All posts by Philip

Morning Thoughts (Mark 6:52)

Morning Thoughts,

Mark 6:52, "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."

This morning, certain circumstances can eventually lead to other things.  Perhaps one of the most detrimental things about lying and falsehood is that it breeds more sin.  Lies lead to other lies, and even lead to other sins as well.  Many times, we as people fail to see how certain things affect things later until the event is over.  Sometimes, we can look back over the scene of our lives and see where certain failures or successes led to other failures or successes down the road.  Many of the problems of today's modern world find direct connection with failures in the past.  For example, modern social problems as they pertain to delinquent children, diseases, etc. find direct connection to the failings of people to live up to marriage vows and honour the God-given institution of marriage.  However, one problem seen repeatedly today (even among many of God's children) stems from a failure in today's world to see and appreciate the gospel for the inestimable treasure that it is.

During Christ's ministry, He performed a great many miracles, and there are direct spiritual connections and applications in them.  Even though the miracles literally happened just as recorded, they do point to spiritual relevance in our lives.  Two miracles that occurred "back-to-back" during Christ's time were the feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes and the miracles on the sea with Christ walking on water.  Our study verse shows that a failure of the disciples in regard to one miracle led to their problems during the next miracle.  Let us see what the relevance and spiritual application is for us today in this lesson.

Though we cannot devote much space to long proofs of the spiritual lesson of the miracles, let us briefly lay out those lessons to build upon for our application.  When Christ fed the multitudes with a very miniscule amount of food, we see direct relevance and correlation to the preaching of the gospel.  The gospel feeds our souls and cheers our spirits like nothing else in the world can do.  The food that it provides fills us in ways the world can never fill.  When in application, God uses men of His calling to distribute food and feed His sheep.  Though their efforts seem small and the amount of food so little, yet the hands of Christ make the distribution plenteous and the bounty beyond compare.  So often, the minister feels like his studies and meditations have been so small, and yet the Lord blesses the effort to not only feed the flock but also have more left over than we started with.

As Christ comes walking on the water in the sea towards His disciples in the boat, we see a direct application and relevance to Christ coming to cheer us and comfort us during the storms and tribulations of life.  Though the floods rage and the winds roar, yet His very presence can still things in the midst of the storm.  His sweet voice can drive away the doubts and gloom by the simple statement, "It is I."  Then, when the Saviour steps into the boat with us (takes care of the problem we are facing), the calm is immediate and miraculous.

In the verse before our study verse, we see that the disciples were incredulous about what had occurred on the sea.  Pulling the gospel accounts together, they had just witnessed the Saviour walking on water, Peter walking on water, and seen an immediate calm to the storm that they could not handle.  Their amazement and incredulity could best be described in a commonly made statement today, "I just can't believe it!"  They seemed unable to believe what they just experienced due to direct failure to remember a past miracle from Christ's hand.

Before moving into the spiritual realm, consider just how forgetful the disciples had been.  The feeding of the multitude had just occurred, and they quickly either forgot or failed to keep in remembrance what they just witnessed.  They also had been with Christ for quite some time by this point.  They had not just started walking with Him during His ministry.  Therefore, they had seen many things by this point and were quite experientially aware of His power and authority.  Yet, even after all of that, they found themselves in the throes of despair for failing to remember or consider what He had already done in their presence.

Moving into the spiritual realm, this account shows quite vividly that people will always fall victim and prey to the sorrows and travails of life when they fail to utilize and consider the rich treasure of the gospel in their lives.  Whenever we have those rich times with God by His Spirit through the gospel, we experience something that cannot be experienced or realized anywhere else.  Nowhere else on the world at that time would one have found a miracle like Christ performed in feeding those people.  His presence, power, and authority were on rich display, and the people there present enjoyed bounty from His hand.  We today experience His power, presence, and authority within the halls of Zion through the heralding of the gospel and receive limitless bounty from His hand.

