Wisdom

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5

During last week’s sermon, one of the most difficult sections for me to teach related to wisdom. Wisdom is the application of knowledge. It’s not simple to know how and when to speak or act. Well-meaning words spoken at the wrong time, or with the wrong tone can have the opposite of the intended effect. Actions undertaken with pure motives can be greatly misunderstood.  Wisdom helps us resolve conflicts and see things for what they really are. Wisdom helps us counsel others and speak the right words during a difficult time. Wisdom allows us to see the heart of the matter, instead of working problems that are secondary to the real issue. Wisdom is from the Lord.

As James states, if you lack wisdom you should not just hit the books, but you should ask God for it. Seeking wisdom is a matter of prayer and learning. The Lord Jesus is glad to help His children rightly understand the world around them and how to live in it. 

A few words on wisdom from the Bible:

• If you lack wisdom, ask God for it. He will make you wise as you study His word. 
• We understand how God thinks about the world through Scripture. Therefore, to be wise, we must first study scripture.
• Wisdom comes from understanding how God has made us and the true nature of the world. If we have a false understanding of the world and the nature of people, we can never be wise.
• There is an entire book of the Bible devoted to understanding how to apply knowledge: Proverbs. This is a hard book to read straight through. I suggest that you keep a marker in that book, and read a few verses from Proverbs each day in addition to your normal daily Bible reading.
• Wisdom comes from experience. We can learn the hard way by experiencing failure ourselves, or we can shorten the process and grow in wisdom by learning from the experiences of others. The Bible is full of true life stories. Some of these stories teach us how we should live, and others stand as negative examples of how notto live. Both are helpful. Learn from the successes and failures of others. 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wiseman who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Do not look to foreign and mystical places for wisdom. Keep to the simple path of prayerfully reading Scripture, hearing God’s words, believing them, and obeying them. See you Sunday!

---

Blog post by Vic Carpenter (Sep 19, 2019)

Baptism

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4   It is recorded for us in the Gospels (Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22) that Jesus was baptized by immersion in the Jordan River at the very beginning of His public ministry. At the very end of His public ministry, just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus gave His last command to the gathered disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). At that time, He brought to bear His authority and sent them out to preach the gospel of the forgiveness of sins. They were to (1) make disciples – or teach people to believe in Jesus and follow Him with their lives, (2) baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (the Trinity), (3) teach the new disciples to obey the teachings of Jesus. Jesus did not remind the disciples that “all authority had been given to him” so that He could suggest to them a direction for living. Instead, Jesus sent them out as His disciples to do His will – part of which was to baptize.  There is a constant pattern in the book of Acts demonstrating the faithfulness of the early church to obey the command of Jesus to baptize new Christians. At the first coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-41), when 3,000 souls were saved, they were baptized. When Philip helped the Ethiopian understand Jesus, he also explained to him what I am explaining to you now – the imperative of baptism. As the two men went along in his chariot, they came to water (Acts 8:36-38), and the Ethiopian said, “See here is water! Whatprevents me from being baptized?” The answer was nothing! In accordance with the command of Jesus, he was baptized by Philip. When Saul (later called Paul) came to salvation after being struck blind by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was baptized (Acts 9:18). When Jesus by angels and visions brought the first gentiles (non-Jews) into the church, they were immediately baptized (household of Cornelius – Acts 10:47). Even in the middle of the night after an earthquake, when the Philippian jailer came to faith – he was baptized (Acts 16:33). And so, Christians have continued to follow the command of Jesus, down through the ages and around the world, to be baptized after believing Jesus is Lord! What is baptism? Baptism is both a symbolic and a public proclamation. As stated above in Romans 6:4, Paul clearly teaches about the symbolic nature of baptism after believing in Jesus as your Savior. When we are submersed below the water it is a symbolic action of joining Christ in His death. But when we are raised up out of the water, we are joining with Jesus in His resurrection! We are symbolically raised with Jesus to walk in “newness of life!”  This points to the second important aspect of baptism. It’s a public affair. Jesus requiresthat His followers not be ashamed of Him. Being publically baptized does not changed the state of your soul – faith does – but it does change how people view you. Being publically baptized makes a statement that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ! Through the ages groups of Christians have changed the biblical teaching of baptism by immersion to serve various ends. The reason that Jesus calls for us to be baptized after making a decision of faith, rather than as an unbelieving infant, is so the decision made privately in the heart is made public to the watching world. This act of obedience takes boldness and courage, but part of what the Holy Spirit will give you as a new disciple of Jesus is boldness to do things you would never have done before.  If you believe in Jesus as Savior, but have never been baptized, I encourage you to obeyJesus in this important step. It will be an unforgettable day of joy to associate yourself with Jesus publically, but it will also greatly encourage other Christians to see how the Lord is working in our midst. If you are interested, let an elder know Sunday and be baptized Sunday, Sep 29.

