Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

Betty tells me that our two dogs, the General and Wee Little Man, are just like me. Every morning they insist on going with me for the morning paper. When I say ‘insist’, I mean ‘insist!!’

Then at times I’ll sit on our back porch with my morning coffee, meditate on the goodness of the Lord, and follow through with my morning devotion. The dogs just settle in for a bit of relaxing. With ‘Wee Little Man’, that is a tall order.

Well, my good friend Doug sent me an email this morning that pretty much describes my morning devotion. You can check it out at:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/grandmafaiths/first-cup-of-coffee.htm

Here it is:

First Cup of Coffee

Hope you are drinking from your saucer too…

I’ve never made a fortune,
And it’s probably too late now.
But I don’t worry about that much,
I’m happy anyhow.
And I go along life’s way,
I’m reaping better than I sowed,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven’t got a lot of riches,
And sometimes the going’s tough.
But I’ve got loving ones all around me,
And that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for his blessings,
And the mercies He’s bestowed.
I’m drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
And the sun peeped through again.
So Lord, help me not to gripe,
About the tough rows I have hoed.
I’m drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I’ll not ask for other blessings,
I’m already blessed encough.
And may I never be too busy,
To help others bear their loads.
Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer,
‘Cause my cup has overflowed.

Was that a wonderful poem. Makes me think of the wonderful rest that Jesus came to give us.

Ok, you asked for it. Heres a devotional study on the wonderful rest that is to be found in Christ Himself. Let’s just call it…

The Rest is His Rest -

There is a prophecy that speaks of the rest to be found in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 32:17, says,

“And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.”

Jesus said,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy- laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28,29)

We need to reach back into the Messianic promises for a look at the ‘rest’ that was promised to believers in Christ Jesus. For example, when Jacob prophesied over his son Judah, he said,

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:10)

The Targums have ‘Messiah’ in place of ‘Shiloh.’ But the old Greek translation ends the prophecy with, “…and he is the expectation of the nations.” The ‘he’ is God’s Messiah. The legend of Messiah can be found in all the nation groups.

And finally, the ending can also be translated, “Until he whose it is comes.”

Shiloh was a name for Messiah. But the heart of this prophecy is found in the statement,

“…to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

The Hebrew for obedience is ‘yaggahah’. This word speaks of an inner submission of the soul, or the resting heart. The obedience results in a tranquility of the inner man.

The resting heart is what happens when a person truly comes to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Peter speaks of this, when he says,

“Your adornment must not be merely external . . . but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3,4. “Quiet” is the Greek ‘hesuchios’, which literally translates as ‘tranquil’.)

Then we have a prophecy that is so misunderstood by certain folk today. Isaiah 28:11,12, says,

“Indeed, He will speak to *this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, *He who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary,’ and, ‘Here is repose,’ but they would not listen.”

The emphasis of this prophesy is not on a ‘foreign tongue.’ It isn’t the ‘languages’ that is made the rest. The rest as to do with the Messiah.

This prophecy gets turned on its head when an improper emphasis is placed on ’stammering lips and a foreign tongue.’ The prophecy had a direct fulfillment on the day of Pentecost, 33 A.D. The languages spoken on the day of Pentecost were not some jibberish that could not be understood. The gospel of Jesus was being presented in languages that were known and spoken by the Jews who had gathered from the many nations.

The purpose of speaking in other languages on the day of Pentecost was to draw attention to the Rest Giver, that is Jesus Himself. Notice how the Isaiah prophecy directs itself to *this* people. The “this” people were the Jewish peoples who be gathered in Jerusalem during the festivals of Passover and Pentecost.

The Isaiah 28 prophecy tells you who the prophecy will be about. It is about, *He “who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary.’” The rest giver is Jesus. Jesus is the one who said, “I will give you rest.” And the prophecy has to do with receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah. But many of the people would not listen.

But there is a second factor that is crucial to the rest that is found in Jesus. The second factor speaks of our identification with Christ Himself. This is why John said that as Jesus is, so are we in this world. We have become one with Him.

When a person turns from their sins and turns to Jesus, there is a spiritual dynamic that takes place in which God places this person positionally in Christ Jesus. This means that the victory and rest that Jesus now enjoys, is the rest that is given to all believers. The writer of Hebrews says that we enter into His rest. Paul adds to this in saying that we have been “made complete” in Him. (Colossians 2:10)

The work of redemption is finished. There is nothing to add to it, there is nothing to take away from it. The work of the cross is not our work. There is not one thing a person can do to earn salvation. It is wholly God’s work. God has taken all the human effort out of His salvation in Christ. This is why there is only one thing left for men to do in order to be saved. It is summed up in the statement,

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)

Put these two factors together, that is, the rule of Christ in our hearts, and our full identification with Him in the finished work of the cross, and from these two factors you have what is called ‘the Rest.’ The rest is the full victory of the cross inscribed in our hearts. We have been seated with Christ in the heavenlies.

And this is what the first cup of coffee is all about.

Think about it.

Have you entered into His Rest?

May the blessing of the Lord overtake you,

Buddy

Journal,

A true Biblical disciple is someone who sits at the feet of Jesus, listens, asks questions, learns the ways of the Lord, and takes to heart the path of life that has been ordered for him by the Lord. This is why in the great commission, the only statement that is imperitive in the original Greek is ‘make disciples’. Everything else Jesus says is attached to ‘make disciples’. As you baptise, make disciples. As you teach, make disciples. As you go into all the world, ‘make disciples’. - Cf. Mt28:11-20.

