Walk, walk, walk the Bible way

I love the children's ministry song: "Walk the Bible Way."  It is a very short song. Like short Bible verses, the lyrics speaks profoundly about what walking with God looks like.  Here are some Biblical considerations about walking with God.  Enjoy reading God's word and even more so, let's put it into practice!

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.”  (Gen. 17:1) – Always be mindful of the presence of God and do right. (Gen. 24:40; 48:15; 1 Kings 9:4; 2 Chr. 6:14; Ps. 116:9)

“And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.” (Ex. 18:20) – God has standards that we must abide by.  His Words are not a list of do’s and don’ts, rather they are a guide through life (either directly or indirectly via principles). (Lev. 18:4; 26:3; Deut. 5:33; 8:6;)

“After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.” (Lev. 18:3) – Sometimes we learn, accept and adapt the wrong and sinful behavior from the culture around us.  We are to examine that in light of His word, and reject it if necessary. (Lev. 20:23; Isa. 8:11; Mic. 4:5, 6:16; Eph. 4:17, 5:8)

“Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.” (Deut. 5:33) – Walking with God means that you don’t pick and choose which of His commands you wish to obey.  (Deut. 10:12; 11:22; Josh. 22:5; 1 Kings 8:58; 2 Chr. 7:17; Neh. 10:29; Jer. 7:23)

“Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.” (Deut.  8:6) – Walking with God means that you are mindful of Him.  Fearing Him is walking with Him.  Some people fear man, and so they do things that please man even at the expense of displeasing God.  You don’t do this when the object of fear is God. (2 Chr. 6:31; Neh. 5:9; Ps. 86:11)

“And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” (Deut. 8:19) – Walking with God means that you are not going to idolize anything or anyone. (Jer. 7:6,9; Ezk. 20:18; Mic. 4:5)

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,” (Deut. 10:12) – Walking with Him means that we love and serve God with all of our being.  This is complete, whole or entire obedience.  There is the balance of affection and action.

“For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;” (Deut. 11:22) – Walking with God is dependence upon Him and ever staying close by His side, or a cleaving unto Him. (Deut. 13:14)

“Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:” (Deut. 26:17) – Claiming faith in God is not disjointed from walking with Him.  Popular Christianity is ever so quick to say they believe in God, but deny Him in practice.  I don’t believe God accepts, nor validates lip service. (Deut. 28:19; 2 Chr.34:31; Ps. 26:11; Ezk. 11:20; Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 1 John 2:6)

“In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deut. 30:16) – Walking with God is the place and position whereby God can bless us and we know that we are blessed. (1 Kings 2:3; 8:23; Jer. 7:23)

“That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kings 2:4) – Walking with God is walking in truth.  No double standards, not at home (Ps. 101:2) and not at church.  When you walk with Him it matters not where you are at.  It is so vitally important to walk in truth. (Ps. 116:9; Rom. 13:13; 3 John 1:4)

“Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:” (1 Kings 6:12) – The walking is in the doing. (2 Kings 23:3; Ezk. 20:19; 37:24; 2 John 1:6)

“And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.” (1 Kings 11:38) – Walking with God guarantees His special presence.  Part of the joy of walking with someone is enjoying their company. (Rev. 3:4)

My vote and a bit more

     Thus far I personally have logged eleven reasons why not to vote for Obama on my Twitter page.  I think that list will grow.  It's not that I don't like him personally.  I don't think I'll ever get to know him on a personal basis to make that judgment call.  If I ever get a chance to meet him, I would love to spend a few moments to show him from the Bible how he can know that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins, and how he can have a home in heaven when he dies.  In fact, I would really be delighted at that.  It would be my pleasure.  But I don't like his record as President, nor the Democratic platform (which took God out only to insert Him in later after a sassy and pretentious parliamentary vote).

