2006 issues

8-1-06

by Tad Lindley

Living room or dying room?
I don't have a television in my home. I do not watch movies on my computer's DVD player. I have never played an X-box. I have seen too many grown men waste their days on Halo when they could have been serving God and providing for their families. I won't take a chance on it.
Nevertheless, I visit homes with television often enough that I occasionally hear what is on. It is shocking to me the language and sexual innuendos that one never heard on TV when I was a child. America has been lulled to sleep over time.
The moral standards in the video game and movie industry did not go from shooting alien spaceships to stealing cars and picking up prostitutes overnight. Bit by bit we have caved in until we find ourselves in a dangerous place. Our living rooms have become dying rooms. The ungodly role models of the entertainment industry have replaced the old men in the qasgiq. Our moral standards are being shaped in living rooms across the nation. The time has come to remodel the living room.
Quick test: does your living room need remodeling?
Try this quick test. For the next week record how much time you spend watching the television or playing video games each day. Also record how much time you spend in prayer each day, and how much time you spend in Bible study (church services do not count). If you are not a Christian, instead record how much time you spend helping other people each day (outside of your paying job, and outside of your house).
Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people, take the path of sinners, or join the company of mockers. Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on his teachings day and night (Psalm 1:1-2 GW). Are you delighting more in blowing men's heads off in the video game 007? Or are you savoring that quiet time where you can get alone with the Bible and study on Thou shalt not murder (Exodus 20:13)?
If you are spending more time with the television or the X-box than you are with Jesus, you are dying spiritually. It is time to remodel the living room.
Remodel Step 1
Remove the TV from your living room. I recommend the dumpster, but that may be too drastic a first step. Put it in a place where it is inconvenient to get to. Perhaps the lagyaq or the porch will do. Running an extension cord out to the shed is a hassle. That is good. You will also find that playing Street Fighter V amidst the sour and moldy smells of the shed is not as much fun. That is good.
A television in the living room is too easy. The temptation to sit down after dinner and waste the night away overcomes the desire to build a steam bath, to exercise, to read the Bible, or to visit someone.
Remodel Step 2
Not only will there be an empty spot in your living, there will be an empty spot in your life. Fill it. Some readers have never built a steam bath for their wives, and yet they have literally spent thousands of hours watching television. Now is the time to build her that steam bath. Many of us are overweight, even obese. Fill that time with exercise. Maybe you have been accustomed to staying up late on Saturday nights and sleeping through the church bell. Without a TV in the living room, you can go to bed early and be up in time for church on Sunday morning.
When our relationship with Jesus becomes a top priority, the things of this earth begin to lose their importance. When worldly things become very important to us, Jesus begins to lose his importance. The Book of Hebrews gives us God's wisdom on this. Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith [in the Bible], we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Remodeling your living room
Part I

7-25-06

by Tad Lindley

If you have an average American living room in your house, it's time to remodel. I'm talking about a living room that has a couch and some chairs and perhaps other furniture. Hopefully there is a bookshelf with books on it, including the Bible. Perhaps there is a phone sitting on an end table. There may be lamps. Picture this living room in your mind. All of the furniture in the room points to one object in the living room that I have not mentioned. What is it? (If you don't know, you either grew up in a very strict home, or without electricity).
If you haven't figured it out yet, imagine people coming into the living room and sitting down on the couch and the chairs. What are they facing? It is probably not each other.
The American idol
When I lived on the north side of town I used to walk through Housing on the way to work. I would be greeted by the smell of bacon and windows glowing with the blue light of their television sets. It was there that it first occurred to me. When archaeologists dig up ancient pagan houses they sometimes find a room in the house where everything is focused on a single part of a room. The general assumption is that these are rooms for religious worship. What if a volcano erupted and buried your house with ash? Would later archaeologists digging up your house uncover the living room and make this same assumption? "Ah ha", they would say. "These primitive people worshipped large boxes made of glass and plastic. We keep finding the same thing in house after house."
A living room, or a dying room?
Americans are slowly killing themselves sitting in front of the television eating corn chips and drinking soda pop. But there is something far worse than the obesity epidemic that is taking place in the living room.
God told Cain, Sin is crouching at your door, and it desires to have you (Genesis 4:7). In the case of many Americans sin has gotten past the door, and is in the living room. I know all you watch is Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Learning Channel. It's the other guy that is watching beach volleyball and cage fighting. Keep reading though.
Guilty as sin
Most readers will never commit a murder. Most will never lead a homosexual lifestyle. Most will never steal an automobile. Many will never commit adultery. Most female readers will never be topless dancers. Most male readers will never be gangsters. A few readers will not have sex before marriage. That is good. According to the Bible, all of these things are sin.
Did you know, however, that to watch someone else do these things for our own entertainment is sin? ...they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them (Romans 1:32). As a Christian, I have no desire to commit murder. When I get entertainment from watching NHL players beat each other bloody, I am in sin. You would never cheat on your spouse, but when you watch adultery in a soap opera, you are having pleasure in watching someone else commit adultery.
When TV becomes a problem
I realize that air traffic controllers need TV monitors to watch the planes approaching the airport. As a teacher, I occasionally use television in my classroom. In moderation, it can be a useful tool for education. Unfortunately not everything that is on TV is educational or edifying (edifying means it makes you a better person).
Do these following scriptures apply to your television watching? I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes (Psalm 101:3). Are ungodly things appearing before your eyes while watching TV? Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8). Are the programs and movies you watch showing the fake, the dishonest, the unjust, impure, ugly, or things of a bad report? If the answer is "Yes", then it is time to remodel your living room.
Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Being politically
correct is killing us

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

When we were little, if a person couldn't walk right they were "crippled". Then as a boy, "crippled" was deemed too harsh of a word. Those who used to be "crippled" were now to become "handicapped". At some point a teacher explained to my class that we were no longer to use the word "handicapped", because that implied that there was something wrong with the person. We were now to use the term "disabled". Later on that was changed to "person with a disability".
The point of all of this was to protect the feelings of the person with a disability. Unfortunately it has come to the point that we seem to be pretending that everyone is normal. Anyone trying to infer otherwise runs the risk of being labeled insensitive.
Sunday School Falls Short
I am concerned that people will reject Christianity because it is politically incorrect. What if your kids came home from Sunday school singing, "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he…?" What kind of bigoted, calloused Sunday school teacher would not know that it is politically incorrect to make light of short people's oops, vertically challenged people's state in life.
The Reverend Runs Away the Righteous
Or what if a preacher brutally referred to the prophet, Elisha, as "bald"? (II Kings 2:23) That is down right rude. Any man happening to be in the congregation lacking follicular germination in the cranial region would likely never come back to church.
The Bible is loaded with politically incorrect terminology. If it were written today, it would be difficult to find a mainstream publisher to publish it.
The Withered Hand
Take the example of the man with the withered hand. In America, where disabilities are discussed in hushed whispers in the back room and the steam bath porch, it is unimaginable. Jesus was preaching to a large audience. In the crowd was a man with a withered hand. Everyone was seated. Jesus asked this particular man to stand up.
What happened next will make the most politically correct reader's hair stand on end excuse me, exhibit manifestations of vestigial attempts at pilo-erection. This poor man with the withered hand stood in the midst of the seated crowd. Then Jesus said, "Stretch forth thy hand" (Luke 6:8). This man had three ways to respond. 1) Hold out his good hand and hide the withered hand in his pocket. Politically correct. 2) Tell the Lord, "Sir, both my hands are good, it's just that they both look and work differently". Politically correct. 3) Extend the crippled paw that had cost him so much in this life. This would be a humiliating admission that he was not okay.
Your Withered Hand
I would like to ask you, reader, how do you deal with your withered hand? I realize that you probably have two good hands. Nonetheless, all of us have areas in our lives that may cripple us. Addictions that demand our time and energy destroy our families. Yet Monday morning we tuck that withered hand into our pocket and show up to work with a smile on our face.
Some of you are gambling addicts, drug addicts, or alcoholics. You may be angry that I would name it as such. The fact remains that when we cannot get a fix, we are very hard on our families. We who have lived like this have often said, "I don't have a problem. This is just my lifestyle, it works for me", or, "I won't hold out my withered hand until it is ready to fall off". Often we have instead held out our good hand and said, "Look, I don't have a problem, I never miss work, I attend all of my children's birthday parties, and I have never gotten a DWI".
His Hand Was Restored
As the crippled man stood before Jesus and the crowd, he held out his withered hand. No more hiding it hoping nobody would notice. No more telling himself, "At least my hand isn't as bad as Henry's; he lost his thumb in a freak accident". Forget about being politically correct, he wanted to be made whole.
If something in our lives cripples us, hiding will not help. Pretending that it is okay will not provide relief. The only way to overcome is to hold forth our withered hand to Jesus. Trying to ignore the problem is killing us. Let us forget about being politically correct and lay our withered hands at the feet of Jesus.
Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Net mending

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

My king gear was in particularly bad shape. It had accumulated a lot of holes. Every year I put it away telling myself, "I will mend it when spring comes around and it will be almost like new". Then when spring does come it is difficult to get excited about net mending. This year I could not put it off. My gear was so tattered, that it was in danger of being called a "twenty-five fathom rag". So I invested a couple of days in repairing the torn web, and re-hanging portions of lead line.
Net mending is my least favorite part of fishing. I would much rather be watching corks bob up and down and sipping on tea than trying to repair the aftermath of stumps on the bottom of the Kuskokwim. Because it is slow and quiet, I always end up thinking about net mending in the Bible.
History's Most Famous Net Menders
Jesus had come across Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. They were throwing their nets into the water. Jesus told them to follow him and he would make them fishers of men. They left their nets right away to become disciples of Jesus (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 16-20). A little farther up the beach Jesus came across James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in the boat with their dad and the servants mending nets. Jesus called them. I envision them weighing out this choice: stay here and mend nets or go with Jesus? Hmmm. (0.1 seconds pass) "See you, Dad."
The Truth About Net Mending
Trust me; it is not hard to walk away from net mending. You can always find someone excited about going drifting with you, but try calling up five friends and telling them, I'm having a net mending party all day Saturday, and the pop and Pilot Bread™ are on me. Suddenly they will become very busy with making sure their watch is set to the atomic clock and other important excuses.
Net mending represents every failure we have ever had in life. A net becomes full of holes for a number of reasons. It rarely gets holes from being successful though. If the fisherman knows how to pick fish, he can get fish out without tearing the net.
The Problem With Your Net
The majority of holes in the net come from getting snagged on the bottom. We get a little too greedy for fish and scoop to close to the bank, or perhaps we overextend our drift into uncharted waters thinking that the net will sink with fish. Instead it sinks with stumps. As we try to pull the net off with the motor we feel that tell tale pop-pop-pop-pop-pop that vibrates through the boat as the meshes tear one by one.
The rest of the holes in my net come from setting out the net. Even though there are no other boats around, I like to lay my net out quickly. Corks tangle in the web, the web catches on anything sticking out on the boat and pop-pop-pop-pop-pop. There it goes again, more holes to mend.
Before many days pass, the once proud net becomes frayed and worn. When the water is clear enough, fish swim along the net until they find the unmended holes. Then they swim right through. The corks never jiggle and the fisherman pulls up nothing but water.
Our lives become like the net. We are torn and worn from sin. Our mistakes and failings add up over time. There are days where it seems like we can do nothing right.
The Amazing Fact of Mends
Here is the beauty in the old net. When we mend a net, we mend it using a different color than the old. If a net is mended well, the mends actually become the most productive places in the net for catching fish. When a fish swims along the net looking for a way through, it doesn't see the mend. Because it is a different color, the fish thinks it is a hole and swims right into it.
Jesus can do the same thing with our lives. He can take a life that his been torn apart by multiple marriages, promiscuous living, drug addiction, gambling, anger, depression, and all manner of sin and mend it. Not only that, he can take the alcoholic, deliver her, and make that former hole in her life one of the strongest parts. He can take the abusive spouse and turn him into a peacemaker. There is no end to what Jesus can do when we lay our torn life in his hands. The prophet Joel delivered this powerful promise concerning our former failings: And I will restore to you the years that the locust hast eaten… (2:25). If the web of your life is worn out and full of holes, call on the master net mender, he is waiting to hear from you.
Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

