YOU and GOD

Nature blushed in reverence of God’s Son upon the tree,
	While the thirsty mob for death did yell.
Jesus died that day to set his killers free,
	But God refused to leave the Holy One in hell.

That is why He died though Satan’s worst at Him was hurled;
	That is why from heav’n to earth He came;
There His blood was shed, the Savior of the world,
	Even as in death He suffered shame.

He would die indeed, then in the grave would lie,
	Fragrances of death would fill the tomb;
Followers outside the cave would in mourning cry,
	Some had traced His life from Mary’s womb.

But from Friday Good to Sunday’s fate,
	Jesus went to hell to gather up his own;
Captives in the bosom of Abraham did wait,
	To follow Christ through space to their new home.

We who trust Him now by faith do also wait,
	Listening for the trumpet and the shout;
Waiting for our entrance through His open gate,
	This our blessed hope, without a doubt!

Even so “Come Quickly” is our daily prayer,
	Nothing here could make us miss His call;
Surely Heaven’s glories we will gladly share
	Falling on our knees before Him all.


Anthony Slutz
Easter 2021

“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from  you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10,11)

It is often referred to as the “Holy Week,” the last week upon earth of Jesus’ life amongst men as the God-man, culminating in the cruel cross crucifixion.  It serves us well to be reminded often of the unspeakable Calvary event, unspeakable because of the rejection of Jesus by His own whom He came to redeem; yet, precious because of the atonement that His dying secured for all men, specially for those who believe. (I Tim.4:10)  The following is an outline of the events of His last week:

On the Sunday before He was nailed to the cross, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a colt, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy that Messiah would come as King “riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” (Zech. 9:9).  On that day multitudes cried “Hosanna to the son of David,” (Matt. 21:9) yet just a few days hence the crowds would be crying “crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Luke notes that “when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it.” (Luke 19:41)

On Monday, approaching the city, Jesus curses a fig tree that appeared to be at the stage of fruit bearing but was instead barren.  Arriving in Jerusalem at the Temple site, Jesus surveys the merchandizing taking place in His “Father’s House,” and responds by turning upside down the moneychangers’ tables, driving them out as He proclaimed that “…it is written,  my house shall be called a House of Prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matt. 21:13)  He had similarly done this temple cleansing at the beginning of His ministry as John records in his gospel, chapter 2.  

Tuesday was an extended teaching day for Jesus, beginning in the Temple teaching His disciples in parables and continuing just outside the Temple where the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age issues.  Those questions (Matt. 24:3) initiated a lengthy discourse of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 24,25 called the Olivet Discourse in which Jesus gave signs that would precede His 2^nd coming and the great tribulation that would take place just prior to that coming and the judgment of the nations that would immediately follow His return in power and great glory. (Matt. 25)

On Wednesday of “Holy Week” Jesus, at dinner in the home of Simon the leper, had his head anointed by a woman who poured over him a box of very precious ointment.  The disciples rebuked the woman, but Jesus rebuked the disciples and commended the woman while Judas Iscariot slipped out of the room to seek out Pharisees with whom he could conspire to betray His Master.

On Thursday afternoon, the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus instructed  Peter and John to secure an Upper room where He and the disciples could share in the Passover Supper together. It was after this meal that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, then revealed that Judas would betray Him while He also warned His followers of their pending denial of Him.  Our Lord instituted the Memorial of the Last Supper (Luke 22:17-20) and then launched into a farewell discourse (John 14-16) climaxing with His great Intercessory Prayer (John 17) followed by a short walk to the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives where Jesus uttered the agonizing petition, “Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.”  It was under the cover of an early morning blanket of darkness that Judas then led his cohorts in crime to the garden where he knew Jesus was wont to pray, betraying Him to Roman soldiers with a kiss feigning love and loyalty, resulting in the arrest of Jesus and his hearing before Annas, former High Priest and father of Caiaphas, the then current High Priest before whom Jesus would next stand to be interrogated along with being accused, mocked, charged with blasphemy, beaten, blindfolded and reviled.  

Friday morning, early, Jesus was formally condemned by the Sanhedrin, about the time, interestingly, that Judas, beginning to feel the awful consequences of his betrayal of the Son of God, went out and hanged himself.  Jesus was led to Pilate where the Roman governor asked Him point blank “Art thou the king of the Jews?”  In keeping with the custom of releasing a prisoner on such festive feast days, the blood-thirsty crowd demanded that the seditionist-murderer Barabbas be released and that Jesus, King of the Jews, be crucified.  Pilate, learning that Jesus was from Galilee, sent Him to Herod Antipas to be judged and it was before Herod that Christ was mocked, dressed for a few moments in a gorgeous robe and then sent back to Pilate where he was chastised and crowned in mockery with a crown of thorns.

