own village before he dared to face the enemy on the battlefield.

The assignment wasn’t an easy one. God told him to destroy the altar dedicated to Baal, build an altar to the Lord, and sacrifice one of his father’s valuable bullocks, using the wood of the Asherah pole for fuel. Jewish altars were made of uncut stones and were simple, but Baal’s altars were elaborate and next to them was a wooden pillar (“grove,” Judg. 6:26; “Asherah pole,” niv) dedicated to the goddess Asherah, whose worship involved unspeakably vile practices. Since altars to Baal were built on high places, it would have been difficult to obey God’s orders without attracting attention.

Gideon had every right to destroy Baal worship because this is what God had commanded in His Law (Ex. 34:12-13; Deut. 7:5). For that matter, he had the right to stone everybody who was involved in Baal worship (Deut. 13), but God didn’t include that in His instructions.

Gideon decided to obey the Lord at night when the village was asleep. This showed his fear (Judg. 6:27); he wasn’t sure God could or would see him through. After all the encouragements God had given him, Gideon’s faith should have been strong; but before we judge him, we’d better look at ourselves and see how much we trust the Lord.

When ten other men are involved, it’s not easy to keep your plans a secret; so it wasn’t long before the whole town knew that Gideon was the one who had destroyed his father’s idols. The men of the city considered this a capital offense and wanted to kill Gideon. Gideon was no doubt wondering what would happen to him, but God proved Himself well able to handle the situation.

Joash, Gideon’s father, had every reason to be angry with his son. Gideon had smashed his father’s altar to Baal and replaced it with an altar to Jehovah. He had sacrificed his father’s prize bull to the Lord and had used the sacred Asherah pole for fuel. (See Isa. 44:13-20.)

But God so worked in Joash’s heart that he defended Gideon before the town mob and even insulted Baal! “What kind of a god is Baal that he can’t even defend himself?” asked Joash. “What kind of a god is Baal that he can’t even plead his own cause?” Joash asked.’ Because of this, the men of the town gave Gideon the nickname “Jerubbaal,” which means “let Baal contend” or “Baal’s antagonist.”

4. “Does God keep His promises?” (Judg. 6:33-40)

The Midianites and their allies made their annual invasion about that time as more than 135,000 men (8:10; 7:12) moved into the Valley of Jezreel. It was time for Gideon to act, and the Spirit of God gave him the wisdom and power that he needed. (See Judg. 3:10; 11:29; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14.) As we seek to do God’s will, His Word to us is always, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit” (Zech. 4:6).

Gideon blew the trumpet first in his own hometown, and the men of Abiezer rallied behind him. Gideon’s reformation in the town had actually accomplished something! Then he sent messengers throughout his own tribe of Manasseh as well as the neighboring tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. These four tribes were near the Valley of Jezreel, and therefore the invading army affected them most. Thus at Gideon’s call, 32,000 men responded.

But what chance did 32,000 men have against an army of 135,000 men plus numberless camels? (Judg. 7:12) This is the first mention in the Bible of camels being used in warfare, and certainly they would have given their riders speed and mobility on the battlefield. The Jews were outnumbered and would certainly be out-maneuvered, except for one thing: Jehovah God was on their side, and He had promised them victory.

Nevertheless, Gideon doubted God’s promise. Did God really want him to lead the Jewish army? What did he know about warfare? After all, he was only an ordinary farmer; and there were others in the tribes who could do a much better job. So, before he led the attack, he asked God to give him two more signs.

The phrase “putting out the fleece” is a familiar one in religious circles. It means asking God to guide us in a decision by fulfilling some condition that we lay down. In my pastoral ministry, I’ve met all kinds of people who have gotten themselves into trouble by “putting out the fleece.” If they received a phone call at a certain hour from a certain person, God was telling them to do this; or if the weather changed at a certain time, God was telling them to do something else.

