May 2017 – Tri-Valley Baptist Church

The Christian’s Greatest Discovery?

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May 282017

PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: The Christian’s Greatest Discovery?

By: Ron Woodrum

A University professor challenged his students with this question-“Did God create everything that exists?” A student bravely replied, “yes He did”. “Everything”, the professor asked? “Yes sir!”, the student replied. The professor then said, “If God created everything, then God created evil because evil exists, and by the principle that our works define who we are, then we must deduct that God is evil”. The student became quiet, and had no answer for the professor. Another student raised his hand and said, “can I ask you a question professor?” “Of course”, replied the professor. The student stood and asked , “Professor does cold exist?” “What kind of question is this? Of course it exists! Have you never experienced being cold? Of course it exists!” The rest of the class snickered at the students question. The young man replied, “According to the laws of physics, cold does not exist in and of itself, it is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study if it transmit energy, and heat is what makes a body, or matter transmit energy. Absolute zero, (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created a word to describe how we feel when there is no heat.” Then he asked, “Professor does darkness exist?” The professor again responded, “Of course it does, we have all experienced darkness at one time or another”. “You are wrong again sir! Darkness is in reality the absence of light. We can study light, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and dispel it. How can you know how dark a space is? You can measure the amount of light present. Darkness is word we use to describe the condition when light is not present”. The student went on to point out that evil does not exist in and of itself, but is the absence of God. He pointed out that evil is the equivalent of the other items of darkness, and cold, both existing as the absence of light and heat! The professor sat down. The student was Albert Einstein.

If you snopes this story you will be told that it is not true! But that means that there is nothing written in the biographies of Einstein that affirm this story. But it does kind of sound like him, and the truth the student shared point out that some things are defined as the absence of their opposite. The absence of heat is cold. The absence of God and holiness is evil. The absence of light is darkness. That is why John, in writing to his believers, points out that God is the perfection of Life; of Light; of Love: of Truth. He is the essence of all those qualities. When He comes to indwell the believer, in the person of His Son, by the presence of the Holy Spirit He brings these quallties as a part of the Eternal Life that comes to indwell us. But if we do not let that indwelling presence shine through us, the opposite becomes apparent, and we are known by the absence of God’s qualities. We walk in darkness, rather than light. We find hate dominating our lives, instead of love; When we turn from His truth, we find ourselves in the grip of error; When we lose these qualities we are marked by death, instead of overflowing with abundant life. John wanted us to be known as the reality of being a Christian, rather than the absence of those qualities that make up eternal life.

The French Philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin once said, “Someday, after mastering the winds, and the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire!” Man’s greatest discovery can be debated. Perhaps it was tools to hunt by; or the wheel; or the printing press; or fire to keep warm by and cook by. But clearly the French philosopher was implying that the discovery of love, as defined by God, is a greater discovery than even fire. The Christian’s greatest discovery is that inheriting eternal life, upon putting their faith in Jesus Christ is more than just “living forever!” It is living with the life of God within us, transforming us day by day into his image and likeness. The Apostle John will point out that to have fellowship with Christ is to experience the essence of His light, and reflect it; to experience Christ is to experience the essence of His truth, and live by it; to experience Christ is to experience the unconditional essence of His love, and touch lives by His love; In sum it is Him living His Life, Eternal life, through us, by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. That, according to the aged Apostle, is the Christian’s greatest discovery.