Friday morning, between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Jesus continues to be mocked by soldiers and then, with reservations, released by Pilate to the frenzied crowd.  He is led to Golgotha just a little before 9:00 a.m. and nailed to the cross where He would hang between two thieves from 9 until noon during which time Jesus would utter “Father, forgive them,” and to the repentant thief “This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise” and to His mother, “Woman, behold thy son,” and to the beloved John, “Son, behold thy mother.” His garments were parted, and soldiers cast lots to see who would get what; and a superscription was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”  Jesus would suffer hanging upon the hill called Golgotha for another three hours from noon until 3:00 p.m. crying out four more times:  “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” and “I thirst,” “It is finished,” and finally, under a darkened sky where neither sun nor moon shone and where the earth was about to quake, Jesus cried “Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.” Immediately Matthew tells us that the veil of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom, the earth did quake, some tombs of Old Testament believers were opened, and Old Testament saints were observed walking the streets of Jerusalem (Matt. 27:52) and the Centurion Soldier at the cross was overheard saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”  Jesus had died for the sins of the world then He was carefully anointed for burial before being placed into the never before used tomb of a wealthy man from Arimathaea, Joseph, who was  also a follower of Jesus.

After three days and three nights (by Jewish reckoning any part of a day is a day, night is a night) Jesus rose victorious over death, hell and the grave whereupon He appeared to many of his followers before ascending back into the heavens in a visible display of His power and great glory, the full display of which is being reserved for His 2^nd coming at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. (Matthew 24,25)

“Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him:  and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.  Even so, Amen.” (Revelation 1:7)

How powerful a touch can be!  It costs the giver virtually nothing but can be of inestimable value to the recipient.  It can melt hearts hardened by bitter woes, can obliterate man made fences that have obstructed relationships and can soothe cares better than man’s best pharmaceuticals.

Three of Jesus’ disciples, his inner circle including Peter, James and John had just seen the face of Jesus transfigured so that it shone as the sun as they were with him high on a mountain; then they heard the voice of the Father thundering from heaven saying, “this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.”  Having seen his unveiled face and having heard God’s voice from heaven the disciples were “sore afraid.” (Matt. 17:6)  It was at that point that Jesus “came and touched them,” and comforted them through their fear.  It was the personal skin on skin touch of their Lord’s hand that more than anything calmed the fearful followers of the Lord.

So many times, it was His touch that made all the difference.  On one occasion He put forth His hand and touched a man full of leprosy saying, “Be thou clean,” and his leprosy was healed. (Matt. 8:3)

He touched the fevered brow of Peter’s wife’s mother and “her fever left her.” (Matt. 8:15)

In the city of Nain, observing a weeping widow who was burying her only son, Jesus merely touched the bier and then commanded the young man to arise and “he that was dead sat up and began to speak.” (Luke 7:14)

When Peter, under the cover of early morning darkness, missed the servant of the High Priest’s neck and instead cut off his ear with his sword, it was the betrayed Son of Man who touched the wounded man’s ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)

Then there was the time that two blind men followed Jesus crying out for mercy, and Jesus, having ascertained that they believed that He was able to heal them, touched their eyes saying, “According to your faith, be it unto you.”  (Matt. 9:26)  And Matthew records that their eyes were opened.  When in the country of Gennesaret, it was said that “all that were diseased came to Jesus and besought that they might only touch the hem of His garment,” and “as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” (Matt. 14:31)

The touch of the hand is powerful.  It is soothing to those in despair or overcome with fear; it is comforting to those who are grieving and strengthening to those paralyzed by danger. The touch of a father gives hope to the wayward son while the tender touch of a loving mother’s hand can make the weakest or wildest calm, comforted and courageous.  A friend’s kind hand on the stooped shoulder of a fellow pilgrim can do as much or more than a page full of words.  Just a touch at the right time from the right person for the right purpose can cheer, comfort or correct when done in love and when directed by the Holy Spirit.

This is why the prolonged isolation this current pandemic has necessitated with it burdensome and bothersome mandates, though for legitimate health reasons, has been so very devastating.  God made us in His image:  to know, to love, to will and as such it is unnatural not to hold, touch, share, shake a hand, commune, laugh, love, cry and talk relating person to person in community with our family, our friends, our church family, our neighbors and our extended circle of friends.  Rubbing elbows just does not take the place of a hearty ungloved handshake!   Smiles hidden behind masks are better than nothing because we can “read the eyes” but they are no long-term substitutes for genuine unmasked interaction with those we love and with those who are part of our lives.  Jesus by His own example taught us the power of not only a well-spoken word but also the power of a well-timed touch—a touch of love, gently placed from one’s heart through his hand on our hand to our heart.  May we never grow accustomed to a world where our sense of touch has been so sanitized that it only comes through the medium of artificiality.