“Putting out the fleece” is not a biblical method for determining the will of God. Rather, it’s an approach used by people like Gideon who lack the faith to trust God to do what He said He would do. Twice Gideon reminded God of what He had said (6:36-37), and twice Gideon asked God to reaffirm His promises with a miracle. The fact that God stooped to Gideon’s weakness only proves that He’s a gracious God who understands how we’re made (Ps. 103:14). Who are we to tell God what conditions He must meet, especially when He has already spoken to us in His Word? “Putting out the fleece” is not only an evidence of our unbelief, but it’s also an evidence of our pride. God has to do what I tell Him to do before I’ll do what He tells me to do!

Gideon spent two days playing the fleece game with God at the threshing floor. The first night, he asked God to make the fleece wet but keep the ground dry (in this incident the Bible uses “floor” and “ground” interchangeably) and God did it. The second night, the test was much harder; for he wanted the threshing floor to be wet but the fleece dry. The ground of a threshing floor is ordinarily very hard and normally would not be greatly affected by the dew. But the next morning, Gideon found dry fleece but wet ground.

There was nothing for Gideon to do but to confront the enemy and trust God for the victory.

Sifting for service in Gideon’s army – his army began with 32,000 men: Judges 7:1-3 (NIV) Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. ² The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, ³ announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'”

The first test (fearful and afraid): So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

The water test—only 300 qualified: ⁴ But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” ⁵ So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” ⁶ Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

⁷ The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”

⁸ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. ⁹ During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.

¹⁰ If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.Gideon’s victory over the Midianites.

Judges 7:13-25 (NIV)
¹³ Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” ¹⁴ His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” ¹⁵ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” ¹⁶ Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. ¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.'” ¹⁹ Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” ²¹ While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. ²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. ²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. ²⁵ They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

“The battle is the Lord’s” today. There is a need for people of deep faith and courage who will go out against the “giants” of today. The “giants” of today include: Worldliness. Compromise. Indifference. Lack of growth.

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[1] Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – History.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on November 10, 2016 in God

Secrets to Improved Communication with Your Spouse

25 Aug

When couples are asked to name the biggest challenge in their relationship, the number one complaint was “poor communication with my spouse.” I’ve seen that poor communication has been a leading cause for couples to break up. Why, you ask?

Without good communication, you can’t have a satisfying marriage. When communication is blocked or non-existent, a relationship can’t thrive. So what can you do? If the communication in your marriage isn’t up to par, here are ten secrets to improved communication that can help:

Take a moment before you leap into a heavy discussion to center yourself and get in sync with your partner. Deliberately pace your breathing and energy with that of your spouse. If your spouse is relaxed and calm and you start the conversation in a fast-paced, agitated mode, this will feel jarring and unsettling to your spouse. It’s easier to shift the energy in a conversation if you start where the other person is energetically and then make small progressive changes if necessary.
To avoid making your spouse defensive, use the word “confused” when you can. Instead of saying, “I was furious that you deserted me at the party and never even came over to check to see how I was doing,” say “I know you care about me and my feelings, and want me to feel comfortable around your friends, so it was really confusing to feel so ignored and abandoned at the party.”
Check things out instead of jumping to conclusions or second guessing your spouse. Give him or her the benefit of the doubt by asking for clarification about what happened or what was intended. None of us can read another person’s mind, and yet we often assume we know what our spouse is thinking or intending—and we’re often off-base.
Cultivate a sense of teamwork with your spouse when you talk. Say things like, “It’s such a relief to finally have time to process this with you. I always feel better when I can talk things over with you because we’re good at coming up with solutions together. We’re a really good team.”
Use your spouse’s name during the conversation. It’s amazing how many couples don’t call each other by name very often. It’s much more intimate and bonding to say, “Maria, you’re always so wonderful about listening to me when I need to talk,” than to have a long conversation without using your partner’s name. People like to hear their names—it feels good. Even though you may use “Honey” or “Sweetheart” on a regular basis, use your partner’s name at least occasionally, also.
Give your spouse your undivided attention when you’re conversing, if at all possible. Of course, some short conversations take place when both partners are on the run, but for deep, meaningful communication, you’ll want to schedule time to talk when you can turn the TV and phone off and reduce the potential for interruption.
Make eye contact with your spouse when you talk with each other. It’s distracting and unsettling to talk to someone who is looking away or looking down and not making eye contact. It sends the message that you’re not really engaged in the conversation, and it shuts the communication door instead of opening it.
Keep your attention focused on the present moment. Resist the urge to think about what you’re going to do at work the next day or what happened yesterday. The other person can always feel the energy shift when you’re not fully present in the conversation.
Make scheduling time to communicate with your spouse a top priority. It’s easy for communication to get neglected, blocked, or damaged in the hurry-scurry of everyday life. But if your communication with your partner suffers, your marriage will suffer—either now or down the road.
Show respect for your spouse’s opinions, beliefs, and ideas, even if you think he or she is “wrong” or off-base. Instead of saying, “That’s a crazy idea,” say something like, “That’s an interesting idea. I hadn’t thought of it that way before. My personal opinion is different, and here’s why.” Remember, name calling or belittlement will stop honest communication because your partner won’t feel emotionally safe.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on August 25, 2016 in Marriage

