Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

As a pastor, it is very easy to get distracted by a lot of worthy causes. The need is much greater than resources. People will tell you heart-wrenching stores, and you will want to stop everything and address the issue. While those are important, they aren’t the primary purpose of my job. I am called to preach the Gospel and teach people the ways of the Lord. I need to make sure to keep the main thing the main thing.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2:2-3

“‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.”

The church in Ephesus was a vibrant, active church, actively fighting against false apostles who would lead the church astray. They were protecting new Christians from wrong doctrine and supporting the smaller churches in the nearby communities. It was the picture of a church that had it together and one that many would model today. There was one problem. They were so busy they forgot the main thing, to love Jesus with their heart, soul, mind, & strength.

Drink from Your Own Well

A cistern is an interesting invention to catch and retain water. In many arid places where it only rains for a short season, and then there are extended periods of dry times, farmers and the like have dug wells or built large containers called cisterns to catch and keep the water for those dry times. They then draw the water when needed and hope it will carry them through to the next rains. Solomon uses this analogy to remind everyone that you need to drink from your own well.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5:15

“Drink water from your own cistern And fresh water from your own well.”

There is so much wisdom in this short passage that can be applied to every area of your life. Solomon first is telling men only to enjoy their wives. The well of another woman is not as fresh as the wife that God has given you. Don’t desire something someone else has because God has given you precisely what you need, a well of freshwater that will renew your soul. When you drink from your own well, it keeps you from a lot of trouble.

A Little Leaven Ruins the Whole Lump

I would love to be a bread maker. I love the taste of freshly made bread and find it far superior to store-bought loaves. There is one problem I encounter over and over, getting the yeast to take. I usually end up with very dense undercooked loaves of bread that taste decent but are unusable. Paul likens boasting to yeast, or leaven, working through the person and negatively impacting them. A little leaven ruins the whole lump.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:6

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”

The things that the Corinthians were boasting about in the church were a shame and embarrassment to the church and Jesus Christ. They were celebrating their liberty in Christ in things that even the pagans considered an abomination. It started with a few people but was spreading through the entire church. Their love feasts, which were supposed to be times of communion with the body, had become gluttonous affairs with some of the poorer going without food. The church in Corinth had lost perspective.

The Alpha and Omega

Times are getting scary. If you follow the news, you can’t help but be worried about what the future holds. Christians shouldn’t be swayed by what is happening because of who we serve. The Apostle John uses a term to describe Jesus, the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. If Jesus is the beginning and the end, then He has everything under control in between.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:8

I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Alpha and Omega means the beginning and the end. God was there at the dawn of time, and He will be there at the end. This should encourage you as a believer because you have never been alone, and God is right there beside you. He is the one who “was” and is to come, the Almighty God. That is the God you serve. You have nothing to fear because He has everything under control. Victory is assured.

Persecuted for Their Faith

The church is being persecuted all over the world, and you may not even know it. Churches are regularly burned in Nigeria. Christians are being drugged out in the city square in a place like Pakistan and beaten by the crowds. There are brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted for their faith. Paul was familiar with this and gives us some insight.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:11-13

“To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

Paul didn’t live an easy life. His ministry was one trial after another. If people inside the church weren’t attacking him, he was being attacked by Jews or Romans who found him a threat. His response to all of them? To pray for and bless them. Paul was willing to suffer and deny himself so that the Gospel of Jesus could be preached to people like the Corinthians.

Clouds Without Water

My wife had a dream the other night that I was sick and she was helping me recover. Outside of our house was a crowd of Christians who had gathered because I was sick. The interesting thing was they made no contact with us, but instead was outside having a bbq, enjoying each other. Eventually, my wife went outside and rebuked them and sent them away. It was a clear picture of Christians who wanted to look like they were doing a good work but were really clouds without water.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:12

“These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;”

This is one of the best definitions of lifeless Christianity in the New Testament. False teachers were invading churches with all of the flash of being a super apostle but there was nothing behind the facade. They said all the right things and convinced many with the church but their intentions were selfish and produce no benefit for the church. Jude calls them clouds without water. The church is full of them today. They want to accolades of the people but offer nothing in return.

Do You Live in a Blessed Dwelling?

Every person’s home is a special place. It is where you make your life and find your rest. It doesn’t matter if it is a shack in a ghetto or a mansion on a hill. What is in that home will determine if it is blessed or not. God wants your home to be a blessed place filled with His Spirit. Do you live in a blessed dwelling?

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:33

“The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.”

Solomon makes a clear distinction between wicked and righteousness in Proverbs. Those who are righteous are blessed, and those who are wicked are cursed. In this verse, he brings it into the home. To those who practice wickedness, the curse of the Lord will rest on their house. This means that all kinds of bad things are going to be heaped on that home. Contrast that with the righteous house. It will be showered with His blessings. It is easy to see how this plays out in real life.

Put Your Full Trust in Jesus

I’m not sure if there is a more favorite passage for me in the Bible than Proverbs 3:5-6. It has everything in it to live for Jesus. I have found that when you apply it entirely to your life, God truly makes your path straight. You avoid the wrong turns and pitfalls that come from doing your own thing. Put your full trust in Jesus.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Everything you need to live the Christian life is packed into these two verses. Solomon tells everyone how to know God’s path for your life and how to avoid getting off track. Two keys are stuck in here that would be easy to miss. The first is “with all of your heart,” and the second, “in all your ways.” Trust can’t be half-hearted. It has to be all in. It can’t be temporary, only when you need to get out of a jam. Trust is a day in, day out walk with Jesus where you look to Him for everything. Evidence of that trust is that you acknowledge Jesus in all of your ways.

God’s Fellow Workers

I do not have a green thumb. Most of what I plant dies. That can’t be said for the work I do in the church. God has done some incredible things in the lives of the people of our church. I don’t take credit for it because I know I am only one of God’s fellow workers. Through some, He plants, and through others, He waters. God is the one who brings the growth.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:7-9

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building

A debate had broken out in the church of Corinth over who was responsible for the growth in the church. Some had sided with Paul and others with Apollos, while others sided with Jesus. The church was split into multiple factions and threatened to tear at the fabric. Apollos had a charismatic personality that appealed to the vain side of the Corinthians, while some held firm to Paul as the founder. Paul put it all to rest by telling them that he and Apollos were fellow coworkers and God brought about the growth.

The Lord Gives Wisdom

People look at wisdom in a strange way. They think they need to go on a long journey which entails climbing mountains to get to a wise sage who will disperse the key to life. For the believer, the Lord gives wisdom. All you have to do is ask. It’s a prayer away, and God…