“And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:7)

One wintry night in 1985 I knocked on the door of a west side Indianapolis house where a couple lived who had recently visited our Sunday services, paying a follow up visit in hopes of getting to know this gentleman and his wife better.  It took a while for anyone to answer my knock, but at length a tall, kind looking, middle-aged man came to the door and after I introduced myself, he invited me to come in out of the cold.  It was not until later that I learned that Jerry and Fran retired fairly early in the evenings since he usually was up around 4:00 a.m. to get ready to go to his workplace at Allison Turbine.  They were gracious and we had a pleasant visit and I rose to my feet to leave but waited at the door for Jerry to retrieve my coat which he had hung in the closet when I had entered their living room.  We must have visited another 10 minutes at the door before he remembered to get my overcoat after which I departed following a parting prayer.  Later, in recalling that first visit, Jerry conveyed to me his frustration with my not leaving promptly, keeping him from precious, fast fleeting sleep time in lieu of his early rising.  That would be the first of countless visits I would make to the Farley home over the next 30 years, a place where I was always welcomed and where fellowship and prayer was always in order, and never bothersome to this godly duo who had begun their married life attending Dr. Ford Porter’s Lifegate Baptist Church in downtown Indianapolis where Jerry trusted Christ and followed his Lord in believer’s baptism, Fran having already made those faith decisions.

Jerry just dropped by my office last week to visit as he has been prone to do beaucoup times through the past three plus decades.  He and his wife became members of the church I pastored shortly after that first mid-winter visit to their home, and they were always a “preacher’s friend,” faithful in attendance, generous in giving, selfless in serving and always sensitive to the needs of the local church body of believers.  There was nothing they would not do for you.  Until Jerry retired from his day job, he was not able to get too involved in our on-going day to day ministry at TRBC, but after he retired, he was like an unpaid staff member.  His mechanical skills were extraordinary.  He could fix just about anything and if occasionally he ran into a brick wall in trying to solve a problem, he would “sleep on it,” and invariably before morning he would have figured out the solution and by breakfast it was probably fixed.   I have thought so often that every church needs a Jerry Farley (and God has given such men to most every church I am sure), and I could never thank our heavenly Father enough for this right-hand man!

In time, Fran became incapacitated to the point that Jerry could no longer care for her at home so he entrusted her care to a nursing home facility where she would spend the last two or three years of her life, with Jerry visiting her every day making sure she was being well taken care of and assuring her of his continued presence with her.  He was with her when she drew her last breath.

Sometime after Fran had passed, Jerry watched as one of my teen-age grandsons rode his bike, sitting backwards on the bicycle seat, in our church parking lot.  Jerry was in his early 80’s at the time and what he saw Tim do reminded him that he had done the same thing as a youngster.  He thought he could do it again, so he tried, and he did!  Shortly thereafter, Jerry bought the first of several Harley Bikes that he would own and upon which he would ride from coast to coast, north to south, east to west, thousands of miles seeing the USA from a unique vantage point and living out a childhood dream that, because growing up on a farm in post-depression years as a lad with only chores and work from dawn to dusk he could only dream of motor cycles and trips to faraway places.  The last “toy” that he bought was a “slingshot,” a three-wheeled, low to the ground bike that can barely seat two and that from a distance looks like a miniature Indy race car.  

In all of this Mr. Farley never lost his desire or commitment to serve his Savior and to labor faithfully serving in the church, and in other churches.  A church he once visited when in Florida needed a heater for its baptismal tank replaced and Jerry was the one who could and would do it.  When he found out that it was not working, he would not rest until he made another trip to the sunny south to replace a part that was needed to get the heater working properly.  If a family needed a ride to Virginia to attend a loved one’s funeral, Jerry was the go-to person.  If something needed worked on at church or at the parsonage, call Jerry first.  I can attest that, though few people were ever probably aware of it, Jerry saved our church multiplied thousands of dollars just by applying his skills for the church in jobs that otherwise would have necessitated calling a professional for help.

Now, Jerry is still living at the age of 91.  In fact, before I post this, I will probably ask him to read it just for accuracy and he will probably protest my posting it, but I will probably kindly overrule him this time.  All things being equal at 91 unless the rapture occurs in the not-too-distant future, not too, too long from now we’ll get the call that Jerry has joined his beloved wife and is with His Savior on the other side.  His eye doctor says he is “one click” away from being legally blind.  He had a fever for two weeks at the peak of the Covid-crisis but never went to the hospital and God spared his life.  I am writing these few lines in tribute to Jerry realizing that he will not get any enjoyment out of any flowers we send, but though he will protest the publication of this, he may just have some realization of how very much he has meant to so many and to this grateful pastor and his wife whom he always treated as he would family.  And, I want to pay tribute not only to Jerry Farley and but to all the “Jerrys” out there who keep a ministry moving, that unseen and unsung cadre of men and women who work behind the scenes doing whatever has to be done so that when the pastor mounted the pulpit on Sundays to preach, the furnace was working, the flowers were stunning, the leaky faucet in the bathroom was fixed, the front door had been put back on its hinges, the water that had leaked into the main auditorium when AT&T had been digging just outside the church wall causing a Valentine’s weekend small flood in our building was all vacuumed dry by service time, and the fire extinguisher chemicals that had been sprayed all over every square inch of the sanctuary by a 2:00 a.m. break-in on Sunday morning leaving a mess that was unimaginable, was all cleaned up by Sunday School time Sunday morning and on and on and on….