Hungering In hope – 1 Peter 1:13

18 Aug

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Sometimes in spite of all the positive thinking we can generate, life is really terrible. Simple optimism will not do. Genuine hope (“confident expectation”) must go beyond positive thinking. Genuine hope is not “Wishing for something you know isn’t going to happen.” It is not an idle wish at all.

Hope is a vigorous principle; it sets the head and heart to work and animates a man to do his utmost.

I like the story about the boy and his father who were planning a fishing trip for the next day. That evening as the father was putting his son to bed, the boy hugged his father’s neck and said, “Daddy, thank you for tomorrow.”

The apostle Peter offered this counsel: “So, then, gird up the loins of your mind; be sober; come to a final decision to place your hope on the grace which is going to be brought to you at the revealing of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13).

Peter has been talking about the greatness and the glory to which the Christian may look forward; but the Christian can never be lost in dreams of the future; he must always be virile in the battle of the present. So Peter sends out three challenges to his people.

He tells them to gird up the loins of their mind. This is a deliberately vivid phrase. In the east men wore long flowing robes which hindered fast progress or strenuous action. Round the waist they wore a broad belt or girdle; and when strenuous action was necessary they shortened the long robe by pulling it up within the belt in order to give them freedom of movement. The English equivalent of the phrase would be to roll up one’s sleeves or to take off one’s jacket.

Peter is telling his people that they must be ready for the most strenuous mental endeavor. They must never be content with a flabby and unexamined faith; they must set to and think things out and think them through. It may be that they will have to discard some things. It may be that they will make mistakes. But what they are left with will be theirs in such a way that nothing and nobody can ever take it away from them.

He tells them to be sober. Peter is appealing to them to maintain the essential steadiness of the man who knows what he believes.

He tells them to set their hope on the grace which is going to be given to them when Jesus Christ comes. It is the great characteristic of the Christian that he lives in hope; and because he lives in hope he can endure the trials of the present. Any man can endure struggle and effort and toil, if he is certain that it is all leading somewhere. That is why the athlete accepts his training and the student his study.

For the Christian the best is always still to come. He can live with gratitude for all the mercies of the past, with resolution to meet the challenge of the present and with the certain hope that in Christ the best is yet to be.

Hope is also a powerful concept. Without hope in the future, we have no power in the present. Hope may keep us alive. Without hope there is no reason to live. It has been said, “Life without Christ is a hopeless end, but life with Christ is an endless hope.”

Hope is grief’s best music. Hope is like the clouds: some pass by, others bring rain. Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.

Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them?

He is your keeper. He has kept you thus far. Do you but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or He will give you strength to bear it.