     First, I would like my readers to know that I am not against government.  All human governments, even the worse kind, is ordained of God according to Romans 13:1.  Let's not forget that Paul submitted himself to a government that cut off his own head.  What we don't want to imply is that all human government is approved by God.  The best government on this world is that which is Christian (but that will have to be for another post).  And so here we are in post-post modern America.  Many things have change.  People's behavior or culture have been influenced by many factors like technology so much so that it is amazing to live in a time between two seemingly different worlds (one prior to the internet/computer age and the other, well, you get it).  There are gains and losses, too (and you know what's coming...that will have to be for another post).  Truthfully, with all the changes that could possibly take place certain "things" are not subject to change, I can think of a couple, God and His Word.  I want to focus on His Word and how the Holy Bible is going to influence my vote this coming Nov.

     I realize that this particular reason isn't even on the blip screen of what so many believe to be the no.1 issue of this election (i.e. the economy or to put it down on the lower shelf - jobs - a three letter word according to Biden - but that will have to be for another post).  My contention, at least on this post, is that abortion on demand and partial birth abortion and abortion period is a huge reason for not voting for politicians like Obama and others regardless of party affiliation who do not have enough conscience to protect some of the most helpless of human life, the unborn.

Consider how involved God is in the creation of human life:

"Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?" (Job 31:15)

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.  (14)  I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Ps. 139:13-14).

"Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  (5)  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jer. 1:4-5).

But there's more:  Job 10:8-13; Ps. 51:5; 127:3; 139:16; Isa. 49:1,5.

Consider what God says about the killing (or murder) of human life:

"Thou shalt not kill" (Exo. 20:13).

"If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.  (23)  And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,  (24)  Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,  (25)  Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." (Exo. 21:22-25).

     I don't think I have even scratched the surface on a Biblical consideration about abortion (not to mention Bible characters that would mirror abortive practices, i.e. Pharaoh in Exo. 1:22, Harod in Matt. 2:16, and Satan in Rev. 12:4 even if it is figurative).  But one thing I will leave you with for now is that if you regard the human life inside a womb as merely nothing more than a fetus, then you and everybody else is an over grown one.  So yes, this issue isn't the most pressing concern in our advance day and age, but then if we start looking at God's Word, esteeming it as God's Word, and recognize the value of human life, I'll guarantee you we can start solving fundamental societal problems.  The root of every political and social problem is a spiritual problem, and the answers are beyond us, but never beyond God.

     For the many women and men affected by the consequences of abortion, please know that there is forgiveness and mercy and grace for your sin.  If you truly repent of sin and trust in Christ as your Savior, then you can have the peace through forgiveness and the power of having a true walk with God.

    Needless to say, I will not be voting for Obama.  I have no choice but to vote for Romney.  I am not pleased to say the least that he isn't solid on the issue of abortion (thankfully, Ryan is stronger, but also not as strong on it as I am).  I do believe that if we desire to keep whatever similitude of liberty we have left, that this election must be a win for the GOP, at least for now.

Gen. 35:1-5 Jacob returns to Bethel

1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

     Jacob was probably glad to hear God’s instruction to move back to Bethel (meaning "house of God"), after the terrible experience of folly in Shechem.   Bethel is a place of return and re-dedication.  God wanted Jacob to build an altar as an act of worship and sacrifice.  Bethel was a place of rest and revelation.  It was there Jacob escaped his brother’s wrath and was visited by God in Gen. 28:10-22.  The return to Bethel must be accompanied with a purity of worship.  Idols must be gotten rid of, wrong customs and culture, including clothing must go.  God desires for his children to return to him in sincerity and purity.  If returning to God involves a change of wardrobes, or culture, then He is worthy of all of that, and nothing is off limits with God.  No doubt the surrounding Canaanite territories were afraid because of the horrible event that occurred in Shechem by Jacob’s sons.  But God has a way of working through the troublesome situations to use it for His good pleasure and in this case the protection of His people.  Fathers should ever be careful to watch over their families to make sure they aren’t retaining idols and false worship practices which can be learned from the ungodly cultures surrounding them.  Fathers should take great care to lead the family in serving and worshiping God.  In our dispensation, no doubt, the house of God refers to the church (1 Tim. 3:15).  The church is where we hear God's word preached to us (which is the N.T. ordained way of receiving Biblical instructions).  The church is a place of return, rest, re-dedication and Bible instructions.  May we as fathers (heads of homes) be ever so careful to allow the church culture to influence our homes rather than the worldly cultures.  As we strive to please God, He will bless us with His divine hand of protection.  May we learn to trust Him more and more.