So, thank you Jerry!  Thank you all who, like Jerry Farley, worked to please your Savior, to serve your church and to make sure your pastor always looked a lot better than he ever could have had he not had your unselfish, loving support.  Thank You!

Author’s note:  Last Friday, I had the pleasure of reading the script of this post to Mr. Farley knowing that he would not be able to read it himself and not wanting to assume that anyone else would do so.  It was difficult reading (trying to keep from chocking up) but I managed to get through it with a tear drop falling into my coffee cup as I read the last line.  I told him that if I were still alive when he passed and had any opportunity to have a part in his memorial service that what he had just heard was his eulogy (with any appropriate modifications necessary at that time).  He did not protest, and we spent the next hour reminiscing about times past.

“His lord said unto him, Well done good and faithful servant….” (Matt. 25:23)

Maybe the Merriam-Webster folk will get ahold of this post and help me to ease into the vernacular of our day the concept of “held.”  Much like, within the last few years, the word woke has been eased into the slang vernacular of this 21^st century.  A cursory study of the origin and meaning of woke, according to Merriam-Webster’s “Words We’re Watching,” reveals that woke originated from some vernacular of a dialect called African American Vernacular English (AAVE), as in “we need to stay angry, stay woke,” or “alert to injustice in society, especially racial injustice or racism.”  It is a word that has become entwined with the Black Lives Matter movement and calls its followers to be woke.

So, what does woke have to do with held?  Well, we who are committed to Biblical principles, to life styles ordered by our faith in Christ and obedience to His Word, would do well to have #held as our call to action.  We need to hold fast to the things which have been committed to us.

• Paul exhorts young Timothy to “hold fast the form of sound doctrine which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 1:13)
• We are all urged to “hold the traditions which (ye) have been taught, whether by word or by our epistle.” (2Thess. 2:15)  Traditions have been badly bashed in our world today.  Cancel culture is turning upside down good traditions—truth-based traditions—and uprooting them like the statues of historical men, movements and moments that have recklessly been toppled by mobs some of which knew nothing of the history they were sitting in judgment of, monuments to historical milestones that have shaped our lives and our nation’s history.  Not all traditions are bad.  To recite the pledge of allegiance, stand for the national anthem, put a hand over one’s heart when the flag is raised—none of these are bad traditions and most all of them have a biblical basis.
• In Hebrews 3:6 believers are “holding fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope (we have) to the end.”
• And, in Hebrews 4:14:  “Let us hold fast our profession,” and the same exhortation is repeated in Hebrews 10:23.
• Jesus, writing to the church in Thyatira in the first century, exhorts “But that which ye have, hold fast till I come,” (Rev. 2:15) and to the Philadelphian church He says, “Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Rev. 3:11)

Now, to be sure, Paul instructs the Thessalonian church to “prove all things, hold fast that which is good.” (I Thess. 5:21)  It is not a bad exercise to examine our traditions and discard traditions that are unbiblical, hurtful or outdated.  When I was a child, I remember that it was a commonly practiced tradition for women to wear a hat to church on Sunday.  Not anymore.  It might have been a good thing to do at one time, but eventually it ceased being a commonly practiced tradition amongst church going women on Sundays, and I dare say, not many people miss it.

Sometimes culture dictates traditions.  When I visited Russia (the former Soviet Union) in 1989, I was instructed not to cross legs when sitting in a chair. Also, someone told me that I should stop whistling when walking down the street as it might be perceived as calling up demons.  I did not understand those traditions but was surely happy to respect them.  There was one tradition I had no little difficulty with though. I soon learned by observation that at the close of a church service men were wont to kiss other men, not cheek to cheek, but on the lips. I had to whisper some quick and, on the spot, heartfelt prayers for grace to cope with that tradition!