I like the example of the hospice nurse, who had ministered to many as they faced death, trying to ease the transition. A minister asked her, “Do Christians die differently from others?” “Most definitely, yes,” she replied, “Christians really do die better.” Why do Christians die better? “They know it isn’t over.”

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Hope prevents us from clinging to what we have and frees us to move away from the safe place and enter unknown and fearful territory.

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It’s the wise individual who can hope for the best, get ready for the worst, and take what God chooses to send.

Have I forgotten Paul’s prayer? “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

How can I tolerate gloomy expectations when my Lord is Jesus, the God of creation? When my family is in his faithful care? When my church is his church, under his sovereign direction?

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Posted by Gary Davenport on August 18, 2016 in Small groups

Seeing the invisible – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

11 Aug

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We have always been curious about seeing the invisible, so we create great microscopes so that we might see microbes and even atoms. We create telescopes so we can see the galaxies and stars so far away. There are, however, some things we can never see, at least with physical eyes. Some things can only be seen with the eyes of faith.

So much of what is best about Christianity cannot be seen by human eyes. When we do develop our spiritual eyes and are enabled to see what is of the greatest value, then we see that the visible is not worth comparing with the invisible.

1.The visible decay is not worth comparing to the invisible renewal (v. 16).

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Eventually the human body stops growing. Eventually, little by little, the body ages. As we age, sickness becomes more common. As we age, the pain becomes more intense. This decline never has to happen to our spirit.

The visible affliction is not worth comparing to the invisible glory (v. 17).

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

The affliction we must face here is light. The affliction we must face here is temporary.

The visible existence is not worth comparing to the invisible existence (v. 18).

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

This life is not all there is. As beautiful as it sometimes can be, God has promised a better place. This life is temporary. Everything we experience here will someday fade, but that which is eternal only grows more beautiful. This life is not the best God has for us.

Conclusion

In April of 1988, a TV cameraman jumped out of a plane with some other skydivers. His goal was to record the exciting jump of the skydivers as they fell to the earth. What’s more, this footage was shown on the local TV news, but not for the reasons why the cameraman had originally recorded the event.

After several minutes of “free fall,” the cameraman then filmed the skydivers as they one by one opened their parachutes. Of course, the final skydiver was the cameraman himself and the time came for him to pull his parachute ripcord.

However, when the cameraman reached for his ripcord, he realized to his horror and shock that he had no ripcord. It turns out that he had completely forgotten to put on his parachute.

This story is not only tragic, but it is also ironic. Ironic because the cameraman took a plunge into what appeared to be an exciting and thrilling jump. But tragically, in a moment of foolish carelessness, he made the worst mistake of his entire life: he jumped to his own death. Yes, his faith had been based upon a parachute — a life support — that wasn’t there.

In the same way, if we based our lives upon anything other than faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will make the biggest mistake of our entire lives as well. That is, faith other than in Christ will lead to our spiritual deaths! What’s more, this spiritual death will be for all eternity — forever and ever!

The most important things in life are things we cannot see. We trust a book, whose original we have never seen, to help us learn about a man we have never met, to save us through an event we have never seen, and take us to a place we have never visited. Nevertheless, we believe.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on August 11, 2016 in Encouragement

Upgrade Your Marriage By Changing Your Focus

04 Aug

As the story goes, a Cherokee elder was sitting with his grandchildren. He told them, “In every life there is a terrible fight—a fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and deceit. The other wolf is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion.”

One of his grandchildren asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The elder looked him in the eye and replied, “The one you feed.”

This brief story contains a far-reaching truth. You choose which traits, attitudes, beliefs, and values you will give attention to. And what you focus on will grow and expand. For example, if you value honesty, this value will affect all of your dealings and interactions with others. If you nurture and “feed” resentment, it will eventually take over your life.

Continually focusing on marriage problems makes the relationship seem even worse than it actually is. If you continually talk about how you’ve been done wrong and how angry you are at your spouse, your anger will grow and blot out your memories of more positive times. When that happens, you are unable to see a balanced picture.

