Daily Devotional 3-31-21

Peter’s Pride

No one likes failure. You may not have experienced it, but it happens, even to the smartest of people. We can experience failure when we let others down or when we fail to meet our own expectations. It can happen in unexpected moments when we like to feel we are in control. In whatever form it takes, none of us likes to feel a failure. We are embarrassed and it can wound us deeply.

Departure. Come with me to the scene that John records of Jesus’ closing hours with his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion. There is an air of gloom as Jesus tells them he is going away (John 13).

In verse 33 we read Jesus’ words: Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come…’

Grief. The idea of Jesus going away left them grief-stricken. Over three years they had come to see that he is God incarnate. It was all too much for Peter: “Lord, where are you going?” he said. To which Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Peter’s plea is like that of a distressed child: ‘Why can’t I come with you now?’ And, next moment, he insisted that only over his dead body would anything happen to Jesus. Clearly Peter was devoted to Jesus. His grief-stricken response is understandable. But let’s think about his words, “…I will lay down my life for you.”

It was not long since Jesus had said that he was the Good Shepherd who would lay down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). To ensure that everyone had heard him, he had said it again (John 10:15-18). And now that the time had come, ironically Peter was saying said he wanted to reverse the roles: “I will lay down my life for you”. I wonder if there was the suggestion of a smile on Jesus’ lips as he replied, ‘Will you really?’

At first Peter’s words seem courageous. However, they reveal his underlying pride. His response is similar to his words a little earlier when he had said to Jesus who was about to wash his feet: “You will never wash my feet”. To which Jesus had responded: “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me” (John 13:8).

Pride. Clearly Peter had not understood the import of these words. And now, the ever-impetuous Peter, still prideful, was saying: ‘I won’t let you die for me Jesus. I’m not like the others’. Jesus’ response is gentle, but clear: ‘Peter, courageous though you may think you are, a time will come shortly when you will need to let someone else do for you what you can’t do. You will have to accept someone else’s generosity. You can’t put yourself in my debt.’

This is important. Jesus owes none of us anything. We are the ones who are totally dependent on him for his charity. Devastating though it may be for our egos, we need to get to the point where we are willing to see it that way.

Pride is the one passion Jesus won’t allow his disciples to have, not least on the eve of Good Friday. Nor will he allow anyone of us to have such pride.

Jesus’ warning to Peter is prophetic: “I tell you the truth, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times” (John 13:38). And before dawn, Peter did deny Jesus three times. As we read elsewhere, Peter came to grieve with deep sorrow and self-reproach. This proud disciple came to despise his cowardice and turn in heartfelt repentance to the Lord.

Christ Alone. Peter had to learn the hard lesson we all have to learn. Jesus doesn’t love us because we are faithful to him, let alone prepared to die for him. He loves us in spite of all our failures. Our allegiance to him must be based on this. It’s humbling and it hurts, but there’s no other way.

There will be times when we are like Peter. We don’t want to give in to Jesus. And there may also be times when we feel that others are so much more spiritual than we are. But remember this: Jesus is not impressed by super-spirituality.

He knows there are those who like to give the impression that they are first-class followers. They talk about their spiritual experiences, or their certainty of the Lord’s leading them to do this or to do that. They are always active, doing ‘Christian’ work. But Jesus knows when this is done to impress others.

Jesus urges everyone who would follow him to trust him – as we see in the opening words of John 14: “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also me”, he says.

Humility and Trust. ‘Trust me Peter’, Jesus insists. ‘Before the next twenty-four hours are over, you will all feel failures. But your faithlessness won’t mean the end of everything. ‘The faith, or trust, that I am talking about is not based upon on what you can do for me, but rather in what I alone can do for you.’

It’s easy for some of us to be like impetuous, proud Peter. But we should never forget the wisdom and prophecy of The Book of Proverbs: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall… (16:18-19).

Jesus urges us to learn the lesson of humility and believe in God. We can be very confident that he is committed to us, no matter what. The events of the first Good Friday and Easter Day assure us that this is true.