The prophet of old described new covenant spiritual discipleship when he wrote, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.” (Cf. Isa50:4 nasb. The reference is to God’s Messiah and by extension to all who are disciples of Jesus Christ.) 

Understanding the principle of true discipleship helps us to appreciate what Jesus meant when he said that Mary had chosen the good part. Follow these Scriptures - Note the words in ‘bold’:

“Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’

“But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”
(Luk 10:38-42 NASB)

Here are some good parts that you can choose…

Christian Challenge is an exciting place to be. The heart of our ministry will always be Biblical discipleship. A number of things are presently in play. We are branching out with our Community Groups. These are ’in-home’ care groups where discipleship can be experienced in small group settings. If anyone in Central Louisiana is interested, you can find out more about the Community Groups by visiting our Wednesday evening service, or simply call the church office at, 318 640-4300.

Another good part you can choose is our forthcoming 40th School for Christian Workers. We offer two schools a year. This next School will be extra-special in that we are offering (one time only) two Disciple’s Heart classes. The normal one will be on Sunday evenings, and is taught by Lane Fletcher.

A second Disciple’s Heart class will held be on Monday evenings. It will be taught by myself. This second one is for the purpose of filming and archiving. It will likely be used for our web school of the future. Since I developed this training program, it was decided that I should be the one to provide structure for the future school. Students can choose which ever class they would like to enroll in.

Additional information about the School for Christian Workers is found at the following site - It will be updated shortly with the latest classes offered and the scheduling. The next school begins the Sunday after Labor Day. Registration is required.

http://christianchallenge.org/scw/index.html

Another good thing to choose - 10:00 a.m. Tuesday mornings…

Because of the various ‘branching out’ changes at place at Christian Challenge, and since we will not have a traditional Wednesday evening service, it was decided to reinstitute a Tuesday morning Bible ministry that we had in yesteryear. 

I am often asked to continue providing open Bible studies. In the past our Tuesday morning studies became a real blessing to many. We had business people attending along with folks from other Christian backgrounds, and not to mention the mommies who were able to attend since the children were in school, and also retirees. A Tuesday morning study seemed to work well for a great many.

What will make the Tuesday morning ministry extra-interesting is that my forte of ministry is on the Hebrew background of the Christian faith. Some believers are not aware that the Bible is a Hebrew document from Genesis to Revelation. To appreciate it even more is to learn to think Hebraically.

Kinds of Hebrew issues that we will be looking at:

Here are some instances where understanding things Hebraically can cause the Scriptures to take on added meaning. 

• (1) Where did Paul get his teaching that we have already been seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? (Eph2:6)
• (2) What did Jesus mean when He said, “Their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt18:10)
• (3) Why is there such a stress on the name of Jesus in the apostolic writings? (Acts 4:12)
• (4) What is the one doctrine taught in the new covenant that has many branches of study, but it is called ‘the rule!’ (Gal6:14-16)
• (5) Why did Paul tell us we must learn to “never exceed what is written?” (1Co4:6)
• (6) What did Paul mean when he said the Christ “existed in the form of God.”? (Phil2:6)
• (7) What did Paul mean when he said that God had “bestowed on [Christ] the name which is above every name.”? (Phil2:9)

All the afore mention areas are only understood properly from a Hebraic perspective. Early church theology was simple. Everything they taught and believed was based on the prophets. 

Special note: The Tuesday morning ministry will probably begin with our next School for Christian Workers.

And now for our song…

You knew I was going to do it.  : )

How could I complete my journal entry without something special that draws our hearts heavenward? How about this one by Candy Hemphill, ‘Lord, Send Your Angel.’

Did you know that you have angels in your life?

Ok, beloved of the Lord. Let the Lord help you make good choices.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Had an interesting early morning meditation with the Lord. I had gone to bed thinking about what the Lord meant when I heard the words, ‘Branch out.’  I woke up still meditating on those words. Then as I was getting ready for the day, a great peace filled my heart. This is when I realized what the Lord was speaking to my heart in so many words… 

‘I’m not asking you to do anything. The work is My work. All you need is to be obedient to the vision and calling that I gave you in the beginning. Your call has not changed. And whatever I have you do in the future, I will supply the means to accomplish it. Just follow Me.’

Just Follow Me

It is interesting how the Lord keeps drawing me back to the original call that He had given me for Christian Challenge. That vision has not changed. We’ve had a number of branching out times, including both our School for Christian Workers, outgoing missionaries, and even a branch CCI ministry in Baton Rouge. (The BR branch is not in place at this time.)

This ‘branch out’ is another step the Lord is giving for expanding the original vision of ‘Preparing servants for the nations.’ On a local level we are moving forward with our ‘Community Groups.’ Whatever else ‘branch out’ means will have to come from the Lord. Over my years in the ministry I’ve found not to let my imagination run away with me. It is too easy to try and fill in the blanks.

But on a personal level I still had to wonder what this ‘branch out’ may mean for me and Betty. At my age and due to health considerations, neither Betty or I am are in a position to go about trying to raise up branch ministries for Christian Challenge. Most people do not realize how hard it is to raise up a ministry. Not only it is generally a young man’s job, but neither should it be taken without a clear direction from the Lord.