But I want to be a believer who will be known and remembered as one who #held!  Held to the truths of God’s Word, held to the founding principles of our nation:  liberty and justice for all and “one nation under God.”  Held to the belief “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with the certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” held to the conviction that the United States is a government of the people, by the people and for the people; held to the truth that there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man, Christ Jesus, (I Tim. 2:5), and that He, the God-man, is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that all men are condemned and estranged from God by sin and are by nature sinners; but that though the wages of sin is death, God commended His love toward us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us; and held to the belief that “being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1) and held that as He promised, Jesus is coming back first for the Church (Rapture) and 2^nd, with the Church (Revelation) and after a 7-year world-wide tribulation that will have unprecedented devastation, Jesus will establish His literal Kingdom with its capitol in Jerusalem and for 1000 years will reign “where e’er the sun doth its successive journeys run,” and held that there is a place where the redeemed of all ages will be with God and His Son, Jesus, for all eternity (Heaven), and held that there is a place where unrepentant and unbelieving Christ rejectors will be separated from God and from His Son, Jesus Christ, forever (Hell).

So #held.  That’s Me.  It should become a movement.  And should anyone wonder what would be a fitting epitaph when I have laid down my time worn tools and have preached my last sermon and have breathed my last breath, how about just #held?  Nothing would be more coveted to this wayfaring pilgrim having journeyed with Jesus here below than #held.

God help us all to hold!

“Behold I come quickly:  hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Rev. 3:11)

It’s a question that has stymied many believers who, having trusted Christ for salvation, obeyed Him in Baptism and surrendered to Him for service, have wondered how they can know for certain what God’s perfect will for their life is in their daily walk and work for their Lord and Savior.  They have a heart that is obedient, a will that is surrendered and a mind that is spiritual, yet the nagging question remains, “Can I know for sure that I am right now in the center of God’s perfect will for my life?”  In our previous installment of “You and God” (3/11/21) I suggested that knowing the will of God is not the issue so much as doing the will of God is.  The Psalmist cried, “Teach me to do thy will, O God,” (Ps. 143:10) and affirmed “I delight to do Thy will, O my God.” (Ps. 40:8)  In each case it was the doing, not the knowing, of God’s will that was on the Psalmist’s mind as he wrote his inspired pleas and praises.  I want to tell you what God says about doing His will, the prerequisite of which is to know His will.  First, though, let me enumerate several ways which will guarantee that you will neither know nor do His blessed will:

1.  You will not know God’s will if you are doing something contrary to His Word.
2. You will not know God’s will if you plan to do something and then set out to ask God to bless your plan after you have already set in motion your devices.
3. You cannot find God’s will by asking counsel from people who either do not know God or who are not living obedient, godly lives.
4. You cannot discern God’s will by merely evaluating the circumstances and then proceeding on your way on the basis of what you see or feel.
5. You will not find God’s will by testing the majority opinion.
6. You cannot find God’s will if you are living in sin.
7. You will not know and do God’s will if you are trusting anything or anyone other than God to lead you.

(I will be glad to offer verses and further scriptural insights on any of the above mentioned “cannots” to anyone who wishes more information; just reply with your questions and I will do my best to respond)

So, that being said, what is the positive side of the coin?  The key is found in Romans 12:1,2:“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the will of God (which is) that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Note I have changed the word order of the last clause following “that ye may prove what is the will of God…”  This change of word order does no injustice to the original text and does, in fact, more accurately reflect the New Testament Greek text.  This change suggests that Paul was not describing God’s will as good and acceptable and perfect but that he was defining God’s will as being whatever was good and acceptable and perfect).

Paul states here that there are two qualifiers for knowing the will of God:  (1)  a body that is surrendered:  the method of surrender being that of yielding your members as instruments of righteousness (Rom.6:13), a daily moment by moment surrender; the manner of which is sanctification (holy/separated) and the motive of which is that it is our reasonable service to God. (2) A mind that is being renewed (v2), not conformed or poured into the mold of this world but rather one that is being transformed by daily renewal (2 Cor.3:18) which happens because of a supernatural power (God’s Word, a mirror) through a spiritual process (from glory to glory) resulting in a superseding purpose:  A changed life.

Having put one’s self into the place of meeting these qualifications, a yielded body and a renewed mind (note:  you do not have to attend a seminar or receive a diploma to get to that place:  it can happen at any time through an act of your will as you surrender) then you are ready to realize what it is to be in the perfect will of God.  Verse two says that at that point you will by every word and every deed be proving (demonstrating) what is the will of God, and the will of God will be whatever is good and whatever is acceptable and whatever is perfect.  God is not going to speak to you audibly, nor will He leave a note under your pillow spelling out your every move for the day, but as you walk and work through every moment of every day, surrendered in body and being renewed in mind through His Word, whatever you do will be a living demonstration of God’s will for you:  “He will direct your paths.” (Provs. 3:5,6).  And you will be doing whatever is good, i.e. whatever God puts His approval on as revealed in His Word; and whatever is acceptable, acceptable to God, i.e. whatever is kind, loving, merciful, just, etc., and you will be doing whatever is perfect, i.e. whatever lends itself to your spiritual maturity (that is what the word “perfect” in the New Testament connotes):  mature, complete; and the person in God’s will does whatever is characteristic of maturity as a believer who is growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Now, put the simple, yet profound, Biblical formula to practice in your life.  Instead of wrestling with the question “How can I know God’s will?” or “Am I doing God’s will?” just set out each day by surrendering your body a living sacrifice, emptied of self and filled with God’s Spirit and be being renewed in your mind by spending time in God’s Word so that you will be transformed from glory to glory (more like Christ with each passing day and more conformed to His image) and then living, doing whatever is good (by the standard of His Word) and whatever is acceptable (to God) and whatever is perfect (enabling you to mature as a believer) and everything you do that day will be without question God’s perfect will for you.