From: https://anglicanconnection.com/peters-pride/

It’s time to stop saying you’re going to do, and start to just do it!

Bill Adams recently sent out a social media video explaining what he means by saying; “It’s time to go”. When out preaching the bible truly comes alive for him, the scriptures jump off the page and the words make sense. But this can only happen the more that you read it, the more that you speak it. God spoke directly to Adam and Eve and yet they did not believe Him which is why they sinned. When we speak as evangelists we get the same response, people who simply do not believe, people who have not taken the time to read the bible and understand the words within it. How can you dismiss the bible as a fairytale without truly exploring the text? 

Bill explains his simple process of how, if after he has a dialogue with someone when out preaching, and after repeating himself twice, they still show no language of belief, he ceases the conversation and moves on because he does not want to spend time speaking with someone who simply does not believe. One of the problems Bill faces is people saying they are not going, but not always using that phrase to say it. It’s time to stop beating about the bush and say what you really mean. But more importantly, it’s time to go!

Listen to Bill’s video in full here: https://www.facebook.com/sfoi.org/videos/451282536116845

Daily Devotional 3-30-21 

Understanding Free Will

Martin Luther struggled greatly with the relationship of God’s sovereignty to human free will and sin. In fact, one of the greatest books ever written on the subject, The Bondage of the Will, is from Luther’s pen. When Luther grappled with this issue, he especially struggled with the Old Testament passages where we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3–4, 13–14, 22–23; 8:15, 19, 30–32; 9:27–10:2; 10:16–20, 24–28).

When we read these passages, we tend to think, “Doesn’t this suggest that God not only works through the desires and actions of humans, but that He actually forces evil upon people?” After all, the Bible does say that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

When Luther discussed this, he observed that when the Bible says that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, God did not create fresh evil in the heart of an innocent man. Luther said that God didn’t harden people by putting evil in their hearts. All that God must do to harden anyone’s heart is to withhold His own grace; that is, He gives a person over to himself.

Coram Deo

Is your heart open to the needs of others? Is it responsive to spiritual things? Ask God to keep your heart soft and pliable to His divine will and purposes.

Passages for Further Study

Exodus 4:21

Psalm 95:8

Deuteronomy 15:7

From: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/understanding-free-will/

NHL Outreach March 25th 2021

Mark Seward led the outreach for the Bluejackets game in Columbus, OH on Thursday 25th March. Take a look at Mark’s invitation to join him along with his wrap report from the game. 

Invitation:

Wrap Report

NHL Outreach April 6th 2021

Whilst Joshua Richards was busy preaching in Indianapolis, Mark Seward held the fort at the Nationwide Arena on April 6th, sharing the Gospel to Bluejackets Fans in Columbus, OH. Mark Reported an attentive crowd as he read Psalm 51.

See Mark’s video here: https://www.facebook.com/mark.seward.169/videos/1378054882593916

Daily Devotional 3-29-21

God’s Sanctuary

Psalm 100:4 exhorts us to draw near to God. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” The gates open into the place of worship. The courts are the rooms of the tabernacle, a tent erected for worship. God promised to dwell, to tabernacle, among His people in the sanctuary they would build. “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).

In the holy place, one of the courts or rooms of the tabernacle, the people sacrificed various animals on a golden altar. When they entered the holy place, they were to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”

Christians are living stones being built into a modern dwelling place for God. “You also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). God uses feeble human beings. By fitting them together He builds a spiritual house, His church. “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).

When God’s people gather, they “offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). They “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”

To encourage you to enter God’s presence, click here and listen to a message discussing “God’s Presence Among Us.”

From: http://dennyprutow.com/daily-devotions/

I Can’t Afford It…What does that really mean?

There are times when we invite people to join us at events, and on some occasions, someone will say; “I can’t afford it”. But what does that really mean? Being more specific in your explanation can help us to help you, but when you do tell us that you can’t afford it, have you truly explored what it is that you cannot afford? Take a look at Bill’s video below has explores the question, I can’t afford it, what does that mean?