The more energy you devote to focusing on the negatives in your relationship, the worse and more hopeless everything seems. And when you’re feeding your negativity, your creative energy is frozen. Thus, you don’t have the ability to generate helpful options or a fresh perspective.

How to Change Your Perception of Reality

You influence your perception of reality by the thoughts you think, the beliefs you hold, and the attitudes you cultivate. According to Katherine Mansfield, “Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude.”

In each moment, you decide whether to make negative or positive interpretations about the events and people in your life. These interpretations shape your experience of reality and impact your capacity to be all you can possibly be. They also affect your expectations about what is possible.

Choosing to develop qualities such as compassion, honesty, serenity, and joy can transform your marriage and your life. And choosing to reduce the resentment, anger, deceit, and fear in your life can lighten your emotional load and leave you will more energy to generate creative solutions to your marriage problems.

As you become more positive, you bring more positive energy into your interactions with your spouse. When this happens, surprising things can happen in your marriage. The sharp, prickly edge of anger can start to soften between you and your partner. New insights and understandings about a situation can occur, and you can be more likely to find the middle ground of compromise.

These Tips Will Help You

The following tips can assist you in training yourself to focus more on what’s right with your marriage and your life:

Take the time each day to list the things that you are grateful for in your life. Remember to include the things people often take for granted, such as three meals a day, a hot shower, heat, a stove and refrigerator, running water, medical care, and friends.
Each day, remind yourself of your spouse’s positive qualities and contributions to your life. Think back to what attracted you to your partner initially. Reflect on how your spouse has caused you to stretch and grow and on how much you’ve learned from the experience.
Write in your journal about what positive qualities in yourself you want to cultivate and develop. These are the attitudes, beliefs, and values that you want to focus on and encourage to take root, grow, and thrive in your life.
Visit a library or bookstore and select some inspirational reading material and inspirational tapes or CD’s. Find the time each day to read or listen to something that is positive, encouraging, and inspiring. It’s important to refill at the well of inspiration daily.
Spend less time with friends and family members who are negative and leave you feeling depressed and fatigued. There’s a name for those individuals who drain your positive energy—“energy vampires.” Instead, cultivate new friends who are positive, supportive, and encouraging and who bring out the best in you. — By Nancy Wasson, Ph.D.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on August 4, 2016 in Marriage

A study of Church History/Restoration Movement: Church Growth and Apostasy

28 Jul

http://www.radicallychristian.com/what-does-it-mean-to-restore-the-new-testament-church

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Is it possible to read your Bible, and from your reading, see that in the New Testament there is a Church that Jesus established? Is it possible to see in the Bible, that God set forth His standard of acceptance in salvation, worship, church organization and daily living? Is it possible to follow the teachings of God, revealed in the New Testament, to direct our lives in the same way as He did first century Christians?

The answer to all the questions above is a resounding, yes! For since the writing of the New Testament, men and women of all walks of life have studied their Bibles, and seen how one, even to this day, can become a Christian the way those in New Testament times became Christians.

They have seen how one can establish the Church of the New Testament and emulate its structure, worship, and activity.

Someone has rightfully expressed that we should always remember to stop and show appreciation for the bridges we have crossed. For the Christian this is especially true! Not only are we to be thankful for the work of the apostles and early church workers in the 1st century A.D., but we should also remember the value of all those since who have directed others to give up the shackles of religious error, only to take on the truth revealed in God’s Word.

Someone has said, “We are standing on the shoulders of giants.” We often take the church for granted. An example is found in Lexington, Kentucky; in 1900 it was grounded having many faithful congregations. Had a college “College of the Bible” etc. In the 1960’s Basil and Margie Overton went back into this area once again having to establish N.T. Christianity. In less than 60 years the area went from faithful to non-existent. The church today can do this if we take it for granted.

We need to study Church History for several reasons.

Help us learn from the mistakes of the past and avoid them.
To build upon their successes, so we can grow from them.
Help us to appreciate God’s Church.