C.S. Lewis had this in mind when he said, “I believe in Christianity, like I believe in the Sun. Not just becauses I see the sun at sunrise, but by it I can see everything else!” That is how John felt about God’s light. By it we can see everything, and by reflecting it we help others see the reality of Christian truth as well. That is our role. Not to manufacture light, but to reflect what He is! I heard W.A. Criswell tell about one of our astronauts who walked on the moon came to visit and speak at FBC Dallas, Texas. During his testimony he described the the moon dust and moon rocks that they collected while exploring the lunar surface. This is what they discovered, to their amazement, that the dust they collected from the moon was little more than little tiny glass beads; the rocks they collected were splattered with glass, and made of titanium, a very reflective chemical. They also discovered that the moon had no vegetation or trees, but that the surface of the moon was very rough and channeled with craters. W.A. Criswell said “when you put it all together it becomes very clear. If you have a movie screen at home, there are little beads of glass stuck to it to enhance it reflection of light from the projection of the movies; titanium is a chemical that will reflect light better than a diamond; the surface of the moon with its channeled craters is like the channeled headlights of your automobile to enhance the bulbs reflection and magnifying properties. All these things discovered by the astronauts and scientists just confirm that the moon is one giant reflector of the light of the Sun. Criswell said, “had they asked me I could have quoted that discovery from Genesis chapter one, and saved our government billions of dollars!” As believers, we were created to be moons to reflect the Sun of Righteousness. When we discover that we have discovered fire a second time!

“Losing Ground or Practicing Detente?”

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May 212017

PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: “Losing Ground or Practicing Detente?”

By: Ron Woodrum

In 1988 I had the privilege of attending the Conference on Biblical Inerrancy/Biblical Interpretation held at the Second Baptist Church of Houston, Texas. I had the privilege of taking seminar classes at the feet of some of the most gifted Evangelical Scholars of all time. I attended classes taught by Charles Swindoll; Charles Ryrie; Howard Hendricks; Charles Stanley; Ed Young Sr; John Bisagno, and others. My favorite class was the one taught by perhaps one of the greatest theological minds of our generation-Carl F.H. Henry. I still remember a quote by Dr. Henry as if it was only yesterday. He said, “Gentlemen, we sing with enthursiasm ‘Like a Mighty Army Moves the Church of God’-but an army that only captures a few scraggly prisoners each year is hardly worth name ‘a Mighty Army’ “. He was emphasizing the fact that for all our innovations, programs, and advancements that the Church is losing ground in its impact on people’s lives. What was true then is ever more true now. We spend great time and energy trying to communicate to our generation and communities and they “stay away in droves!”. Don Francisco described our generation as one “rushing helter, skelter to destruction with their fingers in their ears!”. It reminds me of something I read years ago in a book by Bill Bright and James Davis. They wrote, in their book Beyond All Limits, about an experience of the famed English Explorer Sir William Perry. Perry was known for his efforts in mapping most of the Southern Polar Cap. They write, “On one particular expedition, (Perry) and his crew were preparing to kike to another unfamiliar location. On eve of their departure, they studied the stars and determined their exact coordinates. As the sun rose, they began a hard lengthly journey to this unmapped region. They marched through the ice and the snow, and the howling wind, all day long with the freezing air burning their lungs. At sunset they they made camp, totally exhausted from their day’s trip. After their evening meal, before retiring to rest, Perry studied the stars again to determine their exact coordinates, and to log their progress northward. What he discovered totally stunned him! Though he and his crew had journeyed north, a full days journey, traveling as fast and furious as they could, They were now further South that when they started at the day’s dawn. How could that be? But the coordinates do not lie! After struggling to solve this perplexing paradox, they finally discovered the truth. They had indeed traveled a full day northward, but…they were on a giant sheet of ice that had broken away from the rest of the land, and they were floating South at a greater pace than they were driving North. So in spite of all their efforts…in spite of going in the right direction…they were losing ground and did not even know it”. When I read that I thought what a description of the Church in this new millenium. We do everything in our power, as a fast and furious pace, hoping to make progress in our ministry to the world, only to find out each day, each month, each year we are losing ground. How can that be? It is due to the bigger picture. John, in his First Epistle, told us the problem is the whole world has broken loose, and is lying in the lap of the evil one. Satan is busier than ever “blinding the minds” of those who believe not. He and his evil fowls are stealing the seed of the Word of God ever so quickly as it lands on the hardened soil of the hearts of the listeners. What are we to do? The Church is getting discouraged and going on the defensive.