---

Blog post by Vic Carpenter, Teaching Pastor (Sep 12, 2019)

Forgiveness

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” – Matthew 18:21-22 It was difficult to decide what all to cover in last week’s sermon on forgiveness. As followers of Jesus we are called on every day to grant and receive forgiveness. This can come in many different forms and have many different outcomes. We must pray for wisdom and grace. I was asked by a number of you after service about an aspect of forgiveness that I did not have time to address. “What should I do if I ask someone to forgive me, but they refuse?” This is a common situation and a tough position. I would suggest three basic steps: First, make sure your heart is right before the Lord. Be certain that with true humility and contrition of heart you have confessed the matter to the Lord and sought forgiveness for wherever you were wrong. “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” Psalm 51:1-2. Because of Jesus and His death upon the cross, you will be forgiven of your sins. Know that when you confess your sins, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive your sins (1 John 1:9). We cannot change the past. Give it to the Lord and pray for the ability to live more like Christ going forward. Second, ask the person you wronged to forgive you. You may have done this before, but I suggest that you try once more with a degree of finality. Pray much before you do this and pray for the right opportunity. If there is no opportunity, perhaps write a letter. If you write a letter, let a trusted friend read it before you send it to make sure the tone is right. Once you have asked forgiveness with clarity and humility, I suggest that you let the matter rest. You have put the ball in the other person’s court. They know where you stand. As you interact with them in the future let your attitude confirm your previous words. Which leads me to the third point. Third, pray against despair and bitterness toward the unforgiving person. So often this person is a family member of some sort. A person that will not cycle out of your life, but one that keeps the pain of unforgiveness right in front of you day by day. Pray for a work of the Lord Jesus in your heart that you might love that person who does not love you, and may even be your enemy (Matthew 5:43-47, 1 Peter 3:1-2). Pray for the ability to love that person if they have a change of heart after years of separation. Here we look to the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). His younger son hates him, wishes him dead, takes his inheritance early and leaves on the worst possible terms. Yet, the father longs for his return and harbors no hatred because he loves his son. However, he does not seek after him in his rebellion. Only the Lord can change another person’s heart. But when the son comes home, he is welcomed and celebrated. Let us always pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1). May the Lord bring reconciliation where there is now separation – healing where there is brokenness.

---

Blog post by Vic Carpenter, Teaching Pastor (Sep 5, 2019)

Consider

“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Heb 12:1-3

In my sermon last Sunday, I encouraged you from Colossians 3:2 to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” As followers of Christ, we are called to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). We are to think differently about the events of our day, to have different and better priorities, and to see the struggles and triumphs of each day through the lens of the coming kingdom of God. I emphasized to you Sunday the importance of recognizing that heaven is real, and that the spiritual reality of eternal life to come will change how we live today. Another important part of transforming our thinking is to meditate on the life of Jesus.

The author of Hebrews urges us to “consider” Jesus and how he lived with such perfect love and patience under the constant persecution and scheming of wicked people.

To “consider” something means to think it over – examine a person or event from different angles; look at all details; think about how you would react in the same situation. What led up to the event? What are the consequences or results of the action?

We should constantly be “looking to Jesus” and “considering” how he lived. We must consider how he spoke to people, how he prayed, spent his time, dealt with temptation, how he focused always on accomplishing the Father’s will. We must be regularly returning to the gospels in our Bible reading to be reminded of his beautiful and perfect life. As we read of Jesus interacting with lost people in the gospels, it will transform the way you think about people in your day. As you are reminded of Jesus’ priority to do the Father’s will at all times and at any price, your thinking will turn toward heaven and be transformed!

When our thinking is not of an eternal perspective, not fixed on Jesus, we can quickly and radically get off track. In Matt 16:21-23, Jesus taught his disciples how he must suffer and die to accomplish the salvation of his people. Peter saw this as foolish talk, and tried to dissuade Jesus from doing the Father’s will. Jesus swiftly and powerfully rebuked Peter, telling him, “you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter was off in his thinking because he was not listening to Jesus.

I urge you, make time daily to prayerfully read the Scriptures. Read often of the life of Jesus. Set your mind on things that are above. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I’m praying for you this week!

---

Blog post by Vic Carpenter, Teaching Pastor (8/16/2019)

Abide

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

It’s hard to believe, but my wife and I met 10 years ago – almost to the day! We’ve had some incredible moments on our journey together! Dating. The proposal and our wedding day. The honeymoon. Our pre-baby trip to Italy. Serving on mission trips and in ministry together. Having a baby. Then another. 
 
These moments were great – totally worth celebrating. But great moments don’t make a great marriage. We’ve found that it’s more about what happens in between. Praying together. Dreaming together. Extending grace when we hurt one another. Intimacy is found in the in-between.
 
Isn’t the same true of our relationship with God? Great moments – the mountaintops – are good and God-given and worth celebrating! But real intimacy is found when it’s just you, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God. When He asks you to follow Him to something new; to do something (big or small) and you put your yes on the table. When you decide to live in such a way that if God doesn’t show up, it’ll mean failure. It’s in the in-between…that’s where a great relationship with God is cultivated.
 
Last week, our elders memorized John 15:5. As that verse has rolled around in my head, here’s what I’ve come to love about it: in one verse, we have an invitation and a promise.

An invitation to get close with Him – the word ABIDE carries the idea of moving in with someone!

Think back to when you and your spouse moved in together, or to that great roommate you had in college. How much time you spent together. How much fun you had together. How their qualities started showing up in you. That’s the kind of closeness God is after with us.
 
Then he makes us a promise…to be near to us. That’s been His desire from the beginning – walking with Adam and Eve in the garden. Living among His people in the tabernacle as they navigated the wilderness, and eventually the temple. Sending Jesus to dwell among us, as one of us, and ultimately, by giving us His Spirit so He is never more than a breath away! God has moved heaven and earth to make intimacy with us possible.
 
One other thing Jesus makes very clear: without Him – without abiding – we can do nothing of eternal consequence. And make no mistake: we are starting Spotswood West with eternity in mind. We want its impact to outlast us. We want whole families to meet Jesus and begin abiding in Him, and as families in Spotsy are changed, so is Spotsy itself. 
 
As we look forward to our launch, let’s all take a little extra time to enjoy the abiding presence of Jesus, and be thankful for all He has done just to be near to us!

---

Blog post by Tyler Cooper, Student Pastor (8/9/2019)