The Big King that got away

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

The net was laid out perfectly. The currents were just right. The corks jerked hard. They could feel him move the boat. The way the corks were going under, it was obviously an enormous king. His massive tail tugged on the lead line as they pulled in the net. The captain and the crew pulled this king over the gunwale onto the floor of the boat. Instead of the net pullers clubbing this king though, the king knocked them out, gave the captain two black eyes, took the keys to the motor and jumped back in the water! Then this giant king went down the net and picked out all the fish that were still in the net and let them go free!
A true story
The devil was set to make the greatest catch of his career. It was not a mere man he would catch; this time he wanted a king. He would not settle for a preacher or a prophet, he was after the Son of God.
The Bible relates to us how the devil entered into Judas Iscariot. Then Judas turned face on Jesus. Perhaps you are very familiar with that part of the story. Surely the princes of hell must have squealed with delight as they saw Jesus captured, tortured, and humiliated. Their net was closing in on him. The very Messiah, God manifest in the flesh, was about to become a trophy of hell.
The corks went under
Every fallen angel and Satan himself must have been cheering as our Lord Jesus trudged the path to Calvary. When the spikes were driven through our God, great cheers must have arisen from the pit. It appeared that Jesus was completely caught. In a short time, he would be joining them in the place of the dead.
They could not have known that not only would they lose this fish, but that this fish would shatter their world. For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory (I Corinthians 2:8). What hell failed to understand about Jesus is that death could not hold him.
The king hits the deck of the boat
When Jesus left this life and descended into the place of the dead, hell, he took it by storm. He didn't lie down and take licks from the devil and his imps. Instead, he stepped to the very pulpit of hell and began to preach to those disobedient souls who lived on earth when Noah preached (I Peter 3:19-20). Then Jesus took the keys to death and hell away. And as he strode out of hell and ascended back into the land of the living, these words echo across time, I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). The apostle, Paul, would later ask this question, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (I Corinthians 15:55).
Other fish set free
Jesus entered Satan's snare for one reason. He wanted to set men free from sin. For the joy that was set down before him [he] endured the cross... (Hebrews 12:2). When Jesus came back from the dead, he didn't come back alone. He purchased our salvation with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
The King of Kings allowed himself to be crucified so that he might speak victory over our lives. When the King of Kings beat down the devil and the forces of hell, he didn't come out of that tomb alone. The alcoholic and drug addict would come out of the tomb of their lives and live again. Dried up marriages that seemed beyond hope would be restored and flourish. Abused and broken people would rise up in victory and walk out of the tombs of bitterness and depression.
This is a fish story that we never get tired of hearing. It just gets bigger by the telling. Every time someone repents of their sins and is born of the water and the spirit, another fish is coming out of the net. It is awesome.
If you feel like a fish stuck in a net, remember Jesus has been there before. He wants to set you free. He can set you free. Ask him. Not only does he hear you, but he knows exactly where you are. Reach out and touch him, and he will deliver you.
Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Do you have

Running Water?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

This happened many years ago. The elder had grown up in the old ways. He had worked hard all of his life. He would have remembered the first time he saw an airplane, the first snow machine, four-wheeler, and the first pickup truck. He would have remembered the days when the village got its first telephone. Perhaps he has now lived long enough to see the internet. Things had changed greatly in his days. When I stood in his house, they were about to change one more time.

The village was getting hooked up with water and sewer. No longer would bathtubs be used to store chainsaws and mops. Slop buckets and honey buckets were on the verge of extinction. The beautiful government subsidized outhouses would be converted into small storage sheds.

A difficult choice

The old man stood in the midst of his home and boldly declared, "They can hook me up to water and sewer, but I'm not getting that hot water bottle". ("Hot water bottle" is the term he used for a hot water heater).

Being a young man, it was not my place to say anything to him. I grew up with hot and cold running water, but I have also lived without running water. And I have lived with only cold running water. If it wasn't for the respect commanded by his age, I would have told him, "I've lived both ways. Trust me. You want the hot water bottle. If you get it, you will never regret it, and you will thank me for encouraging you to get it until the day that you die."

I don't know if the old man ever got a water heater installed in his house. If he did, I can guarantee you that he never wanted to go back to the old way.

Running water in the Bible

Jesus likened the Holy Ghost to running water. When he met a woman who had come to draw water at a well, he began to talk to her. He struck up a conversation with these words, "Give me a drink" (John 4:7). He was trying to reach out for her soul. She was just there to get water. Jesus told her that if she understood what was going on, she would have come straight to him and asked him for water. If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (4:10 NKJV). Living water means flowing water, or running water. The gift of God is none other than the gift of the Holy Ghost that we read about in Acts 2.

Jesus likened the gift of the Holy Ghost to the running water again at the Feast of Tabernacles. On that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:37-38). Then look at the note that John includes in verse 39. This removes all doubt about what Jesus was talking about. It also shows us that the Holy Ghost would not be poured out until after the death, burial, and resurrection. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was con yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified).

When running water came to Jerusalem

We can pinpoint the very day that Jerusalem was hooked up with running water. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his disciples to wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). He also explained that this power would be in the form of running water, the Holy Ghost. You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1:8). About a week later, as they were waiting in Jerusalem and praying, the running water came. It was the day of Pentecost, 29 A.D. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

They set out to plumb the whole world

The Day of Pentecost (this year it falls on June 4) was the beginning of the church. From there they set out to get the whole world hooked up to running water. Recent well documented research indicates that as many as 500 million people have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in the last 100 years. Are you one of them?

Do you have running water?

Receiving the Holy Ghost with the Biblical evidence of speaking in tongues is available to whoever is thirsty for it. If you have not experienced Jesus in this way, I urge you. I've lived both ways. Trust me. You want the gift of the Holy Ghost. If you get it, you will never regret it, and you will thank me for encouraging you to get it until the day that you die.

Call to get your running water hooked up

If ye being evil give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Tad Lindley is Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

The right way

to deal with Dracula

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

When I was a kid, they had a Dracula book in the school library. It was a comic book version. Most of the boys had checked it out and read it. After perusing the pictures, we all knew how to deal with Dracula, a cross. In the stories, a person holding up the cross would ward him off.

Many years later, I happened to be counseling a young man. I will call him Jim, although that was not his name. Jim was incarcerated. It was his first time to be in jail. He was quite shaken by the experience. Before we parted Jim gave me one request, "Can you get me a cross?" I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. "A cross, I need a cross, you know like a wooden cross or a plastic or metal one". Slowly it all began to come together for me. My friend was looking for a replica of the cross, because he was scared. He thought that a cross had some sort of spiritual power to protect him. Similar to the way an idolater might carry around the foot of a dead rabbit with the belief that it would bring them good luck.

I tried to explain to Jim about Jesus and the power in the name of Jesus and prayer, but it was of no use. He was convinced that he needed a cross. He was the victim of too much Dracula and had confused fiction with truth.

The truth about Dracula

I hope this is not a shock to you, but Dracula was not real. At least the vampire business is not real. Folks laying around all day dead and them coming back to life at night to convert others to their bloodsucking lifestyle, that is the figment of Bram Stoker's imagination. I would not even mention it, except that there is a real life counterpart to Dracula, the devil. Instead of drawing blood from us though, he would desire to draw out our soul until we have completely lost out with God.

Making the devil turn tail and run

A plastic cross is powerless against the devil, but we can beat him. The Bible tells us this: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Perhaps you've heard this before. It is commonly quoted. Unfortunately we've both seen a lot of people who did their best resisting the devil, only to be found stumbling around drunk in short order. Perhaps they have been quite vocal about their conversion, but before long they were coming home from the gambling house at sunrise after all night card games.

What went wrong? They failed to heed the first part of the verse, Submit yourselves therefore to God. No plastic crosses, no silver bullets, no lucky rabbits feet, no wooden stakes through the heart, just "submit yourselves to God, and resist the devil". The problem is that submitting to God requires a whole lot more of us than simply carrying around a rabbit's foot in our pocket. As humans, we are looking for an easier softer way. Unfortunately there is none.

Not a cross, but the Cross

When we read in the Bible about the cross, it is a reference to Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. The early church was exclusively Jewish. They would in no way have ever considered making with their own hands a replica of the cross that Jesus was hung on. They lived by God's word: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. (Exodus 20:4 NIV) (This is the same reason that we have no statues or pictures of Jesus until long after his death. He was Jewish and they did not have their pictures painted).

The cross that we need is not made by the hands of men. It was made by the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is through identifying with him that we can have victory.

Take up your cross daily

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) Jesus teaches us to deny ourselves and serve him. When we hold this kind of cross in the face of the devil, he has to flee. If we will not submit to God there is nothing formed by the hands of man that can save us. Do not settle for a cheap substitute, demand the real thing, and victory will be yours.

Tad Lindley is Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

We must be

unsaved to be saved

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Thousands of people were gathered around. The power of God had fallen as never before. One hundred twenty people including Jesus' closest disciples, Jesus' brothers, and his mother had been praying. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2-4)

People drew near to investigate what was happening. Peter and the other eleven disciples stood up among the crowd. Peter began to preach (his whole sermon is recorded in Acts 2:14-40).

Keep in mind that Peter was preaching to the Jewish people. They all woke up that morning believing that as God's chosen people they were saved. After all, they had endeavored to live by the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. Little did they know that by noon they would come to understand that they really were not saved, but very lost. And that by sunset they would come to experience true Bible salvation.

Peter un-saves them

Scripture bears out that they only thought they were saved. Peter began to preach about who Jesus really is. Then he told the thousands gathered there, God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). This is seems strange since none of the listeners had held the hammer that pounded the nails. It was Roman soldiers who actually drove the spikes through Jesus and lifted him up on the cross. Peter is referring to the fact that the people gathered in Jerusalem for Passover had called out for Pilate to have Jesus crucified.

As Peter preached, he held up a mirror to their faces. Suddenly men and women in the crowd began to see their shame laid out before them. They realized that they were not saved. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37)

Becoming un-saved saved them

These people realized that their comfortable world was an illusion. Peter's preaching proved to them that they were not really saved after all. Something broke in their hearts that let them see themselves as God saw them: lost.

As soon as they came to the realization that they were not saved, the hardness of their hearts was broken. Eight weeks earlier they had cried out, "Crucify him!" and "Let his blood be upon us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:22, 25) As Peter preached the word of God, they began to see their sin with the same repulsion that God sees it. As one by one, they began to see that they in fact were not saved, but lost the cry went up, "What shall we do?"

But I was born in the Brand X Church

"That's good for them, they needed it", someone might say, "but I was born in the Brand X Church and grew up there. I am going to be saved." In the year 29 A.D., you couldn't get any closer to God than to be born a descendent of the children of Israel. These were God's chosen people, and yet they were not saved. If we think that we can be saved simply by having grown up attending a certain brand of church we are on dangerous ground. When three thousand of these people saw that simply being born Jewish was not enough, revival broke out in Jerusalem.

I must be unsaved

Until we can let go of our pride, we cannot become unsaved. We will continue to think that we can do it all on our own. Friend, if the Bible is correct, even the good things we do will never be able to save us. We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags... (Isaiah 64:6) Until we realize that we cannot save ourselves, we will be forever lost. But when we come before God with that honest admission that our life is a mess, we place ourselves in a position to be saved!

How did the unsaved get saved?