And, my friend, my prayer and heart’s desire for you is that the “God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” will

“Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.” (Hebs.13:21)

Ever wrestled with the question, “What does God want me to do in this situation?”  Maybe you are contemplating a career change or a move to another city or a decision about where to attend school and what course of studies to pursue.  Maybe it’s a friendship that is trending toward a relationship and you seriously would like to know God’s will in this matter because it is your desire to be in the center of His will, His perfect will not merely His permissive will; yet the issues can sometimes become complex and confusing, and the answers are not seemingly that easy in coming.

At the outset let me encourage you that every consecrated Christian should never have trouble knowing God’s will, but we may sometimes find it challenging to do God’s will.  That’s why the Psalmist pleaded “Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God….” (Ps. 143:10)  I will give you in part 2 of this discussion a definite, Biblical formula for knowing that at any moment you are in God’s will, assuring, therefore, that you are doing God’s will.  When one is in the center of His will it is like being in the eye of a storm where, though surrounded on the outer edges by clouds, chaos and often confusion, there is a peace and calm. My friend, Ron White, said in one of his messages, “You don’t have to know God’s will for tomorrow, you just have to do God’s will today.”

But often the question is raised, “How do I know that I am doing God’s will today?”  A middle-aged farmer who had desired for some time to be an evangelist was busy working in his field one day when he decided to rest under a tree.  As he looked up into the sky, he was sure he saw in a cloud formation the letters P.C.  He was convinced it was a message from God telling him to Preach Christ, so he sold his farm believing without a doubt it was God’s leading. Because our farmer friend had his heart so set on preaching that he wanted a certain answer from God, he had failed to consider that the P.C. might have meant Plow Corn!  We sometimes mistakenly superimpose our will over what is God’s will.

Famed Bible teacher, pastor and author, Donald Barnhouse, was quoted as saying, “I can say from experience that 95% of knowing the will of God consists in being prepared to do it before you know what it is.”  When we are fully committed to doing the will of God, a confidence will be ours that characterized the extraordinary missionary man of God, David Livingstone, who said, “I am immortal until the will of God for me has been accomplished.”  Therefore, knowing, doing and being in the will of God is of crucial importance in living the Christian life.  Martin Luther:   “If it were in the will of God, I’d plant an oak tree today even if Christ were coming tomorrow.”

God often speaks in the “still small voice.”  In some of life’s settings the background noise is so distracting that we cannot discern that still, small voice.  We need, then, to get alone with God with the clamor of the crowds quieted so that we can hear His Word and learn His will.  “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)  But yet, the question still may be nagging at one’s heart:  “How can I be sure that it was His voice and how can I be certain, 100% certain, that what I am doing is God’s perfect, not just permissive, will of God for me at this particular time in my life?

Miriam Booth, granddaughter of the founder of the Salvation Army, began her Christian walk and work with the promise of great success, but was in time sidelined by a life-threatening disease.  A well-meaning friend lamented for Miriam that someone with her gifts would be disabled in her service for the Lord.  Wisely Miriam replied, “It’s wonderful to do the work of God, but it is greater still to do the will of God.”

A theological (tongue-in-cheek) maxim:  “If it’s Monday and you want to know God’s will for Tuesday, just wait until Wednesday.”  And another pastor, now in glory: “You’ll never be able to discern the will of God until you lose your own will.”

So, I have opened up our discussion on how to know and do the will of God, with a promise to give you a Biblical formula for knowing what God’s perfect will for you is at any given juncture in your journey through life.  We have plucked some of the nectar of the sages of the ages wisdom, now let us hear from the mouth of God Himself, as revealed and recorded in His Word.  Join me, Lord willing, this coming Tuesday, for Part 2.

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” (I Thess. 4:3)

To those of you who knew and loved Evangelist, Educator and Missions statesman, Dr. Monroe Parker, it will surprise you that the Thomasville, AL native has been with his Lord for 25 years now.  He impacted so many of our lives, directly or indirectly, through his teaching, preaching and mentoring, that his memory is lodged in our minds permanently.  When he was called to what we believe to be his “abundant entrance” into heaven on July 17, 1994, having served faithfully as General Director of Baptist World Mission, I was motivated to write the following tribute to my dear friend, and would like to share it with you in hopes of keeping our memories of “Monk,” (his nickname) alive.  His autobiography is entitled “Through Sunshine and Shadows-My First 77 Years,” and my tribute is entitled “The Shadow Lingers:”

The shadow of his life was long, He stood for what was right, not wrong.
	God’s grace was what he always preached, and many were the souls he reached.