It is to our generation of believers that the words of Winston Churchill find new application. Someone has said that during WWII that Sir Winston Churchill “mobilized the English language and sent it into Battle!” The sagacity and satire, the zesty wit, and daring defiance of this great man fired the inspiration of his generation to fight for victory. In his orders to Lord Louis Mountbatten Churchill said this-“You are to plan for the offensive. In your headquarters YOU WILL NEVER THINK DEFENSIVELY!” Not bad words for us to hear today. Stay on the OFFENSIVE! NEVER GIVE UP! Dr. Alan Redpath, Pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, years ago said, “The thing we need to be afraid of today is that the spirit that produces world trends should invade Christ’s Mighty Army and argue us off the offensive into a compromised co-existence with the world’s attitudes-so that we end up like the world-taking lessons in French and practicing Detente!” Maybe that is what Dr. Carl F.H. Henry was saying! In these last days we must stay on the OFFENSIVE!

How are we to do that? Let me briefly mention some ways to do that. Number one we must STAND UP. I Corinthians 16:13 Paul told the Church of Corinth that they need to “stand firm in the faith; act like men; be strong!” ( I Cor. 16:13 NASB). One way to stay on the offensive is to take opportunity on every occasion to prove our faithfulness to our LORD by taking a stand for Him. We have too many Christians whimping out. It is getting harder and harder to tell the Christians from the worldlings! Vance Havener said, “the world is getting more Churchy and the Church more worldly, it is getting harder to tell them apart”. Someone asked a dear elderly lady who was nearly blind, deaf, and so crippled she could barely get around, why she bothered to come to Church. She couldn’t read the words on the screen, couldn’t hear the testimonies, and certainly heard very little of the sermon. But she never missed a Sunday service. Her reply, “I want the devil to know whose side I’m on!”. Does the World and the Devil know whose side your on? STAND UP FOR JESUS! But then we must SPEAK UP. The Bible says “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!” (Ps. 107:2). Someone has said, “sometimes Silence is not Golden-It is downright YELLOW!” The Christian on the offensive speaks up for his LORD in the power of the Spirit. One of the key words in the book of Acts is the word Parresia-boldness. The Church was so effective because the fullness of the Spirit that made them witnesses included a powerful boldness. That is missing today. We must tap back into HIs Power. Then we need to LOOK UP. Luke 21:28 says, “When you begin to see these things come to pass, LOOK UP your redemption is drawing nigh”. We need to be a GOING CHURCH FOR A COMING LORD!. C.S. Lewis said those who “thought most of the other world, have done the most for this one!” Amen! People with eternity in mind will make the greatest impact on time…because they know the time is short…and eternity is so long! Then stay on the OFFENSIVE until we are TAKEN UP! (I Thes. 4:17) “We who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the LORD in the air and so shall we ever be with the LORD”. Even so come LORD JESUS.

“Yes-Meaning To The Labyrinth of Life”.

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May 142017

PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE: “Yes-Meaning To The Labyrinth of Life”.

By: Ron Woodrum

Around midnight, on September 17, 1961, in in the heart of Africa, while on a mission of peace, the DC-6, carrying U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammerskjold crashed, taking the life of one of the most respected and intriguing characters that has crossed the world scene of history. His death occurred in circumstances that have forever remained shrouded in mystery and secrecy. We may never know the truth. Philip Toynbee said, “Hammerskjold was the greatest statesman, best matched for his hour, since Abraham Lincoln”. John F. Kennedy said he was “the greatest statesman of our century. Next to him I am a very small man!” Billy Graham referred to him as one of the most spiritual men he had met, certainly the most spiritual man to hold the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. His stand for what is right may have cost him his life! The last time Graham visited him was just a few months before his death. At that time Hammerskjold told Billy that he “really did not believe that world peace would ever occur with a major spiritual awakening”.