You can pick up the story in Acts 2:38. Don't stop there though. Read the entire Book of Acts. It tells how the church spread, and how people became saved. The rest of the New Testament, Romans through Revelation 3, tells us what we need to do to stay saved. If you do not have a Bible, contact your pastor, and he will provide you with one. Don't take my word for it, read it for yourself.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

The night God

tried to murder Moses

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

At the age of forty, Moses committed a murder. In an effort to help the Hebrews in Egypt, he murdered an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. He thought his crime had no witnesses, but soon he was fleeing from Egypt to save his own life. (Exodus 2:11-15)

For the next forty years, Moses tended sheep in the wilderness. He married and had a son, Gershom. At about eighty years of age, the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He called Moses to go back to Egypt and lead his people out of slavery. After some hemming and hawing, Moses agreed to go. (Exodus 3-4)

A murder narrowly averted

The Bible is very brief concerning the event. Here is what we can piece together. Moses, his wife Zipporah, and Gershom were headed back to Egypt. They made camp for the night. There the Lord came with the express intent of murdering Moses. And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. (Exodus 4:24 NKJV)

The bizarre motive

What caused the Lord to attempt murder? Why would he go through all the work of reaching Moses through the burning bush only to strike him down as he was doing God's will?

Without putting the Lord on the witness stand, all we have is circumstantial evidence. Here is the sum total of the evidence that we have: Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, "Surely you are a husband of blood to me!" So He [God] let him [Moses] go. Then she said, "You are a husband of blood!"- because of the circumcision. (Exodus 4:25-26 NKJV)

The impending murder was narrowly avoided when Gershom was circumcised. God was going to kill Moses, because he had failed to circumcise his son.

A random act of violence?

God is not prone to random acts of violence. In scripture, he does not tear down a man that he has anointed for a purpose. Men fall because of their own foolishness. When King Saul fell, it was because of his pride. When King David fell, it was because of the lust of his flesh. When King Solomon fell, it was because he began to serve other gods. The only reason that Moses was nearly destroyed is because he must have disobeyed the Lord.

Moses' disobedience

Just as Cain failed the Lord with an inappropriate sacrifice in the early days, Moses also failed. The evidence in scripture indicates that Gershom, Moses' son, should have been circumcised but was not. This practice, which quickly distinguished Hebrews from Gentiles began with Abraham (see Genesis 17).

Is circumcision really that big of a deal?

Apparently it was to God. Moses knew what God had commanded: And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant (Genesis 17:14). It was so important to God that he was willing to wipe Moses off the face of the earth and wait patiently for another man to rise to His calling.

Can we be saved without circumcision?

Yes and no. We do not need circumcision of the flesh, but we do need circumcision of the heart. In fact in the New Testament circumcision is replaced by repentance and baptism. Baptism means the putting underwater of a person (see Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 8:12&16, 19:5, 22:16, Galatians 3:27). Look at this passage from Colossians. In Him [Jesus] you were all also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by the putting off the body of sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ [hang on, he's getting ready to tell us what this new circumcision is] buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:11-12 NKJV) This is the new circumcision.

Jesus loves you but...

Jesus loves all of us. He loves the saint and sinner all the same. He loved Moses when Moses turned back toward Egypt. Jesus loves all of us, but when the rubber meets the road what will really matter is did we love him. He made a way for all to be saved. The question is will we walk in it. If we walk in it, we will be saved. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:14) Moses and Zipporah repented, and did what God had asked them. Because they obeyed the Lord, they went on to see some of the greatest victories and miracles ever recorded.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

How to Keep

the Preacher Honest

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

They had gotten tired of life. One night they found themselves in a revival service. The Lord moved upon their hearts, and they found themselves repenting on their knees. Soon they were baptized in a nearby creek following the pattern set down in the Bible. They were immediately delivered from drugs and alcohol.

The wife, very excited about trying to live for God, began to attend church regularly. There was something about her that quickly caused concern among the congregation. In fact, it caused her to stick out. The poor woman didn't realize it at first. People may have held back from speaking about it to her directly, hoping that the situation would change. It didn't change. After all, she was excited about living for God, and she was so focused on that, that she wasn't concerned with how she looked or behaved at church. Eventually the congregation could put up with her disrespect no longer. It was decided that this bad behavior would have to be confronted head on.

Face to face, they asked her to stop. What she was doing was an affront to the pastor and the church. She didn't see others doing it, and neither should she, they said.

What was she doing? I couldn't believe this when I heard about it, but I heard portions of it straight from the woman. What stirred people up, is that she was bringing her Bible to church. They told her it was disrespectful to the pastor to bring a Bible. A Bible, they said, was evidence that you didn't trust the pastor.

Run the other way

When a preacher asks people not to read the Bible, he has something to hide. Either he is adding to the word of God or taking away from it. If you find yourself in such a situation, run the other direction.

When a preacher says something that contradicts the Bible, one of them is wrong. Is the Bible wrong, or the preacher? Obviously it is the preacher that is wrong. Unless you read your Bible though, you will never know if a preacher has contradicted God. The Bible was not written for just the preacher, but it exists for all of us.

God wants everyone to read the Bible

The Bible is God's word for us. It contains everything we need to grow in Him (II Timothy 3:16). The Lord wants you to read the Bible. Consider the following verses of scripture:

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NKJV) How can we teach them to our children if we do know what they are? How will we know what they are if we do not read them?

On that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38) How can we believe on Jesus "as the scripture hath said", if we don't know what the scripture hath said? Unless we read it for ourselves, or listen to the Bible on tape, we will be subject to believe bad preaching.

I heard a preacher say...

Many strange and unscriptural things have been preached from pulpits. This has been going on for almost 2,000 years. Within 25 years of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), the gospel was being corrupted. The word of God addresses this in Galatians. But though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (1:8)

Unless we read our Bible, we will have no idea what the gospel was that the apostles preached. We leave the door open for a preacher to pass off his own thoughts as the word of God. (You will find actual sermons preached by the apostles in the book of Acts. There you will also find the way believers responded to the gospel. I recommend we all compare this with our own experiences in God).

Would I lie to you?

Yes. The ability to lie is within all human beings. When I preach, or write, do not believe me. Check out what I say. Don't compare me with what you think, or what your pastor thinks, or with what the history books say. Compare me with what the word of God says.

Tad Lindley is Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

The last piece of walrus

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

The last time we had walrus, I ate at half speed. I savored every chunk of skin and blubber. Walrus taste like the ocean to me. Alongside bowhead muktuk, it is my favorite sea food. When we know we might not have something again for a long, long time, we tend to slow down and enjoy it.

If we lived closer to the ocean this might not be the case. None of the stores in Bethel sell walrus. We are limited to those rare occasions when someone blesses us with it.

If we can eat something whenever we want, it can lose its specialty. Take salmon for example. Don't get me wrong, I love salmon, I eat it whenever I want to. The Lord has blessed us with an abundance of it. Because I have it all the time though, it is no longer a big deal. Some places aren't as blessed as we are. We read about folks in Seattle that will pay upwards of $20 per pound for the fish that are readily available to us.

Let me get away from home for a week or so, and I get really hungry for fish. I have even bought farm raised Atlantic salmon in the grocery store while traveling.

The danger of abundance

When we are around something all the time, there is a danger that we will take it for granted. I suppose if we had a freezer full of walrus, it might not taste as good to me any more. Right now I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but if I knew it would never run out, I suspect that I would only eat it once a week.

Abundance at Ephesus

On Paul's second trip to Ephesus, there was great revival. It started with John the Baptist's followers. They had not heard the gospel. When Paul preached to them, they were immediately re-baptized, this time in the name of the Lord Jesus. As Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19). There were many healings. Within two years the power of God had fallen so heavy in Ephesus that those involved in witchcraft brought their books worth 50,000 silver pieces and burned them. So vigorously did the church grow that the idol industry was threatened, causing a riot to break out. As the church of 2006, we ought to hunger for that same power of God to sweep over the Calista region.

Taking God for granted

The day came in Ephesus when they began to take the power of Jesus for granted; so much so that they left off fanning the flames of the Holy Ghost. The Ephesians began to drift toward other things. They figured that the power of God would never run out, but it did.

We read about the church at Ephesus some years later. In the Revelation, the Lord described the sad state of affairs: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love, remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works... (Revelation 3:4-5). Their first love, Jesus, became too familiar to them. Instead of continuing to build that love, they took it for granted.

Is there an Ephesus spirit about us?

The same thing has happened to many individual Christians across time. We refer to it as backsliding. If we knew that Communist troops would drive tanks down the streets of Bethel next week and burn down every church in town, churches would be packed this weekend. People would sing enthusiastically. Those that have been too ashamed to lift their hands in prayer would raise them high (I Timothy 2:8). Preachers would pray and fast in preparation. It is possible that quiet and subdued sanctuaries might experience the thunderous roar of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). People would be savoring it just like the last piece of walrus.

There's not as much walrus in the freezer as you think

Unfortunately, many believe that the opportunity to serve God will always be available to us. This is not true. The Lord said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man..." (Genesis 6:3).

The time has come for those of us who consider ourselves Christians to shake off the sleepiness of Ephesus and live for God like there will be no tomorrow. We ought to come into Sunday morning church as excited as we do on Sunday night. If our church doesn't have a service mid-week, we should pester our pastor until he starts one. When a person is hungry for something, he can eat it again and again. Let us be hungry for worship and preaching.

Yes, we can tire of even our favorite food, but we should never get tired of Jesus. Savor him as if this will be your last chance this side of glory.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church

Gospel of Judas: 67th Book of the Bible, or Historical Fiction?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

About 1700 years ago, a scribe copied an older manuscript. The work today is being called "The Gospel of Judas". It is an odd name. Gospel means "good news". Of the twelve in Jesus' inner circle, Judas was the one who completely rejected the good news that Jesus spoke.

The Gospel of Judas

The manuscript was written in Coptic, a language widely used in Egypt from about 200-1100 AD. Because it was in such terrible condition when discovered, it has been restored with extreme difficulty. Even restored, many lines of text are missing. The manuscript in question was copied about 300 AD. The original version is thought to have been written prior to 180 AD.

Other "would be" gospels

This Gospel of Judas is not alone. There are other "gospels" among the ancient literature. They include the gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, Truth, and Philip. There is actually a wide body of ancient writings associated with early Christians. For various reasons, they are not accepted as scripture. All scripture is given by inspiration of God...(II Timothy 3:16). The "little g gospels" fall were given by inspiration of man.

A test: Does it come from God?

There is a simple test to determine if an idea, a dream, or a book is from God. If we compare it with the word of God, does it agree or disagree? If an angel comes to me and tells me that people can be saved by shaking the preacher's hand, then I know that is not from God. It does not stand up against the scriptures that teach repentance, and water and spirit baptism as essential for salvation (see Luke 13:1-5, John 3:1-5).

The Bible encourages us to test things to see whether they are from God. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1 NIV). The book of Galatians gives us this strong warning: But though we [the apostles], or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached, let him be accursed (1:8). Even if Paul or Peter were to come to us with a message that differed from what they preached in the Bible, then we should disregard the message.

The shape shifting Jesus

In the Gospel of Judas, they have Jesus as a shape shifter. Often he did not appear to his disciples as himself, but he was found among them as a child. As God, Jesus can do anything. As the Son of Man, we find him confined to human limitations such as appetite and thirst (Matthew 4). We also know from the Bible that Jesus grew up as any normal human: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man (Luke 2:52).

The alternative version

The Gospel of Judas presents a strange series of events preceding Jesus' death. It exalts Judas as being a hero handpicked by Jesus. In this alternative version, Judas is the top disciple. He is on a secret mission when he goes to the priests to get the 30 silver coins. In fact, in the Gospel of Judas, the priests approach Judas while he is in the prayer room. The Gospel of Judas overlooks the fact that Judas committed suicide in the end, not coming to repentance as Peter did.

Compare this with the Bible. In the Bible, Judas was a thief (John 12:6), not the top disciple. Peter was probably the lead disciple (see Matthew 16:18-19). According to the Bible, Judas turned himself completely over to the devil, not to Jesus: Then Satan entered into Judas... (Luke 22:3). In the Bible Judas is not a disciple making a supreme sacrifice, he is a man who went so deep in sin that he became a pawn of hell.