Daily Devotional 3-26-21

Let Them Go

Mark, my soul, the care that Jesus displayed even in His hour of trial toward his precious sheep! The ruling passion is strong in death. He resigns Himself to the enemy, but He interposes a word of power to set His disciples free. As to Himself, like a sheep before her shearers He is dumb and opens not His mouth, but for His disciples’ sake He speaks with almighty energy. Herein is love—constant, self-forgetting, faithful love. But is there not far more here than is immediately apparent? Do we not have the very soul and spirit of the atonement in these words?

The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep and pleads that they must therefore go free. The Surety is bound, and justice demands that those for whom He stands as substitute should go free. In the middle of Egypt’s bondage, the voice rang out with power, “Let these men go.” Out of slavery of sin and Satan the redeemed must come. In every cell of the dungeons of Despair, the sound is echoed, “Let these men go,” and out come Despondency and Fearful. Satan hears the well-known voice and lifts his foot from the neck of the fallen; and Death hears it, and the grave opens her gates to let the dead arise. These men go the way of progress, holiness, triumph, glory, and none shall dare to keep them from it. No lion shall hinder their progress, and no fierce opponent shall prevent them.

The Lord Jesus has drawn the cruel hunters upon Himself, making the most timid of His followers to discover perfect peace in His unbounded love. The thundercloud has burst over the cross of Calvary, and the pilgrims of Zion shall never be smitten by the bolts of vengeance.

Come, my heart, rejoice in the immunity that your Redeemer has secured for you, and bless His name all day and every day.

From: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/daily-devotionals/latest/?gclid=CjwKCAjwnK36BRBVEiwAsMT8WCR8UteIwaWlAyP4o9ZIuAWio8l7qmAM1nDcB3pFiYr-jOUNkgMsShoC68IQAvD_BwE

Daily Devotional 3-25-21

The Seventh Petition: Deliver Us From Evil

Ever since Adam, the carnal mind and heart has always sighed for just the opposite: “Where’s temptation, that I might be delivered into evil.” Thus, the prayer to be led away from temptation and delivered from evil is strange and foreign to our hearts. We rebel against it. Even so, the Spirit prays for us with unutterable cries. The seventh petition involves us in a high drama of spiritual warfare, beyond what we commonly understand by that term. “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want” (Rom 5:17).

Our cry to be delivered from evil is in response to the suffocating reality expressed by the sixth petition: “Lead us not into temptation!” But we are not delivered out of temptation by merely pleading for it to go away. We are delivered due to another unnatural plea placed in our hearts from Jesus’ lips: “Deliver us from temptation’s evil!” It is a plea arising from our total inability to deliver ourselves.This is not a plea for us to be given the strength to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. It is our helpless cry when boots – straps and all – slip off the edge of temptation’s cliff. Arms flailing, we beat the air for support as we cry out, “Deliver us!”

The Greek verb “deliver” does not have a precise English equivalent. The closest meaning is more like: “seize, grab, pull me out and away!”

But the full meaning of the verb is not pull me and put me down in some safe spot where I can recover and try it again sometime soon. The verb includes grasp and bring me to you and for you (1). Pluck me away from evil and bring me to yourself. Then, use me for whatever purpose your infinite sovereign will has in mind for your glory!

Paul’s description of the saving power of grace carries the echo of the prayer: “Deliver us by your grace, for your service.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).

Thus, the prayer to be plucked and saved from evil is followed by the plea: “Then, let me live a life for my Savior.”

By grace, Moses was plucked from the pleasures of Egypt, for leading Israel into Canaan.

By grace, David was snatched from the fangs of beasts and Goliath’s sword, for serving as king and psalmist of Israel.

By grace, the Lord delivered the prophets from lives of oblivion for announcing the coming Messiah.

