TerryLema

I like football. When I say that in church some people groan, others respond with comments such as, “Really?” “Never knew that.” Or, “yep, we’ve heard that before.” And since I was raised in Western Pennsylvania, I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. The team recently traded one of their really good players, Antonio Brown, to the Raiders.

When you are traded you put aside the uniform and helmet you used to wear and put on the uniform and helmet of the new team. Mr. Brown, however, didn’t want to put on the new helmet. He didn’t like it. He wanted to continue to wear his old helmet, with just the outside logo changed. The team denied his request. So, he went to the league and appealed. The NFL denied his request. The only alternative left for appeal was through arbitration. He lost again. He would not be allowed to wear his old helmet.

Sounds like much ado about nothing, but it really isn’t. The football helmets have been re-designed over the last few years because of the plethora of head injuries to the players. They have been designed with accessories to protect the player, keep him from suffering concussions, and allow him to finish his career without sustaining damage that will affect him for the rest of his life.

As Christians, when we get “traded” from this dark world into the Kingdom of God’s Dear Son through salvation, we too are commanded to pick up the “helmet” of our new experience. “Let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Thessalonians 5:8-9]

You can’t keep wearing the old head gear with the world’s, the flesh’s, and the devil’s logo. You must pick up the helmet of salvation … faith, love, self-control … in order to receive that ultimate salvation that awaits us in the presence of our LORD Jesus Christ.

“This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.’” [Isaiah 48:17]

Jesus told His disciples and those who would believe on the LORD after them that “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” [John 14:26-27]

We are to be disciples of Christ. We are also to disciple others. That means we are to learn and then teach others the ways of the LORD, or as the LORD told Isaiah, “what is best for [us].”

I want the very best God has for me. I want to walk in the way that will have the least obstacles, the least hindrances for my fellowship with the Living God. But I also want that for others … that is where I must take what I have learned through God’s Counselor, the Holy Spirit, and share it with those coming after me. And then they must take what they have learned and share it with even more.

Jesus taught His followers, and His followers taught others through the power and enlightenment of God’s Holy Spirit. That is the cycle of godly discipleship. Unfortunately, we seem to have abandoned that God-given model. Now we have what I call the “pulpit-pew” model. The preacher preaches and the attendees attend. It doesn’t get much more involved than that.

If you want “what is best for you” and you want what is best for others … practice discipleship. There is nothing more exciting than to see others catch the fire of God’s Spirit, His love and mercy in their own lives as you teach them.

Early August I walked through a Walmart and came across a center aisle display of candy corn. This was before we went to California on August 7. Recently that candy corn has found a companion, an entire aisle of Halloween candy. Last week in Costco, I found rows of Halloween costumes. Halloween isn’t until October 31 – could they not have waited at least until late September?

Perhaps I am a bit dismayed because I really don’t like Halloween. Well, there’s really no “perhaps.” And I’m probably a little more than “a bit dismayed.” I’ve made myself very clear to most people that I think the devil has that holiday in his possession and while I think children should be allowed to play dress up, dressing them up in costumes that reflect the evil of this world is just, well, evil.

Each year I can hardly wait for Halloween to pass behind us so we can get to Thanksgiving. Sunday it just came to me, if the marketers and retailers can start Halloween in August, why can’t I begin Thanksgiving also – just jump right over Halloween and pretend it isn’t there.

I told the congregation that starting next Sunday I will be calling on someone to express something for which they are thankful. We’ll have weeks and weeks of testimonies of God’s goodness, blessings and mercy. As it turned out, we didn’t even have to wait until next Sunday because someone had already been touched by God during the worship service to testify a word of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness and for the prayers of the congregation.

As disciples of Christ Jesus, we are to live in a constant state of gratitude for what God has done for us. Paul is quite clear that we are to “always” give thanks. “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Ephesians 5:19-20]

So, this year I am kangarooing right over Halloween and I’m going to have one long Thanksgiving Holiday! Care to join me?