Grade: F

The Gospel of Judas does not pass the test. Don't worry about having to go out and get a new Bible. While it may be worthwhile to those interested in history, to our walk with God the Gospel of Judas is irrelevant. It falls into that library of ancient writings that will one day pass forever away. In the end, there will only be one book left standing. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever. That is the book upon which we should base our hope and existence.

If you have internet, you can access the Gospel of Judas at the following address: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/judastxt.pdf

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Does God make people gay and then destroy them?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

We often hear the politically correct thought on the issue of homosexual lifestyles, but we seldom hear what scripture has to say. This is my attempt to present the awesome hope and love that the Lord has for all people.

Somewhere in a magazine article or a newspaper, I saw an anti-gay demonstrator holding up a sign that read, "God Hates Gays". That eats me up. Not much makes me madder than when people misrepresent Jesus. I wish that fellow was holding up a sign that read, "God Hates Pride" (Proverbs 6:17), or "God Hates Discord" (Proverbs 6:19). That would have been Biblically correct.

God loves all people

When the Pharisees caught Jesus hanging out with sinners, they called him on it. Their thought was this: if Jesus is really God, what would he be doing hanging out with riff-raff? Jesus answered them with this powerful truth, "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance". (Luke 5:31-32) Jesus hates sin, but he loves the sinner. He hates pride, but loves the proud. He hates drug addiction, but loves the drug addict.

What about Sodom and Gomorrah?

Many who would be Christian are guilty of trying to play God. Taking it upon themselves to rank the severity of sins, they have ranked homosexuality as the number one worst sin. Sodom and Gomorrah is used as supporting evidence.

Genesis 19 describes the terrible conditions in Sodom. That, however, was just one of many sins rampant there. What triggered their destruction was this: pride (they thought they were better than everyone else, including the Lord), abundance of idleness (grown men laying around all day playing Halo II or whatever they did back then), fullness of bread (they over ate), and failing to help the needy (Ezekiel 16:49). I'm going to stop there, because it sounds too much like America.

What makes sin, sin?

Sin is anything that is contrary to God's will. Homosexuality absolutely contradicts the word of God. The Bible states this in both the Old Testament and the New (see Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-32). When our life doesn't agree with the word of God, it makes us uncomfortable. Some get angry and continue in sin. The one who really does love the Lord though, repents.

Does God make people gay?

The Lord has indicated to us that he considers it sin. Modern thought tells us that people are born gay, just as others are born alcoholic, and others susceptible to depression. If God shuffled our genes and knew us from our mother's womb, then there seems to be contradiction. How could a loving God make us, and then declare us flawed and destined for destruction?

This is the Bible's explanation: our sin is not from God, it is from man. When Adam took the fruit out of the woman's hand and ate it, he caused sin to enter humanity. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin... (Romans 5:12). When we live out of God's plan, we are following in the footsteps of Adam.

We cannot change...

The common thought is that once we have embraced a homosexual lifestyle, we cannot change. That is 100% correct. We cannot change, but we can be changed. There is One who can change us. Jesus said, "With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).

Leaving the past behind

In the New Testament Church, people who were formerly homosexual left that lifestyle behind. The letter to the church in Corinth proves it. Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10 NIV) It sounds hopeless. But look at the very next verse: And that is what some of you were. There were people in the early church who were delivered from all of the above forms of sin! And that same delivering and changing power is still available today.

Here's how they were changed

They repented of their sin. They were washed through baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they were made right and set apart by the Spirit of our God. And this is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11 NIV). This is the same way that we can be changed today. Regardless of how we were born or what choices we have made in the past, a more abundant life awaits us in Jesus!

Tad Lindley is Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Reverse A.D.D.: He caught the train, but lost the baby

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Jonathan Sander may be forced to pay a $500 and spend 30 days in jail. His crime: child neglect.

In many large cities, people park outside the city and ride a train downtown to work. Such is the case in this story. According to the Associated Press, in the process of parking the car and going into the station, Mr. Sander forgot his seven and a half month old daughter in the car.

Perhaps he could see the train coming into the station as he pulled into his parking place. He might have had a big day ahead of him in Washington D.C. It may be that issues of the previous day were still weighing on him. Something had such great command of his attention, that Mr. Sander grabbed his things, stepped out of the car, locked the doors and stepped onto a train.

Somewhere over the next 12 miles of train track he was hit by the horrible realization that his baby was not with him. He got off at the next stop, and caught the next train heading north. By the time he returned to his parked car, the car had been forcibly entered, and the baby was gone.

Reverse ADD

When I was young they called kids with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), "hyperactive". These were the kids whose attention span was so short that a fly crawling on the ceiling would get them sidetracked and the teacher would have to spend the next thirty minutes getting them to focus. A friend of mine pointed out that in some adult men the opposite condition sets in, Reverse ADD. In Reverse ADD the man becomes so focused on what he is doing, that the rapture could happen and he wouldn't notice until he needed to buy a tool from somebody.

RADD is rampant

I can't help but wonder if Reverse ADD is what got Mr. Sander in trouble. Perhaps other men besides me know that on a bad day we too might have gotten so focused on one single thing until we forgot our child. If your wife read this first, did you hear her say, "Amen"?

Reverse ADD and the Bible

Jonah had it when he went down into the bowels of the ship and slept while the men on deck were fighting for their lives (Jonah 1:5). Eli had a bad case. He was so focused on his job that he lost his sons. When he snapped out of it, he found that they were using force to rob people coming to the temple (I Samuel 2:16). Not only that, they were adulterous (2:22). King David had Reverse ADD. He was so focused on his duties as King, that he lost sight of his children. His son, Amnon, raped his own sister, Tamar (II Samuel 13). Amnon was murdered, by his brother Absalom. Then Absalom rebelled against his father, King David. In the end, Absalom lost his own life.

Our children and Reverse ADD

One time I looked at my finances. I had it worked out that if my wife and I would both work full time, our mortgage could be paid off in ten years. Then at the end of a church service when people were gathered at the front, each one praying I heard from the Lord. He showed me my plan to get ahead financially. Then he showed me the end of it: my wife and I alone in a house that was paid for, and our children gone. All that hard work and sacrifice for a house at the expense of taking time for our kids. It was a price that I decided I would not pay.

What train are you trying to catch?

If our family is not near the top of our list, what train are we trying to catch? Is all the pleasure of nightly bingo worth it if our kids are going from house to house looking for somebody else to give them love and attention? Would I take a higher paying job if it meant less time at home? Am I so busy helping other people that my children go to bed without their Bible reading and prayer? As a good friend of mine says, "It doesn't take a whole village to raise a child, it takes two parents who will love them and spend time with them."

At the end of our days, no amount of money will bring comfort. The most important thing is this: will I be saved? And the second is just like it: was I able to break away from focusing on material things and entertainment long enough to spend time with my kids?

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Hezekiah: "Go ahead,

castrate my kids"

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

It was a startling move for a man who has seen miracles. In response to the prophecy that his sons would become eunuchs (castrated male servants) in Babylon, King Hezekiah issued the following statement: "Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken." He said moreover, "For there shall be peace and truth in my days". (Isaiah 39:8) In other words, Hezekiah said, "Go ahead castrate my kids, as long as my life goes well".

Realize that God had extended this man's life. When he lay on his deathbed, the King turned toward the wall and prayed. He pled with God to spare his life. The Lord added fifteen years to his life! Not only that, he confirmed this miracle by making the sun's shadow go backwards (Isaiah 38-39, II Kings 19-20).

A man devoted to God

When we talk about Hezekiah then, we are talking about a man who knew the power and blessings of God. Besides his miraculous healing he had seen spiritual victories. Under his Kingship the Temple was restored. The people again began to worship in the old ways. The Passover was celebrated again. Idols were destroyed. It was a tremendously exciting time in Israel. (II Chronicles 29-31)

Blessed by God in battle

Hezekiah won a critical battle against Assyria. He did not even have to fire a single arrow. As the Assyrian army lay sleeping in preparation for a certain victory against Jerusalem the Lord intervened. The angel of the Lord went through the Assyrian camp and in one night 185,000 soldiers perished. (II Kings 19)

Being rich not all it's cracked up to be

In spite of his blessing and favor from God, Hezekiah failed. When Hezekiah walked away from his death bed with fifteen extra years, he received some visitors. Their mission was simply one of condolence. The Prince of Babylon sent some men with a get well message.

Hezekiah began to show off his wealth. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not (II Kings 20:13). When the visitors went back home, they told the King of Babylon about the wealth of Hezekiah.

The Babylonians made up their minds that they would return as a war party, and take all of Hezekiah's wealth. This is when Hezekiah received the prophecy. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (II Kings 20:17-18)

It's all about me

You would think that a man, who prayed fervently for his own life, would do the same for his children. The same God that gave him fifteen extra years could easily save his sons. Strangely though, Hezekiah does not pray for his nation or his children. He simply says, "Go ahead, and castrate my kids. Kill my country. As long as I'm not around to see it, it's fine with me".

Don't call me Hezekiah

We need to intervene in prayer for our own children daily. There is a spiritual Babylon out there that threatens to destroy our children. It would be a good wake up call for all of us to read the song titles on the music our young people are listening to. Are the lyrics to the songs in agreement with the teachings of the Bible? We are up against an agenda in the music and movie industry that is often completely opposite to the teachings of Jesus.

In some churches in our region there is hardly anyone under the age of 50 in church on Sunday morning. We ought to be broken over this. Our children need parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents who care about their souls.

The church of the living God has no place for Hezekiahs. We need men and women who will turn toward the wall and plead with God. Not for our own lives, but for the salvation of our children.

I am alive today, because somebody took the time to pray for me. Many reading this could say the same thing. Let us not be content to have our own life, but let us rise up in prayer for those that are coming after us.

Tad Lindley is Youth pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Easter is coming and the

calendar is getting confusing

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Take this quick quiz. Next to each holiday, write down the date or day of the week upon which that holiday is celebrated:

Example: Thanksgiving: last Thursday in November

1. Christmas: ________

2. Independence Day: ________

3. Leap year: ________

4. April fool's day: ________

5. New Year's Day: ________

6. Memorial Day: ________

7. Veteran's Day: ________

%. Chief Eddie Hoffman Day:______?__

9. Valentine's Day: ________

10. Easter:________

All of the holidays except Easter appear to fit a logical pattern. Christmas is celebrated on December 25 or January 7 depending on which calendar you use. July Fourth is Independence Day. Every fourth February we add a 29th day. April Fool's day and New Year's fall on the first of April and January. Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. November 11 is Veteran's Day. Chief Hoffman Day is the second Friday in December, and Valentine's Day is February 14.

What about Easter?

Easter doesn't seem to make much sense. It doesn't fall on the same day every year. It doesn't even fall on the same month. To the modern American calendar, the only thing consistent about Easter is that it is on a Sunday. This year it falls on Sunday the 16th of April.

Who is responsible for this?

God is. In or about the year 29 A.D., Jesus Christ was crucified. That same afternoon his body was laid in a tomb. Three days later, he was resurrected from the dead. This resurrection occurred on the day after the Jewish Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday. This means that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday.

The Jewish calendar

The Sunday that Jesus came forth from the grave was directly after the Jewish feast of Passover. For this reason, the timing of Easter is always strictly tied to the Jewish calendar.

Our calendar is 365 days long. Since the time it takes the sun to go around the earth is about six hours longer than that, we have a 366 day year every four years. The Jewish calendar had 354 days in it. So they fell behind pretty quickly. About every three years, they added a "leap month" to make up for all of those missed days.

God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover feast in the middle of the month of Nisan (Leviticus 23:5). Depending upon how the Jewish calendar plays out Easter falls somewhere in the months of March or April.

"Easter" not in most Bibles

Interestingly, the word Easter is not in most Bibles. It does appear in the King James Version (Acts 12:4), but the Greek word is actually pascha, which is everywhere else in the Bible translated as "Passover". We have no biblical record of the Church setting aside a day once a year to celebrate the resurrection. Instead we see in the Book of Acts, that for them Easter was a daily thing, with perhaps a special emphasis put on Sunday (Revelation 1:10).