“Restoration” Defined

When one speaks of a “restoration” plea, several things are implied. First, there is the suggestion that there is a divine “pattern” for human conduct. Second, God expects conformity to that pattern. Third, in the nature of things, rebellious and frail men will digress from that heavenly way. Fourth, it is the responsibility of those who revere the Lord’s will to restore, the primitive order, and call their fellows back to the “old paths” (cf. Jer. 6:16).

There are numerous New Testament passages which stress these truths. Let us consider a few.

The early church is clearly a model for us in that it “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). Why was that an important point for Luke to make if the pattern of the “apostles’ teaching” is irrelevant? Moreover, the multitude of believers “were of one heart and soul” (Acts 4:32), suggesting a unity of practice in their Christian decorum.
Paul reminded the saints in Rome that they had been made free from sin due to the fact that they had been obedient to a certain “form” [pattern] of teaching (Rom. 6:17,18). Can such a passage yield any sense if there is no pattern?
The Christians in Rome were admonished to “mark” (be on the look-out for) and turn away from those who were causing divisions “contrary to the teaching” which they had learned (Rom. 16:17). If there is no pattern of New Testament doctrine, how could one ever be required to “turn away” from those who do not conform to it?
The inspired Paul instructed the brethren in Corinth not to go “beyond the things which are written” (1 Cor. 4:6 – ASV). This clearly demonstrates that spiritual activity is regulated by the Scriptures.
The primitive Christians were warned repeatedly about “falling away” from “the faith” (cf. 2 Thes. 2:3; 1 Tim. 4:1ff; 2 Tim. 4:1ff). The expression “the faith” has to do with a body of doctrinal truth. If there is no doctrinal “pattern,” how could one ever “fall away” from the faith? Note also that identifying marks of apostasy went beyond so-called “core” matters, such as the deity of Christ. They concerned things like the forbidding marriage and prohibiting certain foods (1 Tim. 4:1ff).
Paul spoke of the “pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) which the early Christians were being taught and in which they were to “abide” (2 Tim. 3:14). These truths were to be passed on to others (2 Tim. 2:2), and men were to be charged not to teach a “different doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3). How in the name of common sense can men read these passages and not know that there is a body of sacred truth with which we must not tamper?
The writer of Hebrews affirmed that Moses, in constructing the tabernacle, was warned by God that he must “make all things according to the pattern,” which was shown to him at Horeb (Heb. 8:5). Do we, as recipients of the “better covenant” (Heb. 7:22; 8:6), sustain a lesser responsibility as we minister to God in his church—of which the tabernacle was but an inferior type (cf. Heb. 9:1-10)? It is unbelievable that anyone would dare to argue such.
John unequivocally states that those who go beyond the “teaching of Christ” have no fellowship with God (2 John 9).

We may also associate the term with the pleas of the Restoration Movement such as:

“Speak where the Bible speaks, be silent where it is silent.”
“Do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names.”
“In matters of doctrine unity, in matters of opinion liberty, and in all matters, love.”

God has been working toward restoration ever since the garden. Paul was involved in restoration hundreds of years before Alexander Campbell was even born. As we discuss restoration, we mean as much the restoration of the law under Josiah, as we do the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem under Nehemiah. Our concept of restoration must be expanded far beyond an American movement of the last two hundred years.

Ungodly men are always the enemies of the faith and of the peace of the church:

(Jude 1:3-4) “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. {4} For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

(Jude 1:17-18) “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. {18} They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.””

The 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries have been preeminently an age of denominations. We need to be clear about what God and the Bible say about the church.

The Reality of the Church

In the city of Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after His ascension, Jesus established the church. Acts 2 records the activities that took place on that day and the prophecies which those activities fulfilled.

Being originally designed by Jesus, the church is, therefore, divinely organized and constituted.

