Words From Our Preacher

Christians live in two worlds, secular and spiritual. Christians live in the kingdom of God, governed by Jesus. We also live in an earthly, secular kingdom governed by whoever is in power at the moment. Tension always exists between the two kingdoms. The desires and expectations that the two kingdoms hold clash. We must carefully navigate between our two worlds. Jesus showed us how to live perfectly in both worlds at the same time. By following his leadership, we can be faith

“And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” 1 Samuel 8:7 The spiritual wisdom of Israel was so deranged that they could not see the depth of their error in demanding a human king. More, they missed the higher point that they were rejecting God. We are surprised because we think God should have stopped them and demanded adherence to his way. He did

“And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 1 Samuel 8:18 Governance has always been a problem for God’s people. They chaffed under the cruel hand of Egyptian taskmasters, the divine guidance of Moses, the wisdom of God’s judges, and the rule of their own kings. After Moses and Joshua died, God used judges to govern his people. While there was a judicial-like function to the judges

“My kingdom is not of this world…” John 18:36 There is much confusion surrounding the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of earth. Christians, citizens of God’s kingdom, live in and under earthly governments. But just because God approves of earthly governance does not mean those governments are identical, or even parallel to, the kingdom of Christ. Often, they are enemies of the cross of Christ. We must distinguish between the heavenly and earthly authorities. There was a brie

Recent legislative actions leave Christians aghast at the possibility that a child, delivered alive, could be killed without legal punishment. At the same time, some state legislatures are resisting federal courts and asserting their right to govern their states without interference from those courts. They are crafting very restrictive laws which would limit or abolish abortion for all but the most narrowly defined cases. They hope to force the U.S. Supreme Court to review th

You are probably not shocked by that statement. Corruption, self-serving agendas, and widespread narcissism are so common that we barely notice when they arise. In Alabama, we are finding that some Sheriffs are pocketing money supposedly given them to feed inmates in the local lockup. At the state level, we’ve seen corruption scandals affecting our state representatives and senators. Nationally…we’ll not even go there. Government is not what it is supposed to be. Government i

People are not alone in thinking that we – Americans – are special before God. America is blessed enormously, but America is not the chosen nation. Jesus’ own apostles were confused too. After three years of preaching throughout Galilee, Judea, and Samaria they still thought Jesus was going to restore Israel to its former prominence. Read Acts 1:6-11. Our Lord was heading up the mountain to return to his prior home, and they were thinking about nationalism. A few weeks before

USA is sending nuclear capable bombers to South Korea as well as a missile defense system strongly opposed by the Chinese. In fact, China is reportedly re-thinking its policy against a nuclear first strike because of the missile defense system policy. Dark clouds are building over the Korean peninsula. Now, right now, is the time to begin praying specifically for peace. There is no good military outcome. Any combat will, and always does, result in the injury, maiming and deat

We expect too much from an election. Some have clearly taken a break from sound Biblical reasoning to vacation among the rejoicing voices. Let me explain. President Trump Is Not Our Savior. Donald Trump is a moral failure. To be sure, he may not be as bad as the other choice but there is no way that his behavior can be excused. Especially his claim that he does not forgiveness and therefore as never asked God to forgive him. We could add many other failings to that but John P

Government has taken a hit lately. Our national leaders have and are failing to govern by God’s precepts. Abortion is approved. Homosexual marriage is accepted. Government policies empower the wealthy often at the expense of the impoverished. Candidates for national office behave like third graders. In Alabama, our Governor is embroiled in a sex scandal which has cost him his marriage, his reputation and may cost him his office. When compared to what God says, government is n

Americans generally, and Christians particularly, are angry. We no longer feel safe within our own borders. We want to lash out at the terrorists and destroy every last vestige of them and their hideous ideology. A recent presidential debate featured terms like “carpet-bombing” and making the “sand glow in the dark,” a reference to nuclear assault on the deserts. The angst is palpable; people are angry. Christians must be different, right? We are people of God, people of love

Our opponents rejoice in what they see as great victories over us. But they miss one thing: Court victories are irrelevant to our cause. I offer 5 facts for consideration. 1. Our battles are waged in the heart of a person Legislation and court decisions do not define a man. A man is defined by what is in his heart. These are not my thoughts, but those of Jesus who said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him…” (Mark 7:20). We seek holiness in ourselves as well as oth

The Church and Government Are Not the Same While both are from God and even though Christians are subject to both, the church and government are not identical. Each has responsibilities which complement each other but are unique. For example, government has no responsibility for evangelism and the church has no responsibility for policing citizens. Neither Sin nor Righteousness Can Be Legislated. One of our greatest failures is the idea that we can make people holy through le

Now there is statistical proof . The Pew Research center says states with gambling see an increase in public corruption when gambling is approved. The most corrupt states in the nation are gambling states while the least corrupt do not promote gambling. This is not the last word on the subject but it is worth reading the report. You can find “For states, gambling on casinos may be bad bet” on the Pew website. Many years ago, Alabama gave approval to dog racing in Greene Count

Let’s think about that because it might not be true. As Christians we are part of a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36). We have been translated into Jesus’ kingdom (Colossians 1:13, 14), are adopted into His family (Romans 8:15) and added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). The church is the kingdom as seen in Matthew 16:18, 19 where the text speaks of the church and the kingdom which are both still in the future. The kingdom was promised by John as being “at hand” (Ma

Moral Issues Are God’s Issues Our support of moral issues is predicated on Biblical teaching. We support what God has taught and dare not support what he condemns. Paul says God has spoken to us through his Spirit and  that the Spirit has searched and knows “the depths of God”  (1 Corinthians 2:6-13). It is this same Spirit that guides men into truth (John 16:13) and moved holy men to compose the books of the Bible we have today (2 Peter 1:21). We can no more jettison clear B

Apparently, the IRS cares little what you say in the pulpit. That’s a good thing because we don’t need government telling us what to preach. But as I outlined in a recent post about the IRS and churches, the law remains on the books which prohibits a church, which uses the non -profit status, from endorsing or opposing specific political candidates by name. The Associated Press  reports that the IRS has suspended audits over political speech. The IRS monitors religious and ot

Jesus is on the throne. Remember that and do not forget it. Jesus is on the throne. This week we face an election which has many Americans up in arms over the possible outcomes. People on both sides of the street fear the worst if their candidate fails to win. For some, the church will fail if the wrong candidate wins. They almost seem to think that God himself will be overcome by evil if the polls are against him. The Christian must take a different view. Jesus is on the thr

In 1972, when I was 11 years old, a disturbance arose concerning a small business located on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. An “adult” theater had begin operation. Called the “Paris Adult Theatre,” this business was soon raided by the police and closed on the grounds that it was showing pornographic movies. (1)The case was overturned on appeal to the Alabama Circuit Court of Appeals. The outrage in the town was considerable. Classy, international names like “Paris” notwi

Sometimes, the practice of faith receives a boost from the sciences. Over the weekend an analysis was posted by the Heritage Foundation which brings together many studies on the benefits of religion. One of the conclusions hints at the breadth of this report. The available evidence clearly demonstrates that regular religious practice is both an individual and social good. It is a powerful answer to many of our most significant social problems, some of which, including out-of-