By grace, Matthew was delivered from his life as an extortionist, for serving as an apostle – and gospel writer.

By grace, Paul was delivered from his life as an assassin of believers, for service as gospel apostle to the gentiles.

By grace, Jesus delivered Mary from the stones of her accusers for becoming the first eye witness of the resurrection.

By grace, Jesus delivered each one of the disciples for a life of proclaiming the good news of salvation by grace through faith.

By grace, we are delivered from evil for declaring the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

So the prayer “Deliver us from evil!” is “Pluck me to you and for you!” But it is always in the posture of having been saved by grace through faith.

The task itself is immaterial. God delivers us to himself, for himself, and for his glory alone.

But what is the “evil” from which we pray to be delivered?

Usually when we think of some evil overtaking us, we imagine a catastrophe, great physical harm, material loss, grave illness, betrayal, relationships lost, and many other ills.

We may certainly plead for deliverance from all these evils. Yet, there is a more foreboding evil behind them when we pray, “Deliver us from evil.” The Greek word may also be translated as “the evil one.”

He is the ancient serpent, Satan, the accuser of the believers. He’s the great seducer through his appearances, but a cruel despot over his subjects. The Greek word for evil has at its root meaning, hard and painful labor, to do senseless work, to wear yourself out with useless tasks until you fall from fatigue (2). The evil one is the greatest expert in putting us to work for him until we destroy ourselves. He distorts the gospel into works of his own invention, seduces people into thinking they must be saved by them, and then enslaves them with useless tasks which will satisfy neither devil nor God. The seventh petition pleads for us to be delivered into our Lord and for his service, because otherwise the devil will enslave us into his endless and destructive tasks. When we bring our anguish, distress, and suffering as offerings to God for our sins, we have done nothing but the works of the evil one. But for that reason, we pray to be delivered from him! All the works required for our salvation were completely accomplished by our Lord’s living and dying, and are more than sufficient. And his works are ours by faith alone.

The evil one is the greatest expert in putting us to work for him until we destroy ourselves.

Thus, in the seventh petition we plead, “Pull me away from evil and bring me next to you where I may bask in your grace. Then, also through your grace, grant that I may be given a life of service where I may be kept from the evil one’s useless and futile works.”

The Lord’s prayer is the backbone of all prayer. It reflects Jesus’ own prayer life as he communed with the Father. Because Jesus gave us all seven petitions, we may confidently trust that each one will be answered according to God’s sovereign will, and for God’s glory alone.

From: https://www.1517.org/articles/the-seventh-petition-deliver-us-from-evil

They may not be what you expect…

This small piece written in November 2020 will cover three points on why our society needs an awakening and a revival needs to happen within the American churches. It is my hope that if you see any of the pressures of the culture, as discussed in this article, pushing in on you, that you will be made aware of it and continue to fight the good fight of faith.

1.We need a moral reset as a nation.

If you examine the landscape of our culture, you will see the rise of subjective opinion. What is the old saying? (“Whatever floats your boat, do it.”) Or to use the words of captain obvious, “you do you.” This is where we are at as a nation. For us to either continue to lie to ourselves or stick our head in the sand like an ostrich, hoping that this will all go away like a bad dream is not helpful.

What is the answer? One of the ways we can turn the tide on a culture going down the subjective drain is to go out and be a biblical witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in the Gospel that man’s greatest need is met. The answer to why there is corruption, stealing, rioting, sex trafficking, etc. is all found in the explanation of the Gospel.

We were out witnessing on the University of South Carolina handing out the Man Tract. When we hand out the man tract, we ask one follow up question, “what do you think is wrong with mankind?” Then we just listen. People begin to speak to us without any hesitation about all the problems with mankind; however, none really have any solution to the problem.

We took the time while on campus to show them how the problems that they bring up are because of sin, and then we show them how they personally have sinned against God. Then, we unveil the glorious Gospel. Without the Gospel making us examine our condition, man is left with a drifting moral compass.