Fight back against this calendar confusion

Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus daily. Every time we gather together with other believers, there should be an Easter celebration. Christianity is based on the resurrection of Jesus. This very truth is the foundation of our salvation. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to all of us. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) For this reason, we can all be saved. The power that raised Jesus from the dead delivers us from addictions, from perverse life choices, from bitterness, depression, and disappointment. Don't wait until April 16th, celebrate it today!

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Awesome testimony: you may feel as small as a grain of sand, but Jesus knows exactly where you are!

http://www.apostolicartists.com/portal/bands/126//music.php, scroll down until you get to the testimony entitled "Lady at a Restaurant", then hit play.

Caught being Christian

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

"I'll tell you everything you need to know about your brother-in-law". We were on the porch in the steam bath. He was bragging on my family. I was listening intently. "One time I ran out of gas just above Nick O. Nick's", he continued. "I didn't try to wave anybody down. I just set an empty gas jug up where they could see it. Lots of guys passed by. Didn't even stop to see if I was okay. Then your brother-in-law came by. He pulled right up to me. I only needed a gallon to make it back to Bethel, but he gave me five gallons, wouldn't take anything in return." Then my friend concluded, "That's all you need to know about your brother-in-law".

Our heart will tell on us

Sometimes we hear folks say, "I don't care what anybody thinks about me. God looks on the heart; it says so in the Bible!" The Bible does say that God looks on the heart, but let us look at more of that verse: ...for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7 NKJV) When we plead the "God looks on the heart" defense, what we usually mean is this: "Leave me alone and let me do things the way I want to". This is a very dangerous place to be. When our heart actually is right with God, we will change on the outside. Not only will God see it on inside, but men will see it on the outside.

While my friend was out of gas waiting for someone to help, many people passed by. There was something in the heart of the one that stopped to help. His heart told on him by his actions. If we are trying to be Christians, our heart will tell on us in the same way.

Christian jewelry

Jesus told us that if we are His follower, our light should shine before men. Many people today seek to make themselves look good with makeup, jewelry, body piercing, tattoos, changing hair color, changing eye color, etc. The same was true in Jesus' day. Women wove gold into their hair, and people used a wide variety of metal ornaments on their bodies to make themselves look attractive.

The Bible urges us to get rid of those things and put on Christian jewelry. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. (1 Peter 3:3 NIV) Christian jewelry is defined in the next verse: rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. (3:4) When we are caught being a Christian, it will do a whole lot more for our outward appearance than any plastic surgeon will ever be able to do.

Caught being a hypocrite

When the Lord has really changed our heart, we will from time to time get caught being Christian. It should never be a secret to anyone if we are a Christian. Amen? I'm not talking about just going to church and raising our Holy hands when we pray. The Bible teaches us to do both of those things (Hebrews 10:25, I Timothy 2:8), but those can easily be faked. Jesus spoke of a time when people who had look Christian on the outside, but really weren't would be called to question. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23)

Caught being a Christian

Being sent away from the face of Jesus is a horrible thought. Our only hope is that the Lord would catch us being a Christian. Later in Matthew Jesus describes to us how we can be caught being Christian. He could look at our heart, but he won't need to. If our heart is sold out to him, it will be obvious in our actions. We will ask him, "Lord, when did you catch us being Christian? He will say: I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to me. (Matthew 25:35-36)

Jesus goes on tell us that when we do those things to people who cannot pay us back, then we are doing it for Him. It would do us all good to ask ourselves, "When is the last time that Jesus caught me being Christian?"

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Should we hunt

and fish on Sunday?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

The young man said, "I wish I had been born in Qugyugnek [name changed to protect the innocent]. Then I could go hunting on Sunday." You see the village he lived in did not permit hunting on Sundays.

When my grandmother grew up, they did as little work as possible on Sunday. They would even split Sunday's firewood on Saturday. The State of Ohio where I grew up actually had Sunday closures for hunting.

Where does it come from?

In the Old Testament, the Lord commanded the people to remember the Sabbath. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work... (Deuteronomy 20:9-10) The Israelites were also commanded to let their farmland rest every seventh year (Deuteronomy 23:10-12). The penalty in the Old Testament for breaking this rule was death (see Numbers 15:30-36). Across history, many churches have attempted to obey this command, by declaring Sunday a day of worship and rest.

The only problem with this is that the Sabbath is Saturday. In fact some organizations hold church on Saturday for that reason. If we want to follow the Old Testament, we would actually have to close hunting and fishing on Saturday, and open it on Sunday.

What does the Bible say?

The New Testament teaches us this: One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. (Romans 14:5-6, NIV) This means that it is my right as a Christian to pick one day of the week as special above all others. It also tells me that I do not have the right to criticize other people if they do it differently.

My thoughts

I personally do not hunt or fish on Sunday. It was a decision that I made when I was married. My wife's family chooses to uphold Sunday. In spite of "losing" one day a week of hunting time, the Lord has prospered us and we have never gone hungry.

Once I went logging on Sunday after morning church. I was racing to make the 6:00 service. When I burst through the doors of the church, the people were already singing and praising Him. I sat down up front and closed my eyes. All I could see was logs floating across the backs of my eyelids. When I am in church, I want to focus on Jesus. So in exercising my right concerning Sundays, I personally avoid subsistence.

The following people should not hunt on Sunday

Even though the Bible gives us liberty to choose whether we make Saturday or Sunday special there are still people who should not hunt or fish on Sunday. These are situations under which we might not have the power of choice:

1. If the village laws forbid hunting on Sunday. The Bible teaches us that we are subject unto the higher powers (Romans 13:1). This is a command from the Lord for us to follow the law of the land.

2. If our pastor has asked us not to practice subsistence on Sunday. If that bothers you, then when God makes you pastor, you can change it. Until then, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)

3. When hunting will cause us to miss church services. The Bible teaches us not skip church (Hebrews 10:25). We are free to go after morning service and before evening service, but if we believe the Bible is from God, we will not skip church (good place to say amen). An exception to this would be a long distance trip, such as moose hunting on the Holitna.

But the king eiders are only here for a few days and...

...my freezer's looking empty. It is always better to trust the Lord than to lean upon our own wisdom. If God has placed us in a village that forbids hunting on Sunday, and we

choose to obey Him, then He will provide for us. It might be on Saturday or on Monday, or even weeks away, but He will provide. Not only that, he will provide for us better than we would have provided for ourselves. We can never go wrong by following Jesus.

If you have the liberty to fish and hunt on Sundays, enjoy it. If you do not, don't be discouraged. Enjoy hunting and fishing the other six days, and set Sunday apart for the Lord. He will see your heart and honor it. And He will see your freezer and fill it!

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

The Delivering Power of Jesus

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Which of the following best describes you in your present living conditions?

1. I am fulfilled. I love life, and I look forward to each new day.

2. I am fulfilled. I love life, but sometimes I get discouraged.

3. I enjoy life a lot of the time, but there are some people and situations that frequently bother me.

4. I live for weekends and vacations. I don't like getting up in the morning.

5. I feel trapped where I am. The dreams I once had I will never achieve. If I could trade places with somebody else I would do it in a minute.

If you answered 2, 3, 4, or 5, keep reading. The Bible is full of people like you. Even Jesus Christ was not a "1" (see Matthew 26:29).

A failed friend

Peter found himself trapped. He had stabbed his best friend in the back. Shame smothered him. Instead of being a real man and saying, "Yes, I am a friend of Jesus", Peter denied Jesus. Not only that, he denied Jesus when Jesus most needed help. When the reality of what he had done hit Peter, he was crushed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75)

Jesus had every right to turn around and deny Peter. Jesus is not in the denying business though; he is in the delivering business. This same failed friend went on to be filled with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. He went forth into his world boldly preaching repentance, water baptism in Jesus' name, and power in the gift of the Holy Ghost (see the Book of Acts).

Two murderers delivered

In the Bible, a man impregnated a friend's wife. That kind of thing is not unheard of, but it gets worse. He then had the friend murdered, and married his widow. Most of us would label a guy like that as real scum. God did. He sent a preacher to confront the murderer with his sin. The murderer cried in repentance, and the Lord delivered him. His name is King David. The Bible would later refer to him as a man after God's own heart. If God can deliver King David, he can deliver us.

The New Testament records the life of a man who would drag Christians out of their homes, having them jailed or killed. It would seem that he was an agent of the devil. One day he was on his way to the city of Damascus. Jesus shone a light from heaven and the murderous one fell to the ground. Within three days, he was baptized in Jesus' name. He was filled with the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Paul went on to be the greatest missionary to the Gentiles, and the writer of about half the books in the New Testament. If God can deliver an evil man like Paul was, then he can deliver us.

Thief delivered

Today there are controls on the IRS agent. In the Bible if the IRS felt like you didn't pay enough in taxes, they would come to your home and take what they felt was appropriate. With so much power, many of them became embezzlers, taking extra from the common people and keeping it for themselves. By our standards, these guys were slimy.

A corrupt tax agent named Zacchaeus realized that his life was miserable. All the extra cash and the things it bought were doing nothing for him. He was trapped, and needed deliverance. Sensing the change in Zacchaeus' heart, Jesus went up to him and began to talk to him. Zacchaeus repented before Jesus. Jesus said, "This day has salvation come to this house...for the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost." (Luke 19:9-10).

People with sordid pasts delivered

We could go on and on. The Lord delivered a woman with an abusive husband (I Samuel 25). A castrated man was delivered through Bible study and baptism (Acts 8:26-40). Alcoholics, prostitutes, and homosexuals were delivered by the name of the Lord Jesus, and the spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

What about your life

Jesus specializes in deliverance. There is no situation that is too difficult for him to deliver you from. King David realized this when he penned the words, If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there (Psalm 139:8). When we bring the desperation of our heart to him in genuine repentance, Jesus is already there. The same God that delivered murderers, liars, thieves, backstabbers, proud, arrogant, prostitutes, and perverted is still doing it today. If you are trapped in a frustrating, unhappy life, reach for Jesus, he delivers.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Wake up and smell the ammonia

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Even as my dad was telling it to me, I made up my mind that I would do it. He warned me sternly of the consequences of disobedience, but something welled up within my four or five year old mind that took it as a challenge. I looked for my opportunity. It was not long before it presented itself. I was in the kitchen alone, with no chance of an adult walking in. I opened the cupboard beneath the sink. Among the bottles was one with a skull and cross bones. Though unable to read the labels, somehow I was able to discern which bottle contained the ammonia. Removing the cap, I placed it to my nostrils, and took a deep snort of it.

Instant repentance

If you have ever smelled ammonia up close and personal, you know what happened. It felled like somebody was jerking a chainsaw chain through my sinuses and nostrils. Instant repentance flooded over my soul. I made a covenant with my soul right then and there to never take a deep whiff of ammonia so long as I live. Without ever having to pray over the issue, I have managed over thirty more years without sniffing ammonia. God delivered me from all temptations concerning ammonia that very day so many years ago. Space will not permit, but I could relay a similar episode to you concerning Spic-N-Span™ flakes I taste tested once. I could tell of the time my dad talked to me about red hot cook stoves, and how I waited until no one was around. Those are sins of disobedience to my parents that I never have repeated.

What if all sin was like ammonia?

Imagine if the first time a person smoked a cigarette, they experienced the pain of losing their left lung. It would be a rare thing to find someone who had even smoked a pack in their entire lifetime. As it is, the pain of losing the lungs does not come until after the ten or twenty thousandth cigarette.

What about that first drink of alcohol? Many reading this will have taken that during the teenage years. Some of us have paid an extremely high price for it. What if in that first drink we experienced all the shame of a DWI, and the humiliation of our children seeing us in a stupor, and the failure of a divorce, and the confinement of handcuffs? Alcoholism would be unheard of and the Department of Corrections would have to lay people off.