But here again is where you find the faithfulness of the Lord. My custom over many years is to have morning devotions. I begin with Genesis and on to Revelation. Then I begin over again. To me the Bible is a living book. There is never a time when the Lord will not speak to me through the Scriptures. And it really doesn’t matter where I am reading, the Lord always shares something pertinent to my life. 

Anyway my devotion this morning found me in John 21. Peter is at a point in life where he doesn’t know what to do. It is after the resurrection. Peter feels like he has missed it. How could the Lord ever use him again. Not knowing what to do, Peter decides to go fishing. Several disciples go with him. 

What happens next is almost a replay of Peter’s original call from the Lord. The Lord brings Peter back to his original calling. And this is exactly what the Lord has been doing with me this very morning.

See if you can pick it up:

“But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish, do you?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ And He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.’ So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. …

“…when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid and fish placed on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.’ Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’…

“Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’”
(Taken out of John 21:3-17 NASB)

Do you love me?

Did you get it? Where did Peter’s original call begin? It begin with fishing. What we see here is nearly a mirror image and a repeat of Peter’s original call. The Lord meets Peter again at the place of his first calling. (If you would like to compare the settings go to Luke 5:1-11.)

The Lord simply brought Peter back to his true calling. Jesus healed his heart, refreshed him in love, and expanded even further on his calling. And this is exactly what the Lord is doing for me. This again shows how the Lord is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Do you have a vision or a calling from the Lord…

Don’t try to read too much into your calling. There is where our imaginations can give us problems. Most callings begin with just a word or two. Where we get in trouble is in trying to fill in too many blanks. All the Lord wants us to do is walk with Him. This is a step-by-step walk.

What I have often taught the disciples of Christian Challenge, is if you don’t know what to do next, just go back to the last thing the Lord told you to do. If there is something else He would have you do, He will tell you and it won’t be a matter of confusion. This is where you will find your rest in the Lord.

Ok, how about if I pass an Irish blessing on to you…

What?! You thought I was strictly cajun Louisianian! Not really. I’ve got a smidgen of cajun-French and Spanish mixture, along with touches of Indian, but the greater part is English and Scotch-Irish. What! My grandmother was an O’Banion. You don’t get much more Irish than that. In fact I have an ancient map of Ireland where our O’Banion forebearers had kingly estates there. (Lots of kingly estates in ancient Ireland.)

Ok, here goes the blessing…

What a great blessing. Did you hear it. Let your soul rest in the hollow of God’s hand.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Christian Challenge has a daily devotional site for anyone who wishes to subscribe. The devotions are provided by our dear brother in the Lord, Jim Ross. To subscribe to the devotions go to this site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cci-devo/

Today Jim shared a devotion that I’d like to pass on to my readers. It is titled, ‘Getting to know the Master’ —

“Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” - Luke 17:20-21 NASB
 
“When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” - John 10:4-5 NASB

 
A suggestion, shared by my pastor in a “Disciple’s Heart” class without any fanfare, has been one of the single most important ideas to come into my life. I had been told to read the Bible before, but something in this request made it different. The next day I started my journey at Genesis 1:1. At first my mission was to be obedient to my pastor, but as I continued to read through the days, months, and years I heard my Master calling from within the words……through impressions, ideas, and feelings mostly.
 
One thing that came to me was a sense of the Presence of the Lord when I prayed to Him, read His Word, or listened to my pastor. And with each day that Presence grew stronger……………..with each reading of the Word of God I get to know Him better as He revealed Himself to me.
 
A lesson I’ve learned through all of this is that most things He’ll reveal to me only when I’m ready and being ready means actively trying to seek His Face through His Word …………..getting to know Him. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had my perspective shifted when I’ve read a scripture again. God was in my “midst” but I just couldn’t sense Him…………………then…………there He was.

And the more I “hear” His “Voice” the easier it is getting to distinguish Him from others who take His Words and pervert them in some way…..some of these being very clever…. all of them leading from the Shepherd to another flock.
 
Love in Jesus,
 
Jim

Thanks Jim for a wonderful devotion.

Now for a word from one of my favorite preachers, and a song by one of my favorite gospel groups…  Don’t be surprised. You knew I was going to do this. 

Ok, how do I say this without sounding so negative. Well here goes…

Have you ever wondered what happened to the message of the cross? Seems like it has become unpopular today to preach the cross. Seems no one wants to die to themselves. After all, why die when a person can have power, and authority, and prosperity, and never have to go to the cross.

Several years ago I was accosted by a Charismatic preacher for preaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ. He let me know that I was out-of-step with the message of the day. Of course I had a few short words for the gentleman.

But on the world scene, it does make you wonder if Billy Graham is not one of the last of the great preachers. Here we have a man such as Billy Graham who has reached untold millions of people with the simple but powerful message of the cross. Here we have a man who lives a relatively simple life with what we would call modest means by today’s standards.

Then on the other hand you have major pulpits in the land not to mention television preachers who are amassing fortunes, collecting air planes, living in fabulous mansions, prancing about like rock stars, and all the while preaching distorted messages of the gospel, and people seem to love it?

Yep, sure makes you wonder.