In Alabama grew the boy, He brought to humble parents joy.
	And when the Monk became a man, A life of serving he began.

He was a mentor to the youth, who sought to know and love God’s truth.
	He was a leader of God’s men, to each his spirit was akin.

With humor he could bring a smile and ease our burdens for a while.
	To every child he was a friend, and on him countless did depend.

A man of missions he was known, he loved God’s servants as his own.
	He daily for their work did pray and loved them to his dying day.

God’s local church was in his heart; it was his pillar from the start.
	Its every work to him was dear, and on its truths his mind was clear.

For faith delivered he stood strong and fought the battles hard and long,
	To friend as well to foe was kind, with Christian grace he spoke his mind.

He loved his family as his life and in his youth had lovely wife.
	God took her and another gave, then took and gave one to the grave.

Ruby traveled by his side, was there when Dr. Parker died.
	With him she oft did sing and pray and journeyed with him night and day.

For their Lord their lives they gave, nothing for themselves did save.
	To the end they labored long, never ever lost their song.

All will miss this preacher’s friend!  With his passing came the end
	Of an era, that’s been known, by the guidance he has shown.

We will miss him ‘til we meet at our blessed Savior’s feet!
	There forever bliss we’ll share in that City over there.

In that City up above where we’ll bask in Jesus’ love.
	Where no shadows e’er shall be with the saints eternally.

“...the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Psalm 112:6)

		Tribute to Dr. Monroe Parker
		              July 1994
		          Anthony Slutz

I’ve been thinking about the very biblical concept of “together.”  That word first occurs in the first chapter of the Bible, verse nine, when we are told that the waters under the heaven were gathered together.  It was in the order of creation, that some things be gathered together and were not made to exist alone.  Man, in fact, is that way.  The Bible says that God saw that it was not good for man to dwell alone, thus, He made him a helpmeet, Eve.  “Together” is a principle established from the dawn of civilization as ordered and ordained of God. “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor.” (Eccl. 4:9)

That’s true in the home, society’s most basic unit.  We may not survive at all if we try to go it alone.  For sure, we will benefit from a “togetherness” as a family unity.  “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” (Eccl. 4:10)

It’s surely true in the church.  The church began as a  group of believers assembled together (Acts 1:4).  The last thing the Church will do will be when we are “caught up together with them (the dead in Christ who shall rise first) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air….” (I Thess. 4:17)

And, in the meantime, we do everything we do as a church together!  Paul says we are perfectly joined together (I Cor. 1:10); and in Romans 1:2 he says we are comforted together.  We are “striving together for the faith of the gospel.” (Phi. 1:27)  We have been “knit together in love,” (Col. 2:2) and we have been “fitly joined together,” (Eph. 4:16) as a “building fitly framed together.” (Eph. 2:21)  Thus, we are helpers “together by prayer” (2 Cor. 1:11) and “workers together with Him.” (2 Cor.6:1)  Of course, we must remember to not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together.” (Hebs. 10:25)

Together is an idea you cannot escape.  When Jesus commissioned seventy disciples to go spread the Word of the Kingdom, He sent them out together, two by two.  He always ministered with a group of followers around Him.  He seldom did anything (except prayer) alone; it was always “together” with someone or with many others.

Can we learn a lesson from this?  You will not be as effective in serving Christ alone as you will with someone else.  Soul-winning is a “together” ministry, as is any other kind of visitation.  What would the choir be without folk who believe in practicing together?  What about any of our worship services?  The shutdown necessitated by Covid-19 has made it unquestionably apparent that even with advanced technology that enables us to work at home and to some degree worship at home, there is no substitute for in person interchanges believer to believer in corporate worship.  God ordained it that way, therefore, we should covet a harmonious, sweet, holy togetherness.  If we must live and work with others, it should be a priority that we learn how to live and work and worship with others in peace.  That goes for home life, school life, work life and church life.  Together can be and is, good!

An illustration from nature is appropriate here:  In east Africa’s grasslands the rhinoceros is feared for its speed, size and agility in the wilds so much so that few animals challenge its strength and superiority.  There is one little creature though, a bird, that is known to perch on the backs of these beasts pecking away with their beaks on the rhino’s back much like a woodpecker does on a tree.  Other buffalo birds fly about the horned behemoth of a beast while some light upon its huge ears pecking away.  The rhino has poor eyesight as well as a body covered with parasites which the birds feast upon.  And, if another danger appears in the area, the birds let out with a shrill sound, warning the large mammal.  So, it’s a “together” existence, the beast and the birds, all for the sake of survival.  They complement each other, serve and protect each other and are able to survive and prosper.  God ordained it so.  We ought to learn from the animal kingdom and prosper, too, as we live together.

“Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet…and when they were come in, they went up into an upper room where abode Peter, and James, and John…These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brethren.” (Acts 1:12-14)

True or False:  “What the world needs today is more religion.”  I suppose that most readers of “You and God” would answer that question with an unequivocal “False!”  But wait a minute, please.  James, in his New Testament epistle, says that there is a religion that is pure and undefiled.  (James 1:27)  He contrasts it with a religion that is self-deceived and defiled.  So, it depends on what kind of religion one is speaking of when you contemplate whether the world needs more religion.

Actually, there has never been a dearth of the deceived and defiled religion.  It reared its ugly head in Genesis 4 when Cain brought to God in an act of what he considered to be worship the fruit of his own labors and found that nothing he could do, in his own strength and in contradiction to God’s revealed Word, would please God.  It was false worship on the part of Cain, and as such sin; and sin, when it is finished brings forth death; and in this case it eventuated in Cain’s spiritual death and ultimately his physical death.   Religion that is deceiving and defiling leaves a path of ruined and wasted lives along life’s way. “…the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25)

“Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you,” Jesus said to the miracle working false prophets who He said would stand before Him in the day of judgment. Their false religion  though no doubt involving good works (“…and in thy name done many wonderful works” Matt. 7:22) will only merit at the great White Throne judgment God’s sentence of death. (Rev. 20:11-15)  To be self-deceived is to be self-destroyed when it comes to religion that is defiled.

Consider the men on Mars Hill in Athens, Greece, with whom Paul dialogued as recorded in Acts 17.  They were religious to the max, building altars to every conceivable god, even one to the “unknown God” in case they forgot one, yet Paul said, “Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you,” (Acts 17:23) and then Paul proceeded to preach to those ancient philosophers the resurrection of Jesus Christ, resulting in the salvation of some of them, including “Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman name Damaris and others with them.” (Acts 17:34) Athens was a mega center of false religion in the first century.

There are other Biblical citations of religion that defiles, one of the most graphic being the religionists of whom Jude, half-brother of Jesus, writes in his brief epistle.  Speaking of those who had gone the way of Cain and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, Jude says, “These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead,  plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (Jude 12,13)

James does say that “pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this:  to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)

How striking!  What a contrast to those Pharisees of Jesus’ day who wore long robes and prayed even longer prayers in the most conspicuous places in town so they could be seen by men and considered to be religious!  Jesus described them and their religiosity in the most scathing of rebukes as recorded in Matthew 23 where He called them hypocrites, likened them to whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful out ward but are within full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. (Matt. 23:27)

He said that these deceived religionists devoured widows houses! (Matt. 23:14)  They were indeed “blind guides,” “fools and blind,” and Jesus posed what must have been the most discomforting dilemma to them ever when He said, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:33)

This world does not need any more of that kind of religion, but the hope that it will eventually die of inertia is a baseless hope.  It has been in this world since the first family sinned, and it will be with the world through the millennium as evidenced in Satan, the master deceiver leading a final post-millennial assault on Christ’s kingdom, having deceived peoples living in nations at that time “on the four quarters of the earth.” (Rev. 20:8,9)

But there is the pure religion and undefiled of which James, also half-brother of Jesus, spoke.  It is characterized by two key components:  (1)  Demonstration of one’s love for Christ and His Church by visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and (2)  Keeping oneself  unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

God has always shown special care and consideration for those who are the fatherless.  He is called “the helper of the fatherless” (Ps. 10:14; 68:5) and the Psalmist says, “the Lord relieveth the fatherless.” (Ps. 146:9).  He moved Paul to write to his protégé, Timothy, that the church should be careful to “honor them that are widows indeed,” (I Tim. 5:3) and then proceeds to give a specific definition of who would qualify as a “widow indeed.”

Finally, Paul says that one who embraces pure religion and undefiled is one who keeps himself “unspotted from the world.”  That is a full-time job and a life-long task!  John says that we must not “love the world, neither the things that are in the world.” (I John 2:15)  We are called to live a separated life.  The “world” does not refer to anything geographical but rather to all things wrapped up in what we know as the world system which opposes God’s will and Word, embryonically portrayed in the Tower of Babel experience (Genesis 11) and graphically epitomized in the great whore sitting upon many waters (Rev. 17:1).  To keep oneself unspotted from the anti-God, antichrist, anti-Bible world can only be achieved by His Grace, through His Spirit and in His Word.  God help the Church today, your church, my church to live and love “pure religion and undefiled.”

“Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:  and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” (Zech.7:9,10)