Think about experiencing all the loneliness and shame of adultery after the first flirtatious glance. We might see a decline in the divorce rate.

Sin doesn't work like that

Unfortunately for us, sin is not up front. Instead, it is seductive. Sin doesn't stink in the beginning. In fact it might smell sweet. It is only after time, that sin begins to stink to us. By then it is too late to escape the price of sin. Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15 NIV) Sin draws us. Most people get steeped in sin slowly. Sin is fun in the beginning, but its payday is death (Romans 6:23). Sin is tricky. It desires to have each and every one of us. The Lord told Cain, If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7 NIV)

Sin has you trapped

Many who will read this article are trapped in sin. It has become a stink in your nostrils. Perhaps those temper tantrums from your toddler years still plague you. You fly into a rage when your spouse or your children disappoint you. Maybe those first exciting sips of homebrew in high school have turned to broken furniture, broken windows, and broken dreams in adulthood. At one time it seemed as if sin would make your dreams come true. Now it has turned on you and shattered them. Even God seems to have abandoned you.

The stink won't stop Jesus

Even if your sin has caused you to commit murder, Jesus can help you. There is only one unpardonable sin (Matthew 12:31), and you haven't committed it, so keep reading. According to the Bible, our sins are forgiven when we repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). If you don't believe me, read I Corinthians 6:9-11. It provides a list of sins that destroy the soul, only to say that the Bible church contained such people, and that they were washed from their sin. The sin that started off such fun had bankrupted them, but when they heard about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they woke up and smelled the ammonia. In the end they came out smelling like a rose, and we can too!

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Basketball part II: Fouled out

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

I'd grown up playing a variation of basketball called "33". Thirty-three is sort of like tackle basketball. The only rules are no double dribbling, and no traveling. It was every player for himself and we used whatever necessary means to prevent the opponents from scoring. It was not uncommon to see full body checking on the one with the ball. Lay ups were rare. Charging under the basket with the ball would be like carrying a bloody moose quarter through a pack of blind pit bulls.

Fast forward five years from the playground. Somebody asked me to join the team. I'd grown up on 33, so I figured I knew the basics of basketball. Our first game was at the recreation center at UAF. It was the most frustrating basketball I ever played. I was trying to drive in for a lay up or a hand off and a guy was in my way, so I just ran right over him. The refs blew the whistle and pointed at me.

I felt like I was in a foreign country. My teammates had to interpret for me what was going on. If I understand correctly, a person gets removed from the game after five fouls. That's what happened to me. That was the last basketball I played for a long time. The referees would not let me play the way I wanted to, so I just gave up on basketball.

Basketball without rules

Perhaps I might have taken the time to learn the rules of basketball, but I never did. Basketball without rules would be chaos. Likewise life without rules tends to lead to tragic choices. A lot of people will never live for God, because they do not want to conform to His rules. Too many times people have said, "I don't want any part of a God that won't let me live my life the way I want to." Imagine if the men recruited to fly the planes into the twin towers had been playing by God's rules, namely, Love thy neighbor as thyself (Mark 12:31).

Why I will never be a great ball player

Even knowing all the rules of the game is not enough. I can understand why the jump ball arrow is pointing the way it is, and whether the guy at the free throw line shoots once or twice. I can know how to approach the basket without getting called for charging. I can know the history of the game and who all the great coaches and players were. All these things might help me, but there is one problem: I cannot make baskets. I have no finesse. My form is designed to launch a basketball through a hail of flailing arms on an asphalt court, not to smoothly arc the ball in from the three point line.

How to be a great ball player

By the same token, I can know all the commandments of God and still not be a friend of God. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:14 NIV) Jesus put it like this: God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). The "spirit" of basketball is our carefully cultivated talent on the court. The "truth" of basketball is that no matter how good you are at making a lay up, you cannot run over defensemen to do it. To be a great player, one has to play hard, make baskets, get rebounds, run well, dribble well, think smart, and practice. But all of that will not matter if he is sitting on the bench ejected from the game because he could not follow the rules.

Worship him in truth

We worship Jesus in truth by knowing what the Bible says. That is the truth. We must read it as long as we can still see. We must hear the preaching of the word of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) We hear the word of God when it is preached, and our faith is developed. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Do I really have to go to listen to preaching? According to the Lord we do. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (I Corinthians 1:21)

Worship him in spirit

We may look Christian. We may even go through the motions. We might even lift our hands when we pray as recommended in the Bible (I Timothy 2:8). But our heart must be right with God. We must love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might (Deuteronomy 6:5). And we must love people: all people. We may have the truth. We might immerse people in baptism like they did in the Bible. We might call on the name of the Lord at baptism as did Peter, Paul, Phillip, and John. We might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost like they did in the Book of Acts. We may have memorized all the gifts of the spirit, all the fruit of the spirit, all the names of the prophets and apostles, but if we do not worship God in spirit we will be lost. Without loving Jesus and all people, we have nothing (I Corinthians 13:2).

Reader, you can be great in the kingdom of God. Don't foul out; worship him in spirit and in truth.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Basketball part I:

"It was bad refereeing"

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

The team was playing away games. Perhaps they were in a different village or even in Anchorage. Somehow, you missed the scores on the games. When you run into a player the first question you ask is, "How did you guys do?"

If they won, you will be in for some play by play action. But if they didn't win, you will hear a short list of the reasons that they did not win. The number one first reason I have heard over the years is, "It was because of bad refereeing". Often it is underscored with, "They were all local refs, and they were totally blind". In a different time and place, I once heard a high school basketball coach tell his players and the whole school that the reason that the team had finished in last place was because of bad refereeing.

Reasons for losing I've seldom or never heard

• They were better than us.

• They made more baskets than us.

• We missed too many baskets.

• We didn't train hard enough.

• We are out of shape.

• We made too many fouls.

• We stayed up too late the night before.

Yet the fact of the matter is that, if a game is within 10 points, we could replay it and probably pick up the missed baskets that would have brought victory even if the referees were bad.

"But they really were bad"

If every loss that has been blamed on bad refs was legitimate, it would make basketball seem as rigged as professional wrestling. Yes, there are bad calls made. And yes, referees will be biased in many cases without realizing it. Perhaps we really have played a game in which the referee did not see the foul that caused us to miss the basket at the buzzer. Unless we shot 100% the rest of the game though, the baskets we missed earlier in the game are as much to blame as the referee. If we had made any one of those, the team would have won.

Whose fault is it?

It sure is easier to blame a loss on somebody else. It is humbling to admit that the other team was better, or that off season laziness caught up to us on the court. This is not unique to basketball. As human beings, we have a tendency to blame others instead of accepting responsibility.

Ai- 36, Israel- 0

The Israelites were sure to win. They had sent out their benchwarmers, because Ai was such an easy opponent. Something went wrong. A small band of men made Israel turn and run away. Thirty-six Israelite soldiers were killed. It was a humiliating defeat. When they got home, they told Joshua. Joshua and the elders fell on their faces, threw dirt on their heads, and began to blame God (Joshua 7:6-7).

When God rewound the game tape

The Lord told Joshua to get up off his face. Then in the Coach's office God had a heart to heart with Joshua. Although they tried have laid the blame on God for their defeat, He would not allow it. He told Joshua the real reason that they lost: "Israel has sinned" (Joshua 7:11). "In the morning Joshua, I want you to get all the people together and we will review the tapes of the battle and see why you lost".

The game tapes don't lie

It was not that fourth quarter spirit of fear that over whelmed Israel. It wasn't missed fouls and a failure on God's part. As Joshua began to dissect things, the real problem came to light. It was something that happened even before the battle was joined. One of the Israelite soldiers had stolen gold, silver, and clothing during their tremendous victory at Jericho (Joshua 7:20-25). This pre-game greed came back to haunt them at Ai. This failure caused the death of 36 men, and the humiliation of Israel.

It is human nature to blame others. We see it from the Garden of Eden until this day. The fact of the matter is that the majority of our problems are not the referee's fault, and they aren't Jesus' fault. We are to blame.

It was not the teacher that failed us, it was our lack of attendance. It was not OCS that took away our children, it was our drinking. The divorce was not God's fault, it was human failings. The shrinking dividend didn't get us into trouble, it was the huge credit card debt we built up in the past.

The greatest hurdle to serving God is being able to admit our errors. As soon as we can quit blaming the Referee, and realize that we lost through our own great thinking and acting, we are on the way to becoming victorious.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

God has no grandchildren

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)

Imagine what it would be like to be the child of someone like Bill Gates, or Donald Trump. Not only would it be a promise of a new snow machine every fall, but also of a tremendous inheritance to come in the future. It would be a completely unearned blessing. Simply because you were born to parents who had come from great wealth, you too would live in the lap of luxury. Without ever having to work a single night shift, cook a single meal, haul a single five gallon bucket of water, or wash a single article of clothing, you would be able to ascend to great fortune. True it would be wealth won by somebody else's hard work and dedication, but it would one day be yours.

God's missing grandchildren

Unfortunately the same principle does not work in the kingdom of God. God has children, but he has no grandchildren. We cannot be saved by who our parents are. It is not enough simply to have been born into a religion. We must be born again into the kingdom of God. We can grow up around a church. Our parents may have been Sunday school teachers or preachers. They may have participated in miracles and served God mightily. What they did for God does not save us. We too must become a child of God.

How to become a child of God

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

According to the Bible, we do not become a child of God just by showing up. We cannot become a child of God by going through the motions. Our heart must be in it. A friend of mine had the following question on his business card: If you aren't excited about being a Christian, then you probably aren't. We must reject our old ways and receive him, and believe on his name to be considered a child of God. Read on.

Being born of God

If we understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, then we will want to obey him. Jesus tells this truth in John 3:3, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Then in John 3:5 he says, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

When Jesus spoke these words, he was talking to a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a religious man. He knew all the correct rituals and songs. He knew all 613 of the Old Testament rules, and did a very good job following them. Yet Jesus was letting Nicodemus know, that all of that was not enough. He would have to be born again. What a blow to Nicodemus' pride. Jesus gave him no room to argue: Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (John 3:7).

The way people were born again in the Bible

You will notice that Jesus told Nicodemus that there are two parts to being born again: 1. born of the water, and 2. born of the Spirit. In the New Testament, when people understood the message concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ one universal response was to be baptized (that means immersed, or dunked in water) in the name of the Lord Jesus. We read that baptism was the common response to receiving Jesus in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41), in Samaria (8:12-16), south bound on the Gaza Road (8:38), in a house in Damascus (9:18), in a soldier's home in Caesarea (10:48), in Philippi at a riverside prayer meeting and near the jailer's house (16:15, 33), in Galatia (Galatians 3:27), in Rome (Romans 6:3-4), in Corinth (Acts 18:8), and in Ephesus (19:5).

People were born of the Spirit of God for the first time in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost about 29 A.D. (Acts 2:1-4). We also find people experiencing this in Samaria after they received the message about Jesus and were baptized (8:17). Then in Caesarea before they were even baptized they were born of the Spirit (10:44). At Ephesus they were born of the spirit as they came up from baptism (19:1-7). At Corinth, people from all forms of sin were delivered when they were born of the water and the Spirit (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

Heaven's gates better than a Grandpa Gates

Our earthly parents cannot save us. Our heavenly Father can. His inheritance is greater than all the wealth of this world. Until we receive the inheritance, he wants to bless us with a meaningful life. Life in Jesus is life that is not governed by addictions, negative emotions, and destructive lifestyles, but by love, hope, and victory in the Holy Ghost. No disrespect to your biological parents, but in the words of Jesus Christ, You must be born again.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Will you take

the mark of the beast?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

As things are winding up for life as we know it, a strange phenomenon will occur. The antichrist will rise to power. This antichrist is the first beast in Revelation 13. He will have a religious leader who works closely with him. This is the second beast (13:11-18). We refer to this religious leader as "the false prophet".

The mission of the false prophet will be to redirect human worship to the antichrist. He will deceive many by the working of great wonders and miracles. The false prophet will even be able to make fire come down from heaven (13:13). He will tell people to make an image to the antichrist.