Guess folk get tired of hearing me say that I have only one message to preach. I can preach it a thousand ways but it will always be the message of the cross. There is no greater message. That one message takes us from the death side of the cross on into the life side of the cross, and then on to a future glory that is reserved for all true believers. And it all happens with simple faith in Jesus Christ.

Ok, nuff said.

May the Lord shine on you with all His love, and may you discover in all its fulness the life side of the cross.

And just in case you forget, you can’t get to the life side without passing through the death side. Yep, the old song said it well enough, ‘For the old rugged cross made the difference.’

Much love is stored at the cross. Why not go for it!

Think about it.

Buddy

Journal,

This is my first entry under the new theme. Took awhile to find the look that I wanted. And thanks to our good Yankee friend, Miss Jenni Baier, we are up and running.

Well, I may as well be up front. Seems training Jenni to our southern culture is a task of and by itself. She sho nuff is trying. See what you think. Here’s a picture of Jenni in my fishing hat. Think she’d make a cajun-type person of the female persuasion?  Not so sure about the ‘cajun-type’ myself. Been wondering if she is a mafia hit-gal, sent to rub out the great and awe-inspiring leadership of Christian Challenge.    

Just kidding. Jenni is a real peach of a girl. We are happy that the Lord sent her to be on our team. What a blessing she has proven to be. And Jenni has well let it be know that she has found her a home at Christian Challenge. Good for you Jenni.

The pulpit…

You will notice a few changes in the new theme. For one thing it is easier to get to the comments made. One that I want to mention in particular is found above the picture-banner. To the left you have, ‘Home,’ then ‘Subscribe,’ and then ‘The Pulpit.’

Click on ‘The Pulpit’ and a new page will come up with five sermon-teachings that can be listened to. Each sermon-teaching addresses a particular need in a believer’s life. The subject titles are:

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?
A KINGDOM OF THE HEART
TWELVE NUGGETS OF GOLD
THE FRUIT OF DISCIPLESHIP
TURNING POINTS IN LIFE

Now for the branching out…

It is a wonderful mystery in how the Lord works with our lives. I call it wonderful for the same reason that Paul speaks of the ways of the Lord. The apostle said, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are HIs judgments and unfathomable His ways!”  - Rom 11:33 nasb

When the Lord has something for His people to do, it is like He plants a seed in our heart as the beginning point. The seed is often just a word or two. Yesterday morning while getting ready for the day, I kept hearing in my heart, ‘branch out.’ I knew it was of the Lord.

Those two words continue to linger in my heart. As I mused over the words ‘branch out,’ I thought about Jacob’s dream where the Lord said,

“Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” - Gen28:14

Now I know that Jacob’s dream would be fulfilled in Christ Himself. But there was still something missing. I heard two exact words, ‘Branch out.’ Then I remembered that there was another direct prophecy concerning Jesus Christ, where He is called ‘the Branch.’ This was the prophecy that carried the words I heard in my heart. Listen:

“Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord…” - Zech 6:12

Again this prophecy has to do with Jesus and the church branching out into all the earth. But it wasn’t the context of the prophecy the Lord was calling my attention to. It had to do with Christian Challenge ‘branching out’ with various ministries.

The time has come…

It is beginning with our Christian Challenge Community Groups. But the impression of my heart was that the branching out goes beyond what we are doing on a local level, that we are to branch out in line with the original vision given the ministry, by establishing branch ministries of Christian Challenge in other areas. But since the word of the Lord was directed to me personally, then it would be my place to see where this goes. Of course only the Lord can bring any of this about.

I’m not sure what all this means. It could be CCI home groups scattered around the state. It could even mean raising up Christian Challenge branches in various places. Our charter calls for establishing what we call WTE Centers. (CCI Worship, Training, and Evangelism Centers.)

Well, I’ll leave all this alone for now. And He doesn’t tell us everything in advance. Maybe all this is simply a reflection on our local Community Groups. The future will have to take care of itself. Sometimes like Abraham, we are simply called to make a step of faith without knowing where we are going.

Did you know that Southern Gospel is the music that is closest to heaven… 

Course you’ll like argue with me about that. But Southern Gospel speaks to the heart of our walk with the Lord. It is down to earth without any pretentiousnesses. Anyway, have you ever felt what this song directs our attention to? It is titled, ‘Why Me?’

That’s it folks.

All the love of the cross belongs to you,

In Christ,

Buddy

Journal.

Last evening we completed a defining moment in the history of Christian Challenge. It was our last regular Wednesday evening service before instituting our Christian Challenge Community Groups. The home groups will meet at various times during the week, some in private homes, others at Christian Challenge. Sunday morning remains our time of gathering for the body of believers of Christian Challenge.

It was my privilege to preach the final Wednesday evening message. My subject was

Turning Points in Life…

The service was treasured from beginning to end. Jeff led the worship and invited members to make song selections. Even had kiddies choosing songs. Jeff completed the worship with the theme song of Christian Challenge, ‘How Beautiful Upon the Mountains’. This is a song the Lord gave me in 1976. If you would like to hear it, on the bottom right of my blog, under ‘Related Sites’, click on ‘Bro. Buddy’s Music,’ then click on song #14. 

– Don’t expect anything professional. All the songs on our Jubilee CD are originals by yours truly and done in-house. –

Jacob’s call to return to Bethel…

My ministry last evening was taken from Genesis 35:1-7, where the Lord instructed Jacob to return to Bethel. I spoke from three aspects of this point of turning in the life of Jacob and his family.