After his death, per his last wishes, his best friend, Leif Belfrage, was given his diary, simply titled with one word, Markings, with the intentions of leaving it up to his friend to decide if that diary was worth printing for the public. Dag called that diary “sort of a white book concerning my negotions…with myself…and God!” It was 175 pages meticulously typed. It did not contain a single reference to his distinquished career; it did not contain a singular mention of the many presidents, kings, and prime ministers that he had dealings with. It dealt ONLY with his own personal spiritual pilgrimage. W.H. Auden, who wrote the preface, and translated it from the Swedish language into English, said this about the book…”It is an attempt in one life to unite Action and Contemplation”. He made reference to Hammerskjold own quote “in our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through a world of action”. Something very significant and spiritual happened to him on New Year’s Eve 1951. He wrote, “Night is drawing nigh. For all that has been-THANKS! For all that shall be-YES!” After that night, all his activity recorded in his diary was footnoted with the words, “Not I, but God In Me!” He had experienced something life changing and life transforming…by his YES of surrender to God.

One of the interesting entries into his journal came on Pentecost 1961, just a few months before his tragic death. He gave illuminating clarification of the meaning of the YES that had transformed his life. It was a YES to God, but it involved a surrender to Jesus Christ. He wrote, “I don’t know Who-or what- put the question, I don’t know when it was put. I don’t even remember answering. But at some point I did answer YES-to Someone-and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life, in self-surrender, had a goal. From that moment on I have known what it means ‘to not look back’ and “To take no thought for the morrow’. Led by Ariande’s thread of my answer through the labyrinth of Life, I came to a time and a place where I realized that the Way leads to a triumph which is a catastrophe, and to a catastrophe which is a triumph, that the price of committing one’s life would be reproach, and that the only elevation of man lies in the depth of humiliation. (Sounds like Jesus). After that the word ‘courage’ lost meaning, since nothing could be taken from me. As I continued along the Way, I learned, step by step, word by word, that every saying in the Gospels stands one man, and one man’s experience. Also behind the prayer that the cup might pass from him and his promise to drink it. Also behind each of the words-the cross!”

Later, in 1956, in his Markings, he adds this clarification to the meaning of “Yes”. “To say YES to life is at one and the same time to say YES to oneself. The YES transforms you”. “You dare your YES-and you experience a meaning. You repeat your YES-and all things acquire meaning. When everything has a meaning, how can you live anything but a YES!” He had found real life by his Yes of commitment to God, through Jesus Christ His Son. What other answer is there but that TRANSFORMING YES!

The Aged Apostle John has given that YES to Jesus. That YES had transformed his life. After sixty years the YES was still impacting his life and making his life impacting. There were elements where, as Hammerskjold said, “seemed to lead to a triumph, which was a catastrophe, and a catastrophe which was a triumph!”. John wanted his little children to come to know Jesus, God’s LIVING WORD, and let the WORD transform them, as He had him. That YES to HIM would enable them to experience ETERNAL LIFE-and transform them into an AMPHIBIOUS CHRISTIAN. That is today’s message.

CHOOSING OUR DEFINING STORIES

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May 072017

PASTORS PERSPECTIVE:　CHOOSING OUR DEFINING STORIES.

By: Ron Woodrum

SCRIPTURE:　 JOSHUA 24:15 “Choose you this day whom ye will serve…as for me and my house we will serve the LORD”.

　　　　 A popular game show reaches a climax when the emcee asks the contestant-“Is that your answer?　 Your final answer?”　 The moment of truth has arrived!　 No more time for consideration.　 No more time for contemplation.　 No more time to mull things over any longer!　 It’s crunch time!　 You can’t hesitate any longer.　 You must choose.　 Even to refuse to answer is an answer-you lose!　 We call that “a moment of decision”-“a crossroad of choice”.　 Webster defines a “crossroad”　 first as, “a place of intersection of two or more roads”, and then as, “a crucial point esp. where a decision must be made”.　　 I believe that Christians, people in general, and Churches today are all at a crossroad.　 We face a crossroad of decision.　 God has brought us to this point and led us to this intersection.　 A choice is before us.　 Which way should we go?　 Which way will we go?　 The choice is ours.　 The consequences are not!