A global death penalty

Somehow the false religious leader will have the power to make the image of the antichrist speak. Much like in the days of Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego, people will be legally required to worship the image. The penalty for not worshipping the image of the beast will be death.

We may be tempted to think that we are not so foolish as to worship a statue or an image. Think again. The enemy of our souls is crafty. Jesus described it in Matthew 24:24. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. This tide of antichrist worship will rise even to claim the servants of God wherever possible. It will be hard to refrain from worshipping the antichrist. Many will die in their stand for Jesus (Rev. 20:4).

The mark

Most people will not need the threat of execution to worship the beast. In fact it will be a natural and convenient thing to do. And when the mark of the beast is introduced, for those that are worshipping the antichrist already, it will be no big deal. They will receive some sort of image stamped in their hand or on their forehead. Life will continue as usual.

For those who are worshippers of the one true God, however, things will get worse. They will be outlaws for not worshipping the antichrist. With the onset of the mark of the beast, they will be forbidden to buy or sell food, clothing, or fuel (13:17). It will be a very difficult time.

The most expensive food you will ever eat

Those who were able to survive not worshipping the image of the beast, will then be thrust into a time of severe shortage and hunger. It will be a temptation to pledge allegiance to the beast and take the mark only so that our children might not go hungry. Don't do it! The Bible indicates that there will be no salvation for those who turn from God and take the mark (Rev. 14:9-11).

Will any Christians survive this?

But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24:13) That's a good promise, but when the end means that you are beheaded while starving to death, it is hard to get excited about it. In fact, a person can get depressed contemplating this scenario. Yes, when Jesus comes for his church, those who were killed for not worshipping the beast or taking the mark will rise up from their graves (Rev. 20:4-5). But the fact remains, that they will have died a cruel death for the cause of Jesus.

Is there no hope for the Christian that is alive today? I refer you to the book of I Thessalonians. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first [this includes those killed for not taking the mark, see Revelation 20:4-5]: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (4:16-17) "Then we which are alive and remain", means that at the coming of the Lord, there are still men and women alive who have neither worshipped the antichrist nor taken his mark! Our God delivered three Hebrew men from the fiery furnace, and he will likewise deliver many from the time of the antichrist!

Will you take the mark of the beast?

If you are not living for God now, it will be harder to then. If a person cannot make it to church when the Superbowl is playing, it will be difficult to stand for Jesus when the image of the antichrist is playing. If I cannot get out of bed Sunday morning when I am free to, will I suddenly be able to when the law prevents me? When that day comes, will you take the mark of the beast?

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Why do Christians use the Old Testament Tanakh?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

After all, the Old Testament is old. It covers events that took place thousands of years ago. Those people never saw automobiles or airplanes. Not only that, the Old Testament takes up about 80% of the Christian Bible. If we didn't have the Old Testament, it would be a lot less reading that we would have to do to make it through the Bible.

"Old Testament" politically incorrect

The very term Old Testament may be unacceptable in our politically correct society. This body of writings is only known as the "Old Testament" to Christians. To those in Judaism, the "Old Testament" is really the only testament, there is no New Testament. The Old Testament is referred to as the Tanakh, or the Hebrew Bible.

Where did the Tanakh come from?

It came from the Lord. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (II Peter 1:20) The number of men that were used is unknown. Some are recognized, others are anonymous. All of them were Jewish except for one, King Nebuchadnezzar. His contribution to scripture is found in Daniel chapter 4. It is the testimony of his descent into madness, and God's delivering power. The Lord moved on these men to write and they wrote. It was originally recorded primarily in Hebrew with some Aramaic.

Who were these men?

The first five books in the Old Testament are probably written by Moses. They are referred to as the Pentateuch, or the Law. When you hear Jesus refer to the Law and the prophets, he is saying, the first five books of the Old Testament, and then the rest.

Most of the books bear the name of the man that God used to write them. Sorry ladies, but Ruth and Esther were probably not written by Ruth and Esther. Kings and Chronicles have no name associated with them, although Jewish tradition assigns Jeremiah and Ezra as their respective authors. Psalms was written by a variety of men, including King David. Proverbs likewise is a compilation of sayings collected by King Solomon, Agur the son of Jakeh, and King Lemuel. Solomon also wrote Ecclesiastes, the testimony of his backsliding, and Song of Solomon, a love story. Jeremiah wrote Lamentations and the book that bears his name.

What's going on with the I's and the II's?

Some of the books in the Tanakh are split into two. They are Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. Samuel is split into 1st Samuel and 2nd Samuel. When the Bible was being written, it was written on scrolls. Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles were too long to fit on one scroll. They each required two scrolls, thus 1st Samuel and 2nd Samuel.

Let's get to the point, why do Christians use the Hebrew Bible?

There are three primary reasons that we use this ancient collection of writings. 1. It is God's words to men. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness... (II Timothy 3:16 NKJV) The all scripture that is referred to here includes the Old Testament.

2. Prophecy. ...the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10) Literally this means, the evidence of Jesus is the breath of prediction. Within the Tanakh, we find a great many prophecies or predictions concerning the Messiah that are fulfilled in the New Testament in Jesus Christ. The magi used the Hebrew scriptures to find Jesus when they got to Israel. And you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath, least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth to rule Israel for Me- One whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:1 The Jewish Bible) And at the end of time we read the unfulfilled prophecy from Zechariah: And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD with one name. (14:9 TJB)

3. Examples. Speaking of the Old Testament, the New Testament says, Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written down for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (I Corinthians 10:11) If you think you were the only one with family trouble, try Genesis 37 and 38. Is your hair falling out? You're not alone, see II Kings 2:23. Want to know how to behave in Church worship? Read Psalm 150.

The Tanakh is an integral part of the foundation of our salvation. We are building on the foundation of the apostles [New Testament] and prophets [Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The New Testament without the Old Testament is like nails without a framing hammer, or brick without mortar. That is why we need the Old Testament.

Tad Lindley is Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Porched out

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Boredom killer # 1

Arrange for a friend to take you to various homes in the community. You will be blindfolded. As you step into the porch, pause to breathe deeply. Savor the rich aroma of the porch. I have little doubt that based on the smell alone, you can either identify whose home it is, or at the very least, begin to describe the occupants of the house. Now remove the blindfold. Let your eyes feast upon the shoes and the jackets. The pot of cooling soup, the rusty .22 propped up in the corner.

Not all porches are created equal

If it is a large porch, there may be a caribou hindquarter laid on a flattened cardboard box, or a seal waiting to be cut the next day. If it is a small porch, you may have to squeeze between the freezer and the hanging coats to get in.

The porch wants to takeover your home

In some cases the porch is really (I will use the technical term) "porched out hard". The walls are no longer visible due to the multitude of things stacked and hung along them. In severe cases, chest freezers begin to disappear beneath Helly-Hansen rain gear and spilled socket sets. Some homeowners will try to counteract this, by building a "pre-porch". Now a person must go through two porches before entering the home. Usually this pre-porch takes on overflow from the original porch, and the vicious cycle continues. You may even know someone with a pre-pre-porch.

If the porch is not properly dealt with

When a porch gets really porched out, it must be dealt with immediately. If it is not, the inevitable happens: the porch slowly begins to take over the home. It starts off very innocently. A rubber boot may slip over the threshold and into the home. At first the homeowner notices it, but after a few days, it blends in. Then a coat may get tossed in through the door in late March. The homeowner intends to put it away until fall, but by late summer it too has blended into the scenery until the people that live there never notice it. As the years pass, the first room in the house becomes indiscernible from a porch. Had it all happened in one day, the people would have been shocked enough to get all of this stuff out of the living room, but that is not how porches work. Porches are patient. They are content to take ten years to claim a living room. Then they begin to work down the hall toward the bedrooms.

The most dangerous thing in the porch

The very first place we see the porch effect in the Bible is way back in the book of Genesis. God was having a heart to heart talk with Cain. Cain had attempted to give God less than the best. God gave him this warning about the porch: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7 NIV) Sin is crouching at the door of every person's life. It is looking for a way to master us. Sin is patient. Sin is not attempting to take you from an innocent child to homeless alcoholic in 24 hours. No, sin is crouching at the door. It is waiting to slip in a little bit at a time. If people contracted lung cancer after the first pack of cigarettes, not too many people would be smoking today. A house does not become porched out in a single day. But article of clothing, by tool, by shoe, the people that live in the home gradually become used to a mess, and one day they wake up, and the living room is gone. Just as a little flirting gets comfortable, and then an e-mail relationship. Eventually the lawyers are called in to sort out the divorce. It was never the original intent, but nevertheless, it happened as sin slowly entered their lives.

Taking back the living room

The Bible uses the word "repentance" to describe the decision to get the sin out of our spiritual house. This is when we decide to get rid of the clutter of sin in our lives. In the New Testament, people repented, then the sin was remitted or removed in Jesus' name (Luke 24:47). The remission or removal of sins from their lives happened at water baptism (Acts 2:38).

Are you porched out?

I remember the layers of fog lifting temporarily in my life. At times like that I would wonder, "How did I end up in such a horrible mess?" It happened slowly. Fortunately cleaning out the clutter of sin is a faster process if we use the proper detergent. Jesus is in the cleaning business. Remember, he is not willing that anybody's soul should be porched out with sin. No his desire is that we would all rise up to walk in newness of life.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor for the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

When God became man

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Exactly who is Jesus?

Some would say, "A carpenter", others, "A prophet". Some would say, "Jehovah Junior", yet others, "One third of a committee". The contentious would answer with, "Do we even know if there ever was a man named Jesus?" Still others might say, "A lesser god sent by a greater god to do his dirty work".

Who does the Bible say that Jesus is?

The Bible tells us this concerning Jesus: he is God. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (I Timothy 3:16) The only time and place that God ever met all of these conditions at once, is in Jesus Christ. God was manifested (or revealed himself to men) a number of times throughout human history. To Abraham, he appeared as man flanked by two other men (Genesis 18). In Jacob's vision, the LORD was the one at the top of the ladder (Genesis 28:13). In John 1:51, Jesus himself is the ladder! To Moses, the LORD was manifested in a burning bush. To the Israelites in the wilderness, Jesus was a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21). Jesus was also the Rock that followed them and from which they drank (I Corinthians 10:4).

Jesus in the Old Testament

God does not use the name Jesus in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, he was known as I AM THAT I AM (Exodus 3:14). In many places he is referred to as LORD. Whenever you read LORD written in all capitals in the Bible, it means in the original Hebrew they are using the name Yahweh, or Jehovah. He is also referred to as the Holy One of Israel, the King of Israel, our Savior, our Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts, the first and the last, Adonai, Elohim, the mighty One of Jacob, the God of the whole earth, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Wonderful, Counselor, Everlasting Father, Mighty God, and the Prince of Peace to list a few.

The Messiah

As early as Genesis 3:15 we have prophecy in the Old Testament pointing to God coming as a man and doing a great work of salvation. We call this the "Messiah", or more often, the "Christ", or the "Son of God". The Jewish people of 2,000 years ago were looking for the coming of the Christ. This is what John the Baptist was referring to when he sent the message to Jesus, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Matthew 11:3)

God's plan from the beginning

John lays it out very nicely. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) In this verse the word "Word" means an idea. In the beginning was the idea, or the plan. This plan was the Messiah, the Christ. The Word was not a sub-God, or a side-kick God, because the Bible plainly tells us that the Word was God. Not only that, but the Bible goes to great length to make it very clear to us that there is only one God (see Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29 as well as reading Isaiah 42-48). The Messiah was not revealed until the day that Mary gave birth in the stable. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us... (John 1:14). At this point, the God of the Old Testament became the Christ of the New Testament. When the LORD stepped into the world, as Jesus Christ, many did not realize who he was (John 1:10).

Why should we care?

The greatest reason to understand who Jesus Christ is is found in the ten commandments. Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). In the New Testament Jesus hammers this home. If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:24).