I - God’s Call to Remember

II - The Power of Re-Consecration and Turning

III - A Time of Fresh Start and Renewed Revelation

I won’t try to provide more concerning this particular message. However if you would like to hear the message by video, go to the following site, drop down the page to ‘View Sermon Archives,’ and click on the ‘Wednesday’ box:

http://christianchallenge.org/live/index.html

(Keep in mind that our Sunday and Wednesday services are available by means of video for one week. They are replaced with each Sunday and Wednesday service. This video will not be available after next week.)

If you would like to know more about the direction we are taking with our ‘Community Groups’, it would be good to listen to Nathan’s, Sunday message. Just click on the ‘Sunday’ box.

Changing Themes…

My blog will be taking on a new look shortly. Had some problems in the past with the theme that I’ve been using. Anyway, I will be selecting a new theme (blog appearance) that will be more friendly-user. Found one that has ‘wheat’ in the banner. Love that look. Still not decided.

Ok, for a final thought.

You need someone to lean on…

This morning I was reflecting on our service last evening and the love that is shared at Christian Challenge. It seems we’ve had a strong love bond from the beginning. But isn’t that really what it is all about? Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

Anyway, during my morning devotion I was listening to one of my favorite gospel singers, Stephen Hill. There is a song that I truly love to hear him sing; ‘Lean On Me.’

Thought you might enjoy it. Here it is by Stephen Hill:

Your brother in Christ,

Buddy

This morning I took the love of my life to the airport and watched as she headed for the silver wings that would begin her trip to Oklahoma.

Yep, this lady has been my true love for forty-five years. Truth of the matter is the first time I looked deeply into her blue eyes, I knew I was toast. Remains the same to this day — Every time I look into her eyes my heart does a silly jig.

Betty and her Zaccheus the Wee Little Man, saying goodbye

My sweet lady is off to be with her mom for a couple of weeks. Mom Green is having an operation. The four sisters will share time with her. Of course I’ve been through this often before. Betty needs to have time with her family. And I’ve always admired those girls. Each one of them is a jewel.

Ok, here is a tribute to my lady. Silver Wings by Jewel and Merle Haggard…

Well, about the best I can do right now is offer a bit of Bible study.

Let’s call it…

The Imprinting of the Lord…

In this study we will look more closely at a spiritual phenomena that is unique to the Christian faith. It can be compared to ‘imprinting’ that takes place between children and their parents. It seems that even nature teaches us many lessons about our heavenly life.

Jesus spoke of the new covenant experience by the use of prophetic pictures. He said, “Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38) This is a picture of a believer who is deeply acquainted with the spiritual life of our covenant in Christ.

Peter adds to this by saying that we have been delivered from a futile way of life that belonged to our fathers, and that we now have life that is joyful, being inexpressible, and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8,17-19)

Nature seems to carry pictures of the spiritual imprinting that takes place between the Lord and a person born from above. You see it in the bird kingdom. Imprinting is what causes the penguin chick, and the mother penguin to recognize one another, even in the midst of literally hundreds of thousands of birds chirping loudly, and covering the beaches like a huge blanket.

How does the mother penguin know her chick? How does the chick know which mother is the parent? The mother penguin knows even sooner than does the chick. And so it is with our heavenly Father. He knew us, and loved us long before we had a capacity to return our love to Him.

Among earthly creatures, such as the penguins, imprinting is an activity of sound & smell, along with other things. With the case of God’s heavenly children, imprinting is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is this process that causes believers to know and recognize the voice of Jesus. The Lord said, “I am the good Shepherd, and I know My own and my own know Me.” (John 10:14)

Think about the natural human family. Infants imprint with the mother soon after birth. And even to some extent with the father. What happens is that the infant begins to recognize the ’sounds’ of the mother, her smell, and various other stimuli.

If you’ll notice, the mother will adjust her voice to a special tone when speaking, or singing, or playing with the infant. Fathers do this also. This is nature. But the strongest stimuli is ‘the voice.’

Scientist tell us that if for some reason an infant does not bond or imprint at an early stage with someone, that child will actually enter adult life with psychological, and even physical problems. In fact, they will never be able to bond with other adults properly. (Of course, in Christ this all changes.) This lets us know how very crucial imprinting is to our human nature.

To bring this over into the new covenant realm, it seems the natural is a reflection of the spiritual. In fact, Paul even makes such a comparison. He says, “The spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:46)

Perhaps it would be well to say that all of nature carries a spiritual message. I can tell you that I have observed the imprinting process hundreds of times over the years.

Generally new believers begin to imprint quickly. This is especially true when their spiritual environment is conducive to them learning the voice of Jesus early on.

Is there any Bible for such a thing as imprinting in a spiritual sense? Perhaps there is. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19)

I don’t believe that Paul was speaking of them being born again, again. His concern was for their inability to know and recognize the things of the Lord in their lives. The Greek word for ‘formed’ is ‘morphoo.’ It literally means ‘to form the nature of.’ This statement can be translated, “Until you become like Christ was.” The idea carries over as a sense of imprinting.

Many of the Galatians believers were not yet familiar with the voice of Jesus. Because of this they were being pulled back and forth with bad teachings.

Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said, “We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him.” (Ephesians 4:14)

It could be said that one cause of immaturity among believer is that they have yet to bond properly with the heavenly Father. They become restless and unbalanced. They are easily misled. A pastor’s greatest job is to help the flock bond with the Lord. (Not with him.)

I want to pick up a word in the Bible that carries a similar idea as bonding. Our English word ‘believe’ comes from the Greek ‘pisteuo’, which, means to bond, to adhere to, to cleave to. (We get our word glue from this word.)

If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, he will manifest psychological problems. This believer can become fear driven. The first need of a child of God, is the need to know they are loved without conditions. This is set forth by the apostle John.

This is why Paul instructed us to be very careful with the weak. He said, “Accept the one who is weak in faith (keep imprinting in view), but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

Paul concludes that we are to never put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way. We are to encourage and let each believer progress on the level where he is. What Paul said was, “To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)

Did Jesus say anything about interfering with the bonding process of believers? I think so. He said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

Doesn’t that sound just like a mama? “You touch my kids, you will have to deal with me.”

What is it we need to know? We need to know that in the new covenant we have the Holy Spirit to parent us into the processes of the covenant. It is God’s Spirit who imprints us to the Lord.

Just some things to think about.

Love in Christ,

Buddy

Journal,

We have so many new members at Christian Challenge, that we felt it would be good to have a new member’s class. Yesterday was our first luncheon for new members and for prospective members. All I can say is that the excitement is quite contagious

Since we have so many folk wanting to know more about Christian Challenge, I thought it would be good to pass on some of the information that we shared yesterday.  

– This entry may seem a bit long, but it will be well worth the reading if you have an interest in Christian Challenge –

Here is the history part of our introduction booklet entitled ‘CCI 101: Discovering Christian Challenge’, that we provided at the luncheon…

History

To understand the history of Christian Challenge you have to know the founders. Christian Challenge was founded by Lawrence “Buddy” Martin (but nobody knows him as “Lawrence”!) in 1976 but its beginnings go back even further than that.

Bro. Buddy was a pastor and evangelist with the United Pentecostal Church beginning in the mid 1960’s, soon after his marriage to Betty Green in Colorado, herself the daughter of a United Pentecostal Church pastor. However, the Lord began to deal with Bro. Buddy about some of the “mis-teachings” of that organization, especially with regard to salvation issues. In 1971 he let his ministerial license drop with the UPC denomination and served in a local church in Lafayette, LA. During this time the Lord continued to heal his heart and bring him to a clearer view of salvation by grace through faith.

In 1974 he formally left the UPC denomination and shortly thereafter was led by the Lord to pastor an independent Pentecostal church in Mora, a rural community in northwest Rapides Parish. However, he felt the call to begin a “School for Christian Workers” that would not be affiliated with any denomination and would provide training for Christians who could not pull up roots to go to Bible schooL

On March 9, 1976 Christian Challenge held its first service in Boyce, LA, in a closed-down grocery store. The ministry registered as “Christian Challenge Incorporated” (later changed to “Christian Challenge International”) and the sign next to the door simply read “School for Christian Workers.” The name “Christian Challenge” was partly influenced by “Teen Challenge,” a ministry to New York gangs whose story is told in the book “The Cross and the Switchblade” which greatly challenged Bro. Buddy’s faith.

Over the next couple of years the ministry grew and it became clear that it needed to move to serve its growing congregation, which came from all over Central Louisiana. In 1978 the ministry moved to Pineville and rented part of “the old Rent-It Company” building (now a law office near the intersection of Hwy 28E and the Pineville Expressway, under the water tower). The ministry continued to grow, eventually renting the entire building.

In the mid-1980’s it became plain that it was time to build. Bro. Buddy had taught a debt-free lifestyle of faith and he led Christian Challenige to believe God to build without borrowing money. From 1986-1990 CCI built a 12,000 square foot worship center at 300 Pearce Road. It took four years, during which time the members of the church did the work as the Lord provided the money. From time to time the Lord would bring someone along to donate special skills, such as plumbing, electrical work, roofing, etc, all in His perfect timing. In 1990 the first service was held in the nearly completed building and not a penny was ever borrowed!

During this time the Martin’s oldest son, Nathan, had felt a call to the mission field. He was attending Louisiana College but transferred to King’s Way Missionary Institute in McAllen, TX. He returned to Pineville to serve briefly on staff and to help with construction but in December, 1986 he moved to southern Mexico to serve as a church planter. Over the next four years he helped oversee or plant 13 churches in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. He married Lori Chapman of McAllen in 1987 and they had their first of three daughters while living in Mexico.

In November, 1990, Nathan & Lori returned to CCI to serve as associate pastor. Over the next several years he served in many capacities - as youth pastor, worship leader, office manager, children’s worker, missions director, School for Christian Workers director, etc.

God blessed Christian Challenge and it continued to reach out to the Central Louisiana community. New ministries sprouted. Christian workers were trained and many lives were touched. During this time CCI built a parsonage, completely debt free, all the while continuing its ministry of “making disciples.” CCI also has had a strong presence in the community, providing leadership in many multi-church efforts, such as March for Jesus, Promise Keepers and the Franklin Graham Crusade. We believe the body of Christ is much bigger than our local fellowship and it has been our honor to promote Jesus, not CCI!