Mark 8:22-26 - The Healing of the Blind Man of Bethsaida

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 

23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

      The Lord Jesus and the disciples land their boat in Bethsaida.  No doubt people knew that the Lord was a Healer for they brought to him a blind man.  What is interesting about this miracle (which is the second of its kind only to be found exclusively in Mark’s Gospel, the other miracle exclusive to Mark was the one recorded in 7:31-37) is that the Lord Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him privately.  The Lord’s healing was done in two stages.  Certainly, a word from the Master would have sufficed, even perhaps a gentle touch.  But our Lord seems to be teaching this blind man some particular lessons that he needed to learn, and in doing so, we too, learn some things about God and ourselves.  First, God doesn’t always deliver us from our trials and testing immediately or urgently.  Sometimes He deals with us about certain things over and over again.  If we learn to participate with His work in our lives, then there is spiritual progress.  How thankful are we that God takes the time to instruct us and to do it effectively in His own good time?  Second, sometimes God uses things or tools that we would not choose.  What an unorthodox method of restoring one’s sight!  Yet, we are not called to reason but we are called to faith.  Do we trust the Lord and His Word when at times the situation or circumstances contradict His Word?  How is it that we know more than Him?  We don’t but sometimes we certainly think so.  This man’s sight was finally restored, but I am sure he gained more than physical vision, and so should we.  Let us learn, ever the more, to trust in Him.  Let us also be reminded that God has His good and perfect timing upon our lives.  He knows our needs and He knows exactly what He wishes to use to help and instruct us along the way.

Disciplines for New Believers (ebook edition)

It has been about ten months now since the first publication of my book Disciplines for New Believers.  First, I upgraded the print edition a couple of ways (tried correcting more of the typo errors, improve the contents a little, and enhanced the cover).  I had a few people asked me what was the deal with the first cover.  It was supposed to be a Paul and Timothy type of a picture.  But what it looked like was a couple of men in chains.  It communicated that the Christian life is a life of drudgery.  HA!  Far from it.  But I do understand that people do judge a book by it's cover.  Now, we know better, but many unfortunately don't.  So I went ahead and revamped the cover.  It looks nicer now, at least.

The digital version of DfNB ($3.99) is done with the help of Vook.  I tried doing it on my own; that was fatal.  What a time waster.  I am glad for the 120 some odd downloads of my book when it was under the Amazon Kindle format, but now through Vook my ebook can be purchased in virtually any ereader or tablet format (not just through Amazon's format).  I am certainly excited about this new opportunity via Vook.  You may purchase DfNB via the Vook storefront here, and Amazon's Kindle reader here, or as a NOOKBook here.

Two publishers carry my print book for distribution, and I am thankful to God for them.  They represent what I believe to be a good Christian/Baptist resources type of organizations (or book distributors).  There is Starr Publications which is owned and operated by Pastor Randy and Shirley Starr.  BTW, they now carry many home school curricula and some are discounted with an extra 10% off discount.  Then there is Local Church Bible Publishers a book and KJV Bibles distribution ministry based out of Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, MI.

Remembering Don Meckley

Don Meckley was a sincere Bible student.  He would often stop by my office loaded with questions.  Sometimes he stopped in to drop off an article that really sparked his interest from the "Baptist Bread" devotional.  He loved his family, he loved his church (Mt. Zion Baptist Church), and he was a good worker especially with the church's Bible assembly ministry.  He loved the book of Revelation, and read just about every commentary I loaned him.  We miss him, but at the same time we are glad to know that his sins have been forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ.  We look forward to the glad reunion day!