Yet, just as the blessing on that occasion should have sustained people beyond that setting (their bellies were filled), so should the gospel sustain us beyond the initial hearing of it.  It should provide food for our souls for many moments to come.  The disciples even had a basket apiece to go with them for nourishment in the future.  Meditations of the gospel in the days following its heralding provide future sustainment in the days following church service.  The intent of the gospel therefore is not just richness for the occasion but also sustainment in the trials that will shortly follow.

So, why is it that so many (self included) fall into the pitfall of overmuch sorrow through the storms of life?  Why is it that when Christ in His mercy, comfort, and power walks on the storm, blesses us to walk on the storm, and eventually quells the storm we stand in amazement in seeming unbelief of what just happened?  The direct reason is that we fail to keep in remembrance what the gospel has given us.  Matthew 14's account of this tells us that Christ constrained them to enter the boat that night and pass over the sea.  He put them in the boat and told them to go!  Why in the midst of the storm should they have felt that He had forsaken them or sent them to die?  Why when He comes to them should they have been surprised?  Why after the amazing events on the sea that night should they have been so incredulous?  These are all consequences of failing to remember and consider the power, comfort, and sustainment of the gospel.

Whenever Monday comes (and it always does), sorrow should not be the diet of the day.  Whenever midweek arrives, life should not seem interminable and without hope.  Yet, all too often, these are the weekly rituals that we engage our minds and hearts in.  However, if we consistently consider and "chew upon" those gospel treasures that we have enjoyed in days past, we do not become overcome with anxiety about the storms of life.  When Christ comes to cheer our hearts in the midst of the storm and calls us to walk with Him, we do not stand in bewildered contemplation over the scene.

Friends, the gospel does so much for us here in this vale of tears.  One of the richest things that it does besides providing strength for today is to give comfort and sustainment coupled with hope for tomorrow.  If the same Lord has fed us so well from His table today, He will not leave us or suffer more to come upon us than we can handle tomorrow.  May we enjoy those rich times with Him at the table, and may we look for His coming on top of the waves of sorrow and listen for that sweet and cheering voice that speaks peace to our souls.  May we not stand unbelieving at His power to quell problems in our lives that we cannot handle, but may we thank Him with the same fervor in which we enjoy His sweets and dainties at the table of the Lord.  Considering that sorrow and anxiety are higher now than at any time, it should be no surprise that the gospel is less desired or treasured than at any other time.  May we desire and treasure the gospel and keep our heads up looking for Him during our trials in life.

In Hope,

Bro Philip

Morning Thoughts (Zechariah 11:17)

Morning Thoughts,

Zechariah 11:17, “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”

This morning, certain things – as the old saying goes – “get our goat” here in this world.  Since we all have buttons that can be pushed to letting our emotions get the best of us, we need to be aware of what our buttons are as well as learn to control those situations and never act contrary to Biblical mandates.  Biblically speaking, there is a difference between being righteously angry and letting anger rule our spirit. (Ephesians 4:26-27) Certain things should fill us with righteous indignation, for even our Lord Himself was angry with a cause at those that bought and sold in the temple. (John 2) If certain things do not bother us due to their inherent error, then we quickly find ourselves on the path of complacency.  So, may we learn to model our behaviour even closer to the Master in knowing what should arouse our anger but also model the pattern of not letting it rule our lives.

The subject from our study verse above is one that I freely confess fills me with anger faster than just about anything else in this world.  Our study verse shows the eventual end of an egotistical preacher that thinks too highly of himself.  When trying to comprehend that the gospel minister is supposed to be an ensample to the flock, there is nothing more foreign and alien to the discharge of his duty than such a proud and haughty behavioral pattern.   One particular word from our verse above really drives the point home about how we should view an egotistical preacher.  He is an “idol” shepherd.  Not to be confused with an “idle” shepherd, this man literally puts himself on the same plane with the One he should be heralding and extolling: Jesus Christ the Lord.

How does a man become an “idol shepherd?”  It is generally not nearly as stark and open as a man claiming to be God or promoting himself as God.  Rather, his conduct consistently shows a skewed and crumbling pattern that indicates that his thinking, mindset, and understanding of everything is right.  He can never be wrong.   Anyone that dares to disagree with him really does not know what they are talking about, and he scoffs at the very idea that either a. he could be wrong or b. someone else knows more than he does.  Oftentimes, this pattern develops gradually, and eventually the manifestation of it brings some rather harsh circumstances.