In 2006, after 30 years of leading CCI, Bro. Buddy was diagnosed with Lymphoma. In the fall of that year he began taking chemotherapy and he turned over the practical leadership of the church to Nathan. In December of 2006 Nathan was installed as Senior Pastor and Bro. Buddy took on the role of “Founding Pastor” to allow him to focus on his treatment and to transition CCI into the future that the Lord had been planning.

In 2007 Bro. Buddy completed his treatment. Then, three months later in a routine follow-up he was informed that the cancer was back and was now in his bone marrow. He was referred to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX for a bone marrow transplant as it was beyond the capacity of the local hospital to deal with.

Obviously this dealt the entire church quite an emotional blow. However, during this time during one of his regular morning devotionals the Lord spoke to Bro. Buddy’s heart to “expect the unexpected.” Not completely sure what that meant, he shared it by faith with the entire congregation and urged them to continue believing God for His perfect will to be do and for God to be glorified in whatever happened. Then the unexpected happened. M.D. Anderson ran a complete set of tests to determine their course of action and the outcome of every test showed no signs of cancer!!! God had performed a verifiable miracle to bring glory to Himself! Thus the phrase “Expect the Unexpected” became part of the DNA of Christian Challenge.

Bro. Buddy continues to minister by writing and mentoring. He has a passion to reach out to those caught in religious bondage to legalism as he was previously. In addition to his in-person ministries at Christian Challenge, he is the author of a teaching blog and leads two active online discussion forums. He also provides numerous Bible studies that have blessed countless people all over the world. He frequently says that Nathan’s role is to “pastor the flock” and his role is to “pastor the pastor.

Bro. Nathan continues to guide Christian Challenge into its new future. Since his installation as Senior Pastor several new ministries have been devloped including the CARE Team (water outreaches, etc), Angel Food Ministries and the First Class Home School Coop. He is most excited about the development of the new CARE Groups that will provide Community, Authenticity, Relationships and Encouragement in a small group setting. His passion for what God is doing and will do through Christian Challenge is infectious. Truly he expects the unexpected!

………….. There it is - The history in brief…………

What of the Martins…

Here are early pictures of the Martins. The first one is when Brother Buddy was an evangelist with Betty, and their two sons, Nathan and Andre’. Shana was yet to be born.

The next picture is Buddy and Shana when Christian Challenge was quite young. (Actually we held our first service on Shana’s second birthday.) 

My, how we have grown. Our three children, Nathan, Andre’, and Shana, are married and we now have fifteen grandchildren, with one great grandchild on the way.

And to top it off, Nathan’s oldest daughter, Joy, is our first grandchild to explore the mission field. Joy is serving her internship at an orphanage in Mexico. (She was born in Mexico and has a heart for the Mexican people.)

Here she is at her eighteenth birthday and going away party. We have pet names for one another. I call her “Red” and Joy calls me “Grey.”

Here is one of my favorite Scriptures…

I must concur with David, when he said,

“I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not see the righteous fosaken or his descendants begging bread.” - Psalm 37:25 nasb

And always remember,

Much love is coming your way,

In Christ,

Buddy

Journal,

Before I begin my musings please take time to listen to Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Roy Rogers, Jr., as they sing, ‘Happy Trails to You.’ It will set the stage for what I wish to share.

For people of my generation Roy and Dale were favorites. Most everyone knows that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were Christians. In addition to their own children, they adopted several more. They always had generous and loving hearts. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed their singing. Sure brings back memories for me, not to mention a few tears.

By the way, did you know that one of Roy’s favorite sayings was, “Until we meet again, may the good Lord take a liking to you.’

If interested here is a site with plenty of information you can peruse:

http://www.answers.com/topic/roy-rogers?cat=entertainment

Now to my musings - Since Roy Rogers and Dale Evans always seemed to have twinkles in their eyes, or what I liked to call ’smiling eyes,’ wouldn’t you like to know where those twinkles came from.

Sure you would. Let me share a bit on…

Where true Christian happiness comes from…

Daniel Boone said, “All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.”

Well, I’m not so much concerned about a good gun and a good horse, but I am well blessed with a good wife. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

But to put this on another page,

Where can true and lasting happiness be found…

I’m speaking of a happiness that reaches so deep into the human spirit and psyche that it remains unchanged throughout a person’s entire life. It is the kind of happiness that has no connection with earthly wealth or position. Actually it really has nothing to do with earthly things.

This kind of happiness is only found one place. It is an eternal happiness that is in God alone. And this is the happiness that is placed in the heart of every person who truly receives Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. 

God spoke of this through Isaiah the prophet;

“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” - Isa 52:7 NASB

Our birth from above…

When a person is born from above, God takes a dowery from heaven and places it in the heart of the believing one. [Dowery here refers to a small portion, a surety, or the heavenly essence.]

Paul calls the dowery the seal of the Spirit. The seal says, ‘This person belongs to God.’

Since it is God’s seal, it can only be broken by God, and He says that nothing will ever be able to separate a single believer from His love. It is a royal seal based on an eternal lover and filled with an eternal love.

All the angels of God recognize it. The seal has in it the sprinkled blood of the Lamb.

The apostles taught that the Holy Spirit sprinkles the blood of Jesus on the heart of a believing one, and places God’s seal on the heart. 