Since Jesus is its head ((Ephesians 1:22) “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,”) and chief cornerstone ((Ephesians 2:9-10) “not by works, so that no one can boast. {10} For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”)

…only the characteristics He has set forth for it in His supreme authority are approved of God. No authority has been given to any man, body of men, or ecclesiastical body to change any of its features:

(Matthew 28:18) “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Identifying Christ’s church: Designations.

House of God

(1 Timothy 3:15) “if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

The body of Christ

(Colossians 1:18) “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

(Colossians 1:24) “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.”

The “called out”

(Matthew 16:18) “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

(Ephesians 5:23-25) “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. {24} Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. {25} Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

The temple of God

(1 Corinthians 3:9) “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

(1 Corinthians 3:16-17) “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? {17} If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”

(Ephesians 2:19-22) “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, {20} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. {21} In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. {22} And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

Government and organization.

Jesus is the supreme ruler:

(Colossians 1:18) “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

Serving under Jesus were the apostles whose ministry was perpertual through the inspired writings. Since that revelation is complete, they have no successors.

(1 Corinthians 13:10) “but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.”

(2 Peter 1:3) “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

(2 Timothy 3:16) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

(Ephesians 4:11-16) “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, {12} to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up {13} until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. {14} Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. {15} Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. {16} From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

The sole collective functioning unit is the local congregation. Each congregation is free from ecclesiasticism, synods and councils and is independent and autonomous. The authority of the local congregation is vested in a plurality of elders (bishops, pastors, overseers, shepherds).

(Acts 14:23) “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

Deacons are servants within the congregation who work in conjunction with the elders.

(Philippians 1:1) “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:”

The only creed is Christ. Its sole rule of faith and practice is the New Testament. Its terms of admission are the same as in the book of Acts: obedience to those things which put one into Christ and grant remission of sins: faith, repentance, confession, and baptism, and faithful living.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on July 28, 2016 in Church

Bible Study Textbook series … free online downloads

28 Jul

——————————————–

College Press commentaries free for download online

http://www.collegepress.com/storefront/node/238

Here is a link to my One Drive folder that has all of them:

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AldRtemY-fLrgt8h_Fd8qrXhf1OjGQ

Many of you are familiar with the Bible Study Textbook Series (The Old Green Commentaries). These were very popular several years back and many of you have requested copies of these timeless treasures. Because reprint cost are so high we have chosen not to reprint but instead, we are offering them electronically for free. Feel free to download them to your computer. These files are very large and may take a while even with high speed and DSL services. Thank you for your interest.

IF you do not find what you want, send me an email (ged880@yahoo.com) and I can send another link to get these free resources. Here is a link to my One Drive folder that has all of them:

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AldRtemY-fLrgt8h_Fd8qrXhf1OjGQ

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Posted by Gary Davenport on July 28, 2016 in Sermon

Sins of the father…laid on the son, grandson?

25 Jul

We must begin with some widely repeated verses from the Old Testament: Exodus 20:5 “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.”

Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Is God saying that the children and the grandchildren of the father would have to pay for the sins of their father? What does God mean by this? Especially since Deuteronomy 24:16 says “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin” and that “The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself” (Ez 18:20).

The idea that the sins of the father will be laid on the son, grandson, and other generations has long been understood and misunderstood by many Bible students.

Certainly, the lessons we teach by word or deeds are often repeated by family members, and that just reminds each of us to be careful what we teach AND do.

As the Father Goes, so Goes the Family

What God is saying is that if a father misleads his family, the family will pay for it. Each will have to pay for their own sins but the father could have prevented many of the sins that his children and grandchildren would fall into had he led his family in obedience to the Law of God. The effects of this fatherly mismanagement would be felt by multiple generations because what has been sown will be reaped because God cannot be mocked (Gal 6:7). God is not punishing the children for their father’s sins but they are feeling the consequences and having to pay for them. That is what God means in Exodus 20 and 34. These verses deal with the descendants of those children who would follow their father’s example of disobedience but each one of us are ultimately responsible for our own sins and this is what Ezekiel 18 and Deuteronomy 24 is saying. The father’s disobedience to God’s commandments have a ripple effect that keep on going until some other father in his lineage breaks that cycle.