In the short course of my ministry, I have had the experience to visit two churches to fill their supply that had been devastated by such “idol shepherds.”   The scenes that I have witnessed are stirring to the point of indignation at what harm and detriment such men can be to innocent sheep and lambs.  They truly are undeserving of the painful condition that they find themselves in.  When observing those times, I many times wonder how such men could do such things.  Since the flock is to be the man’s chief care and concern, how does that man develop such a “god complex?”  Since we still carry around the corruption of sin in this old flesh and since the devil seeks to constantly entice us with his wiles, simply put: they succumbed to the temptation to set themselves higher than they should.

The manifestation of this mentality can be quite a difficult situation to observe.  Many times, the man that endangers his ministry in this fashion was at one time in the past not only a gifted man but also quite blessed with power from on high in his labors.  Since such gifted men can fall prey to such a condition, it behooves every minister of the gospel to earnestly pray that his charge always mean more to him than personal advancement.  We need wisdom to successfully repel all the wiles that attempt to deceive us into putting ourselves on the level of Divine prerogative.

Notice what the Lord promises as the outcome of such an idol shepherd.  After the man completely gives his mentality over to self-idolatry, God does some things to show forth not only His power but also His promise not to give or share His glory with another. (Isaiah 42:8) The man will have 3 things: 1. the sword will be upon his arm and eye, 2. his arm shall be dried up, and 3. his eye shall be darkened.  These three things show how utterly and completely the Lord removes the man’s “status” in the eyes of those he is around.

When the sword is upon the man’s arm and eye, he cannot see or dwell peacefully with anybody.  Not only can he not see peace – the sword is before his eye – but he cannot dwell at peace either – the sword is upon his arm.  Men who develop the “god complex” cannot be satisfied unless everyone else thinks as well of them as they think of themselves.  Since such is impossible, they are constantly at war and “wrought up” about anything and everything.  Since God’s people are compared to sheep, how do sheep respond to war, strife, and turmoil?  Nothing could be more alien to them as they desire still waters to drink and peaceful pastures to lie down in.

When his arm is clean dried up, his influence and “power” begins to dwindle to the point of completely going away.  Men, who at times in the past, were powerful preachers and able gifts to the Lord’s people only to develop this thinking soon lose their “pulpit presence” and ability to edify the Lord’s people.  Preaching that was once so powerful that it seemed to “ring the heavenly arches” now has the hollow echo of dry speaking.  Where once people sought their counsel as wise and sage undershepherds, they now are perceived as foolish and/or arrogant with none to desire their opinion about things.

When the eye is darkened, they no longer see or understand the things they were once blessed to see.  While our eternal life and standing will never be taken away, our light and understanding of rich, Biblical truths can stand in jeopardy for continued and willful disobedience.  If someone goes through this downward spiral, their once deep and rich preaching will deteriorate to “surface skimming” and/or unsubstantiated thoughts.  Where once people were given rich insights into gospel truths, now all they receive from such men is personal speculation or opinion, which the teachers pass off as the gospel itself.

Considering how thoroughly the Lord deals with such men, one easily sees how important the command against idolatry is for us.  Whether we worship someone else or ourselves, both are heinous in the sight of the Almighty.  For the minister that leads, it seems doubly so.   However, the real tragedy is not the loss of one man and his gift (though that circumstance is tragic).  The real tragedy is that when the spiral begins, it potentially can damage poor saints in the process.  Before the realization hits that they are not being fed what they once were, confusion begins to set in like a fog, and like a fog, it is not immediately exited.  May the importance of God’s place and the safeguard of the welfare of His people here on earth, stir us as ministers not to ever become “idol shepherds.”  May the purity of the Lord’s character stir all of us to keep Him fixed in our hearts and minds above anything of ourselves (including our own opinions).   Finally, may our indignation over seeing such things never take us down the path of uncontrolled rage, but rather, may we commit the matter to Him that judgeth faithfully and will deal thoroughly with the man’s case.

In Hope,

Bro Philip