Peter explains it this way:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” - 1Pe 1:1-2 NASB

And Paul explains it this way:

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” - Eph 1:13-14 NASB

The seal speaks of a divine destiny…

In the heart of every believer is this knowing that our sojourn on earth is as a passing through. We are acutely aware of another dimension of a heavenly reality. The ’seal’ keeps that awareness in us always. On the short side this means that we are ‘aliens‘ on planet earth.

Gotcha! 

Think about it. The common thinking for an alien is that he is a being from another world. A similar sense carries over into all who have been born of God’s Spirit. Jesus said,

“[Father] I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” - Jn17:14 nasb

The apostle Paul adds to this:

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” - Php 3:20-21 NASB

We are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies…

Don’t misunderstand what I am saying about happiness. All believers have times of heartache and sorrow, battles with temptations, and struggle through varying trials of life. Yet in each believer’s heart is this realization that we are only passing through this time of tears, that our home is in heaven.

Knowing that we are destined for heaven has been a hallmark of God’s people from ancient time. When the apostolic writer describes the ancient people of God, he writes,

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” - Heb11:16 nasb

This realization that we have a divine destiny is so deep within us that we can see heaven in all of God’s creation. We see it in the sunsets. We see it in the swaying trees. We see it in the stars of the night sky. It puts a twinkle in our eyes.

Notice the picture of wild flowers in a valley in California. If you are a believer, does this not remind you a bit of heaven?

Even the animals get happy around God’s children…

Remember what Paul said about all of God’s creation? He said,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Romans 8:18,19 nasb

Well, I could write so much more about true happiness and how it affects even the animals around us, but let’s let this film clip of Roy Roger’s dancing horse tell the tale.

Boy, do I ever look forward to meeting Roy and Dale in heaven.

Just think about it.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

As a rule I don’t do much writing on the occultic side of false movements. I find it more productive to simply keep the true message of the cross ever before the people. I agree with C. H. Spurgeon, who said that the gospel has no need to be defended. Like a caged lion, just turn it lose and it will take care of itself. 

And I certainly take my stand with the Apostle Paul, who said,

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” - Gal6:14 nasb

My warning is to true believers who may become sidetracked …

The church has always had to deal with false movements and false Christianities. Both the prophets of old, the Lord Jesus Himself, and the apostles all state that in the last days the false prophets, false teachers, and false movements will abound. 

Keep in mind that the false prophets the Bible speaks of are those who prophesy in the name of the Lord. In the case of New Testament Christianity, the false prophets will freely and abundantly use the name of Jesus as a drawing card in their deceptions.  

These strange movements also draw their attendance on false signs and wonders. The movements are emotionally driven, psychologically damaging, spiritually dangerous, and negatively charged with ungodly messages. In these movements it is easy to get caught up in forms of mass subjective hypnosis where people are led to believe in something that is not true. 

The apostle Paul called the preaching of ‘lies’ the hallmark of false movements. When the apostle wrote about the coming of antichrist, this is what he said:

“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” - 2Th 2:11-13 NASB

The Greek for ‘deluding influence’ speaks of an activity of error. Paul says this deluding influence will be a judgment on those who have rejected the true message of the cross and have turned to lying messages, lying wonders, and deceiving spirits. He further writes,

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” - 1Ti4:1 nasb

Now listen carefully to how the prophet Jeremiah describes the last days:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD.

“The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it. ‘I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.” - Jer 23:16-22 NASB

Jesus warned about those who say ‘Christ is here”…

Beware of those who say, ‘The anointing is here.’ ‘The power is here.’ ‘The special prophet of God is here.’ ‘The river of power is here.’ ‘The great move of God is here.’ 

Jesus said,

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” - Mat 24:23-27 NASB

Here are a couple of informative YouTube videos. See what you think. The first is by an ex faith healer. He explains how these false prophets do what they do. The second one makes a comparison between the supposedly Christian movements and pagan demonic religions.

I will leave this to judge for yourself… 

Do these clips upset you? Do they make you angry? Did you see anything in these film clips that speak of historical Chrisianity? What did you see?

What you saw were actions totally opposite to how the Bible says the Holy Spirit works in our lives. The apostle said that God’s love, that is, the inspired love of the Holy Spirit that fills our hearts will never act in an unbecoming way. (Cf. 1Co13:5)

No where in the Bible do you ever see where a true believer acts in such a manner of madness without self control. In fact one of the fruit of the Spirit is called ’self control.’ The Holy Spirit does not jump on people and jerk them around like puppets on a string.

So, what kind of spirit does this?

And now for the good news…

The good news is that if you are a true believer, and if you have been involved in any of these kinds of movements, then there are two things at play in your life. One is that you already have ’red lights’ going off in your spirit. These red lights are cautions from the Holy Spirit telling you to get out, to flee and don’t look back.

The second thing at play is a promise given to all believers by the Lord Himself. The Lord does not want His people to fear the enemy or to have a fear of losing their salvation. One of the all encompassing promises in the Bible, is where Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” - Joh 10:27-29 NASB

Paul gave a summary in what we are to follow. He wrote the Corinthian church about their being misled with false gospels, false spirits, and even a false Jesus. He said,

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” - 2Co11:3 nasb

Did you catch it? Our faith is to always rest on a simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

And so the time has come for me to move on. Hope this entry has given you food for thought. My final caution is simple, ‘Don’t chase after strange movements.’

Blessings,

Buddy