　　　　　Daniel Taylor calls this our opportunity to write our own next chapter.　 “Freedom is useless if we don’t exercise it as characters making choices…we are free to change the stories by which we live.　 Because we are genuine characters, and not mere puppets, we can choose our defining stories.　 We are co-authors as well as characters.　 Few things are as encouraging as the realization that things can be different and that we have a role in making them so!”　 Yet we hesitate.　 Mark Twain wrote, “It is by the goodness of God, that in the West, we have three unspeakably precious things:　 freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, (choice), and the prudence NEVER TO PRACTICE EITHER OF THEM!”.　

　　　　 Two crossroads on decision stand out in the Old Testament.　 Once when Joshua stood before the Children of Israel, on the border of the Promised Land.　 Egypt and slavery lay behind them.　 The glory and the beauty of Canaan before them.　 A failed and fallen generation had passed and was now buried.　 It was a place of crossroad.　 It was crunch time.　 It was time to choose.　 They would either-REPEAT THE FAILURE OF THE LAST GENERATION, OR REALIZE THE FULFILLMENT OF THE NEW GENERATION.　　　 Joshua called them to “choose”.　 The Hebrew word for choose is “bachar”.　 It means “a carefully thought out choice or resolution”.　 Joshua did not want any shallow decisions.　 He challenged them to consider and choose.　 Charles Spurgeon warned about quick and shallow decisions, “those who are quick to promise are slow to perform.　 They promise mountains, they perform molehills!　 He who gives you fair words, and nothing more, feeds you with an empty spoon.　 People don’t think much of a man’s faith, when his promises are like pie-crust, made and quickly broken!”.　 Joshua demanded more.　 In Joshua 24:15 he says, “choose you this day whom you will serve.”　 You cannot serve the Lord, your self, other gods.　 You can’t travel both roads simultaneously.　 It is one or the other.　 His choice was not a question mark.　 It was an exclamation point”.　 He declared, “As for me and my house we WILL SERVE THE LORD!”

　　　　　A second Old Testament crossroad is located in I Kings 18.　 It was the days of Jezebel and Ahab.　 That evil duo had led the people of God into the wicked worship of Baal.　 Elijah confronted the royal couple and the people of God.　 In I Kings 18:21 he asks them, “how long will you halt between two opinions?”　 He dragged them to a crossroad.　 The word halt is the Hebrew word-“pashah” which means “to limp, as a cripple”.　 It was used of crippled Mephibosheth in II Sam. 4:4.　 Elijah asked them “how long will you limp and cripple along in your walk with God.　 One moment limping along with God, the next limping backward into the evil worship of Baal.”　 He demanded, “If God is God, follow Him!”　 That Hebrew word follow, “ahor” means “turn your back on all else, and pursue Him”.　 To choose means　　one road to walk.　 You turn your back on all others.　 We too face that choice, that crossroad.　 Which one will we turn our back to?　 Our futile pursuit of an empty life, or turn our back to God?　 The great Russian novelist, Dostoyevsky, author of Crime and Punishment, and other great works, wrote, “Beauty is not only a terrible thing, it is a mysterious thing.　 There God, and the Devil strive for mastery, the battleground is the hearts of men!”　 To choose to serve God is a choice of beauty.　 The other choice, not so good!　 During the Civil War there was a soldier who was torn between two opinions.　 He couldn’t decide where to cast his lot…where to deposit his loyalty.　 He choose both.　 He wore a confederate shirt, and union trousers!　 The result?　 HE WAS SHOT AT BY BOTH SIDES!!!　 Indecision on our part, straddling the fence, limping between two opinions, for us will be JUST AS FUTILE!　 OR SHOULD I SAY, JUST AS FATAL?　 Is that your answer?　 Your final answer?　　　“We make our choices, and then they make us!”.　 A truer statement was never made!!!