I was reading in Zephaniah the other day and my spirit was drawn to a passage of warning in Chapter 1. “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent … who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing either good or bad.’” [vs 12]

A few verses after that Zephaniah begins to describe the “Great Day of the LORD” and what it will mean for those who have not heeded God’s warning. But it was verse 12 above that prompted two thoughts. The first is that God dislikes (may I say “hates?”) complacency. Complacency is when we become “settled” in our own self-interests and care not for the things of the LORD. It is when we look at the world and others as if they were but a mirror … “who’s the fairest of the all?”.

The second thought is the punishment that comes to those who think the LORD is a “do nothing” god; that He either doesn’t care or doesn’t have the power to do either good or bad. For some people, God is just not on their radar at all. They care nothing for His will, His Presence, nor His commands. They disregard Him as little more than a fable for the gullible or a crutch for the weak.

When Zephaniah goes on in verses 14-19 to describe the Great and Terrible Day of the LORD, it is not a pretty picture. We must be aware that for believers who are longing for Christ’s appearing, the Day of the LORD will be a delight. We eagerly await the pronouncement from Rev 11:15: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

But for those who are “complacent” about spiritual matters, for those who have regarded the LORD as a “do nothing” god, the Day of the LORD will be devastating. Oh beloved, let us never grow complacent but let us remain vigilant and always looking for His Coming!

A recent NBC News Alert hit my email with this pronouncement: “Futurist James Lovelock, renowned for his work on the Gaia hypothesis, celebrated his 100th birthday with a bold prediction: Earth will one day be dominated by artificial life — the descendants of today’s robots and artificial intelligence systems. And, he says in his new book, ‘Novacene,’ the process has already begun.”

The title of the article is: “Cyborgs Will Replace Humans and Remake the World.” You can find it on nbcnews.com/mach/science/cyborgs

Oh, I think the world is going to be remade all right, but not as futurist Lovelock proclaims. The Scriptures have been proclaiming that promise far longer than Mr. Lovelock has … St. Peter told us: “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” [2 Peter 3:13]

And John saw it: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” [Rev 21:1-4]

Not robots and cyborgs and artificial intelligence systems, but the home of righteousness, the dwelling of God with men, a place where death, mourning, crying and pain are gone forever. Oh, I want to see what John saw!

There is a wonderful song by The Hoppers. It expresses what John saw and what I’m longing to see! Check it out:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=john+saw+by+the+hoppers&form=EDGSPH&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&plvar=0&refig=8a79112e1fe34ca7accd2681e433f583&sp=1&qs=AS&pq=john+saw+by+the+hop&sc=1-19&cvid=8a79112e1fe34ca7accd2681e433f583&cc=US&setlang=en-US

“Feelings, nothing more than feelings ….” That’s the opening line from an old Andy Williams song written by Morris Albert. I think it could be the fight song for our modern times. We have become a culture which places “Feelings, nothing more than feelings ….” as the epitome of responses to every situation. I’m not sure how we got here.

God has given us a personality … we often refer to it as our soul. It is what makes us unique (just like everyone else). That personality is our mind, our will, and our emotions (feelings). To function well as human beings, it is crucial that we keep those things in the right order – mind, will, and emotions. Our culture has severely skewed that order. We are led now by our emotions, with our mind and will following.

The key to getting back in the correct order is found in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Our minds must be renewed. That happens when we expose ourselves to God’s Word … in other words, when we allow God’s truth to reign (rule) in our thoughts … when we allow God’s truth to rein (harness) in our thoughts!

When God’s Word and our emotions are in conflict, we must learn to acknowledge that it is God’s Word that is right. We must learn to submit to His Word and make our decisions on God’s truth. Our emotions are valuable, but they must be taught to follow “God’s will, His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 I don’t want my life to be governed by “Feelings, nothing more than feelings ….” I want my life to be governed by God’s truth. (Which reminds me, have you read your Bible today?)