Below is a copy of his obituary:

WINDSOR Donald E. Meckley, 75, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, August 10, 2012, at home, surrounded by his family. He was born September 9, 1936, in York, the son of the late Harry and Gladys Meckley. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1953 to 1957. He retired from Stone Container Co. in 1998, after 29 years of service. Donnie Meckley was a member of the 12th Ward Democratic Club and Mt Zion Baptist Church. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, fishing, bowling, and hunting. A visitation will be 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the John W. Keffer Funeral Homes and Crematory, Inc., 902 Mt. Rose Ave., York, with a memorial service to follow at 1:30 p.m. His pastor, the Rev. Ronald Starr, will be officiating. Burial will follow with full military honors by the York County Veterans Honor Guard at Susquehanna Memorial Gardens. Donnie is survived by his wife of over 55 years, Shirley A. Meckley; a brother, Maurice and wife, Elfie Meckley of Killeen, Texas; his daughter and son-in-law, ConSandria (Sandy) and James Parker, Sr. of Wrightsville; son and daughter-in-law, Laverne and Bernadette Meckley of Dover; grandchildren, Melissa Seifert of Red Lion, and Alan Tyee Meckley of Dover; stepgrandson and wife, James and Courtney Parker of Dover; step granddaughter, Leanne Wallace of York; a great-grandson, Taylor S. Seifert of Red Lion; six step great-grandchildren; and various nieces and nephews. Donnie Meckley was preceded in death by brother, Charles Meckley of York. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society , 924-N Colonial Ave., York, PA 17403. KefferFH.com

Published in York Daily Record & York Dispatch on August 13, 2012

How to get to know a missionary

     I am currently lining up meetings for an effective deputation ministry.  Part of this process involves answering important questions which churches feel are vital in accessing a prospective missionary's philosophy.
     At the outset, I commend churches that attempt to filter prospective missionaries.  Perhaps the best way to do that is by being familiar with a couple of things: Their sending church and their supporting churches. 
     We see the sending church principle in Acts 13:3.  Barnabas and Saul received favor from the church at Antioch.  It was through that church that they were set apart to do missionary work.  Naturally, a church will want to reproduce itself.  In fact at the most basic level each disciple is to reproduce himself (according to Matt. 28:20 - "teaching them to observe all things...") with the end goal of Christ-likeness ("...whatsoever I have commanded you.").  A disciple isn't a good one if he isn't discipling others.  Churches ought to be concerned about a missionary's sending church because a missionary will represent and reproduce one's sending church.
     As to supporting churches, we find in the N.T. a bit more of a sporadic nature (ex. Phil. 4:10-19, Rom. 15:22-33) in comparison to modern missions, however the Bible principles of giving with its broader applications including tithes, offerings, gifts, and alms certainly includes missions.  A regular supporting church deserves among many things regular communication from their missionary.  Also, there is strength in churches cooperating in missions work (ex. 1 Cor. 16:3,4; 2 Cor. 8:19).
     Together the sending church and supporting churches working together is the N.T. pattern for doing missionary work and we can see in the Bible that a missionary is known by his sending church and supporting churches.

Why a Disgruntled Atheist Shouldn't Complain

Here is a story in the paper about an atheist who feels that he is being discriminated against because a restaurant owner has a 10% discount for diners who present a church bulletin on Sundays.  First, Property Rights - she owns the business and can and should be free to grant whatever discount she wishes.  Second, offering a discount is the owner's prerogative.  It isn't discriminatory; it is patronizing.  If she wanted to offer discounts to those who brought a copy of the latest atheistic bulletin, then that is her business and that is the patronage she wants to nurture.  The government has no business telling her what she should do as a private business owner.  Any business owner has enough sense to know what is working and what isn't due to their return of interest (the bottom line).  A government intervention based on a frivolous lawsuit is not going to help one bit (btw, the atheist never ate at her restaurant - funny he's even complaining).

What this atheist needs to know is that the entire state's constitution humbly invokes God's guidance, with thankfulness to Him for its civil and religious liberty (read the preamble to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of PA) .  So, perhaps he should sue the state of PA, too.  But then again, just like he doesn't have to eat at this particular restaurant, he doesn't have to live in PA either.  He should be thankful that there is a restaurant open (in this sad economy) and that God has given him the liberty of choosing not to believe in his Creator.