God Doesn’t Punish Innocent Children

We cannot read these verses by themselves. Anytime there is an unclear passage we must read other plain passages so that we can clarify the unclear. In the first place, those who are too young to know good from evil cannot be responsible for knowing and obeying God.

Jeremiah addresses this question in chapter 16:10-13 “Why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law, and because you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me. Therefore I will hurl you out of this land into a land that neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’”

God says that those who disobey God cannot blame their fathers because sometimes they “have done worse than [their] fathers” did, therefore they will have to pay for their own iniquities because God says that “every one of you follows his stubborn, evil will, refusing to listen to me.”

The sins of the fathers being visited upon the children is a biblical principle. We see, for example, that Isaac seems to learn deception from his father, Abraham. Isaac passes off his wife as his sister, just as Abraham did with Sarah (see Genesis 12:10ff.; 20:1ff.; 26:7). On the other hand, when one looks at the kings of Judah, one can see that some godly kings had wicked sons, just as some wicked kings had godly sons. There is a tendency and a trend, but not an irreversible certainty.

The most encouraging text, however, is found in Jeremiah chapter 31, which speaks of the “new covenant.” Jeremiah 31:29-34 (ESV) “In those days they shall no longer say: “‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ ³⁰ But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. ³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. ³³ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

In this text God assures His people that under the New Covenant the sins of the fathers will no longer be visited upon their children. Praise God! ([ Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.])

But we also need to listen to the repeated lessons from Ezekiel 18:1-32 (ESV).
As you read this chapter, you find the prophet answering the erroneous statements the Jewish exiles were making about God and their difficult situation (vv. 2, 19, 25, 29). God knew what His people were saying and so did His prophet. Ignoring the inspired Word of God, the people were building their case on a popular proverb: “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” In other words, “Our fathers have sinned and we, their children, are being punished for it.” Their philosophy was a kind of irresponsible fatalism. “No matter what we do,” they argued, “we still have to suffer because of what the older generation did.” The Prophet Jeremiah quoted the same familiar proverb and preached the same truth that Ezekiel preached: God deals with us as individuals and punishes each of us justly for what we do (Jer. 31:29-30). He is a just and righteous God who shows no partiality (Deut. 10:17; 32:4). If He withholds punishment, it’s only because of His grace and merciful longsuffering. (from the Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets.)

It seems that these ideas might have come from a proverb often repeated: “The word of the LORD came to me: ² “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

A new time is now made known from God: “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴ Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. ⁵ “If a man is righteous and does what is just and right— ⁶ if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, ⁷ does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ⁸ does not lend at interest or take any profit, withholds his hand from injustice, executes true justice between man and man, ⁹ walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; he shall surely live, declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁰ “If he fathers a son who is violent, a shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹ (though he himself did none of these things), who even eats upon the mountains, defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹² oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination, ¹³ lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴ “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵ he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶ does not oppress anyone, exacts no pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷ withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father’s iniquity; he shall surely live.

¹⁸ As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. ¹⁹ “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.

²⁰ The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. ²¹ “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²² None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.

²³ Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? ²⁴ But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ²⁶ When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷ Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸ Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹ Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰ “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. ³¹ Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

The conclusion of this message was an invitation from the Lord for the people to repent (change their minds), turn from their sins, cast away their transgressions like filthy garments, and seek a new heart and a new spirit. God promised them a new heart if only they would seek Him by faith (Ezek. 11:19; see 36:26). This was one of the key themes in the letter Jeremiah had sent to the captives in Babylon (Jer. 29:10-14), but the people hadn’t taken it to heart. God made it clear that He found no delight in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23, 32), but if the wicked found delight in their sinful ways and would not repent, there was nothing the Lord could do but obey His own covenant and punish them.

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Posted by Gary Davenport on July 25, 2016 in Encouragement

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