Our culture, without the Gospel and the truth of Scripture, is left to their gods and autonomous narcists tendencies. Without the objective truth of God’s Word, we are left to the power of popular opinion and the lust of our own desires. This is slowly destroying our society.

2.We need to understand what reality is—God. (Humans don’t determine reality.)

People are continually confusing subjective opinions with the objective truth that God reveals for us to live by. Where there are pockets in our culture where society is growing and flourishing, people are instinctively living out these morals. Whenever a person is honest and works hard at a job, proving their faithfulness to their work task, they are exemplifying the unchanging attributes of God. Whenever they don’t steal and are honest, they are bearing witness that they are made in God’s image.

This is God’s reality that allows life to flourish wherever these morals and others like them—found in the Bible—are applied to everyday living. He gives us his good earth to dwell on, to use, and it testifies to His goodness. It is not only that His word and earth testify to His goodness, it is also the heavens that do the same.

We need an awakening and a revival so people can come back to reality. What do I mean? Reality starts and ends with God. The further people get away from God, the further they drift from reality, and it is our job to show the anchor for every person on planet earth. Jesus!

If no one calls them on living a lie in the false reality of their broken worldview, they will continue to live comfortably in either (1) their sin until it causes a wake of unrepairable damage, or (2) they end up in hell for eternity. Nevertheless, there is one more vital reason that I want to talk about in this article that shows we need revival and awakening that is catching a lot of us by surprise.

3.We need to be reminded of what it means to be human, which is getting confused because of social media and A.I.

Social media is not real life. Participating with Artificial intelligence on any level is not real life. However, many people are beginning to step over the threshold and are confusing reality with simulation because of the amount of time they are spending on these platforms.

What it means to be truly human is to be relational creatures. First in a right relationship with our creator, secondly, in the right relationship with the people, we live with and around.

People are spending more time on Social Media which is an artificial substitute for genuine relationships. People are living their lives on Social Media and it is a façade. It is the airbrushed version of what they want the world to see. Only a revival and an awakening are going to break the stronghold that Social Media and Artificial Intelligence has on our society.

I want to share a little more about A.I.

A.I. is tinkering with how we shop, interact with the information, and information that bombard our daily online consumption. We are becoming the product for A.I. to learn and pull us further away from personal interaction with people. Online interaction is not truly interacting with other humans the way God intended us to interact. COVID-19 has added to this pandemic of anemic human interaction. It is further separating us from each other, and in return, separating us in our relationships with human beings that we need to be witnessing to and doing life with.

However, a revival and awakening would show what really matters: our relationship with God, and then our relationships with each other. Pray that God would be gracious and allow a revival to break out in the churches of this nation and awakening to happen in the culture because when it does, this nation’s moral compass will begin to shift back toward objective truth.

The true reality of God will come into focus again, and people will begin to see how social media and Artificial Intelligence are tinkering and affecting the way we look at the most valued thing apart from a right relationship with God: our relationship with other human beings. Until next time, go out and proclaim the Gospel to see a life transformed. By Tommy Waltz.

NHL Outreach Weekly Report: March 22nd

From left to right & back to front: Jobe, Mark Seward, Rachael Richards, David Tripp, Joshua Richards 

24 People responded to the means of grace at the Bluejackets Outreach in Columbus, OH. Great to have 6 total evangelists, including Brother John who joined us for the first time to help pass out tracts. I was able to talk and pray with a young homeless man, Jobe (pictured in the foreground of my selfie) and shared the Gospel in the prayer. Prayers answered again!  

See a video of Fans listening to preaching at the Bluejackets Outreach in Columbus, OH as David Tripp preaches

See David singing at the Bluejackets outreach in Columbus, OH

See Mark Seward preaching at the Bluejackets outreach in Columbus, OH

See Joshua and Mark sharing the Gospel at the Bluejackets outreach in Columbus, OH https://www.facebook.com/therichardsfamily/videos/317679239754558