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Who were the Pharisees?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Much to people's surprise, when God came in the flesh, his closest friends were not the priests and temple workers. In fact people questioned his sincerity because of it. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, "Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners".

Jesus' hardest critics were the Pharisees. While small in number, they had much power in the Jewish world of Jesus' day. As soon as Jesus broke onto the religious scene in Luke 4, he was a target of the Pharisees. They were jealous of Jesus. They sought to kill Jesus (Luke 4:29). They attempted to get him to break the commandments concerning the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10). The Pharisees asked Jesus difficult questions in public seeking to discredit him (Matthew 22:17). Ultimately, the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, spoke these prophetic words that would unite many of the Pharisees in having Jesus crucified: You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish. (John 11:50)

Jesus dogs the Pharisees

It's easy to see that the Pharisees were mad at Jesus. Scripture records eight times where Jesus publicly called the Pharisees hypocrites. Not behind their backs, but to their faces. In other times and in other ways, Jesus openly challenged them, and disproved their doctrines. John the Baptist was just as hard on the Pharisees. John called them a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 3:7).

Some famous Pharisees

Not all of the Pharisees were complete reprobates. Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Jesus revealed to him how to be born again (John 3:1-7). Joseph of Arimathea was also probably a Pharisee (see Mark 15:43). He was the one into whose tomb they laid the Lord's body. Many of the Pharisees eventually converted to become followers of Jesus. We find out in Acts 15:5, however, that they were up to some of their same old tricks.

The most famous Pharisee of all from a Christian standpoint was a man named Saul of Tarsus. After Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, he fought against the church. He had believers arrested, and watched them die. After his conversion in Acts 9, he became a great preacher and teacher of the Gospel.

What was so bad about the Pharisees?

Jesus loves people. From princesses to prostitutes and from CEOs to DUIs, Jesus loves people. Why would he come down so hard against the Pharisees then? After all, they were the ones running the religion.

The very reason is that they were the ones running the religion, and not God. They had long since taken God off the throne. By the time the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, they had replaced the power and glory of God with a form of godliness. Not only that, they had kept convenient parts of the Bible, but they had rewritten others. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:9) These Pharisees had begun to teach as equal to the Bible, their own commandments. Some of their commandments were written as loopholes so that people did not have to obey the word of God (Mark 7:13). Jesus hates disobedience. And he dealt with it accordingly.

What ever happened to the Pharisees?

The Bible warns in the New Testament that there would remain among us those who would teach as God's word their own commandments. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8) At one point in history a religious organization, which is not represented in the Calista region, taught its people that they should not eat salt on Friday. Then they developed another teaching that if people were to buy a "permit" they could then eat salt on Friday. They have since quit teaching this. (see Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky)

How to avoid the Pharisee trap

1) Read your Bible daily and once through a year at least. 2) Bring your Bible to church with you, and read it in church. 3) If somebody preaches or teaches something that you don't remember from the Bible, ask them to show it to you. If they are uncomfortable with you asking, then something is not right. (see Acts 17:11) 4) Read your Bible on the days when you don't feel like it. 5) Obey the Bible. Men may fail us, as did the Pharisees fail the Jewish people of their day, but our God will never fail us.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

When God

doesn't answer prayer

by Tad Lindley

6/27/06

We were down at the farm. They'd asked Michael to say grace. I was eight. Michael was somewhat older than me. He must have been approaching the age of sixteen, or at least yearning for that day. Every other person sitting at the table that day was old enough to be retired. The table was set and we were hungry.

The people were quiet and Michael began to pray. "God thanks for the food and would you please get a brand new Corvette for me, Amen." I remember a powerful feeling of wanting to crawl under the table. "If lightning doesn't blow right through the ceiling and kill us all", I thought, "Surely Great-Grandma Malicoate will fall on this wayward boy and grind him into powder". Neither happened, instead, there was a disapproving scowl from my grandmother, and throat clearing around the table.

From the little I knew about prayer, I believed that it was not appropriate to ask selfishly. I would never see Michael again, but the last I heard, God had answered his prayer. At least God had blessed Michael with the means to buy any kind of car he desires.

It doesn't always work that easily

I cannot tell you why Jesus chose to answer a prayer about something as unimportant as a sports car, but has not yet delivered your alcoholic spouse. Two times the Apostle Peter was released from prison miraculously as an answer to prayer (Acts 5:19, 12:7). James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, was killed. Why did Jesus deliver one and not the other? We can say with absolute certainty that prayers went up before the Lord concerning James.

In fact, most Jesus' disciples were killed for their faith. Even Peter eventually was martyred for faith in the name of Jesus. We read of tremendous healings in the Bible, but all of those people also eventually died. There are times when God says, "No".

Sometimes the Lord says, "No"

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (1 John 5:14). He hears us, but that does not mean that he agrees with us. God knows better than we do. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Even when it seems like our prayers are in tune with God's will, sometimes we seem to get no answer.

What to do when the Lord says, "No"

We know it is not God's will for people to be afflicted with evil spirits. (II Peter 3:9) And yet a woman approached Jesus asking for her daughter to be delivered of an unclean spirit. (Mark 7:24-30) The Lord told her something like this: "No, I will not answer your prayer, because it is not right to take the blessings of the Jews and give it to the Gentiles".

Some might have been offended and walked away. But this woman did exactly what Jesus wants us to do in this situation: she kept after him. Instead of walking away, she responded to Jesus, "Yes Lord, but even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master's table". Because she persisted, Jesus answered her prayer.

Keep knocking on heaven's door

Jesus told a story of a man who knocked on a friend's door after bedtime. (Luke 11:5-10) The man needed bread. The friend called out, "I'm in bed already come back tomorrow". Instead of turning away empty-handed, the man continued to knock and knock and knock. Finally the friend got himself out of bed and came to the door. It was the knocking that did it.

The prophet Daniel prayed and fasted for 21 days as he waited for God to answer his prayer. He might have walked away after it wasn't answered on day one, but he didn't. (Daniel 10:1-4) Daniel kept knocking.

Don't quit

Many of us have prayer needs. God's resource is infinite. Nothing is impossible for him. Sometimes it takes years for the answer to come through, other times milliseconds. Do not give up. Jesus hears you. (I John 5:14) Keep knocking and knocking and knocking.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

Who is my neighbor?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Confessions of a hypocrite

He is a notorious criminal. His crimes are unacceptable and horrible. As he passed by he gave me a big smile and waved. Here is where the hypocrite in me took over: before I waved, I looked this way and that to make sure nobody would see me wave to him. Who was the better neighbor? It was not me. Immediately the Lord showed me exactly how he viewed my hesitancy to wave. I had just blatantly violated the second greatest commandment.

The greatest commandments

According to Jesus, the greatest two commandments are these: 1) Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and 2) Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Mark 12:29-31). This teaching caused at least one man to ask Jesus this question: And who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29)

The half-breed neighbor

Jesus launched into a story about a man that lay dying by the side of the road. As the flies buzzed about, landing to lap up his blood, a priest came by. Instead of stopping to help, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed by. A worship leader from the church then did the same thing. Things looked bad for the wounded man. Then a certain Samaritan saw the man and tended to his wounds. This Samaritan took the man to an inn and paid the innkeeper to care for him.

This particular story makes more sense when we know that the listeners hated Samaritans. The Samaritan people were biracial. They were Jews that had intermarried with pagan peoples. They did not worship God in Jerusalem. The New Testament makes it clear that by the time God became flesh in Jesus Christ, the prejudice and animosity between Jews and Samaritans had become quite strong. (John 4:9)

The neighbor you hate

Your neighbor is the one that you do not like. Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Adding the Good Samaritan and the second greatest commandment we come up with this Biblical principle: Love those that you dislike or hate just as you love yourself.

What if they don't deserve it?

There is probably somebody we can think of that we feel doesn't quite deserve our love and kindness. Perhaps it is the one who threatened you with a loaded weapon, or the one who cheated you out of a great deal of money, or the predator that molested your husband when he was a boy, or the one who sold the alcohol to your loved one the night they died, or the one who sells marijuana to our young people. Feel free to add to my list.

Jesus gives us these words: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. (Luke 6:32 NIV) Our call from God is to love the unlovable. Even though we might not think he should, God loves them. He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful (Luke 6:35-36).

Mission impossible?

We know that with God, all things are possible. (Luke 18:27) We can love our neighbor as ourselves. Reader, if we are serious about living right in God's sight, we must lay aside our own hurt feelings and replace them with love and compassion. (This is a good place to say, "Amen, Brother Lindley". If you believe what the Bible tells us concerning our neighbor, then I have an assignment for you. I want you to go out this week and commit deliberate and pre-meditated act of kindness directed at those who are your neighbors (people you do not like). Ask Jesus to put you in a position to be a blessing to them. If you will trust God concerning this, you have the following promise: Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward will be great, and ye shall be children of the Highest. (Luke 6:35)

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

What is under your tent?

6/27/06

by Tad Lindley

Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. (Proverbs 20:17)

Achan's little secret

At the time it seemed so right. They had just looted the city of Jericho. There was so much money coming in that nobody would notice if he kept back a little bit for himself.

The long line of soldiers brought the gold silver and other metals that they had taken from the city. Somewhere among them was Private Achan Carmison. Private Carmison was no different from most of the soldiers. He lived in a wall tent with his wife and children, and he was hoping to upgrade to a better home and a new job.

Nobody noticed, but Private Carmison's stomach looked a little larger than it did before the battle. In the heat of the house to house fighting, Achan had come across a nice set of clothes and some gold and silver. When nobody was looking, he slipped them beneath his own clothing. He brought other gold and silver out of the city, but he held it visibly in his hands. As the line of soldiers shortened, he handed the visible gold and silver over to the priests. None asked him if he had anything else he had taken from the city.

Under the tent

The secret things he had kept back from the priests he then buried under his tent. He dreamed of how they would give him a head start in this new land. Achan was on his way up it seemed. There is a spiritual principle that Achan failed to heed however: Be not deceived, for God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reapeth. (Galatians 6:7)

Sin destroys more than intended

Sometimes we think that our sin only hurts us. What we fail to realize is that our sin goes far beyond our own lives. The secret things hidden under Achan's tent remained secret for a time. Nobody knew but Achan and God. When the army went out again to fight, thirty-five men lost their lives because of Achan's sin. General Joshua sought God. He wanted to know why these men had died. Eventually God revealed Achan's sin. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. (Luke 8:17 NIV)

Achan had to face the fact that thirty-five wives had lost their husbands, and thirty five sets of children had lost their dads. All of this happened, because Achan put his selfish desires ahead of God. Now the secret things beneath his tent no longer brought him pleasure. He saw the faces of those dead men. He heard the wailing of their widows. But he chose to keep the sin a secret.

A mouth full of gravel

Joshua has no choice, but to expose the sin. Before the nation of Israel, God identifies Achan as the one whose sin has caused men to die unnecessarily (Joshua 7:15-20). As a consequence for disobedience, Achan, his wife, his children, and his animals are taken out into the Valley of Achor. There the people kill them with rocks.

It would have been easier to accept if Achan alone had suffered the death penalty. After all, he was the one who committed the crime and buried the evidence beneath his tent. But that is not the way sin works. It does not just destroy us, but it can destroy those around us too.

Could Achan's family have been saved?

Absolutely. God is moved by repentance. Had Achan come to God with his secret, and returned the stolen things, he would have prevented all of this death. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

Among those reading, will be many who have secrets. There has been drunkenness, child abuse, theft, adultery, abortion, and dishonesty among many others. Our only hope is to get these secret things out from beneath our tent. Bring them to Jesus. Where we have hurt others, it is our duty to repay them (Matthew 5:23-24). Where we have been hurt, it is our duty to forgive.

The things under our tents are far more than a personal matter. They have the power to destroy many lives. Jesus has the power to forgive us and deliver us from that. Please, dig it up and give it to Him.

Tad Lindley is the Youth Pastor at the Bethel United Pentecostal Church.

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