Reasonable Service

Philippians 4:9 – “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Learned - To learn or understand
Received - To receive; to associate with oneself (in any familiar relation); to take
Heard - To hear
Seen - To know, be aware, consider, look upon, be sure of,
Do – perform repeatedly, or habitually, to execute or accomplish
Paul had worked amongst the Philippians and in verse nine tells them what they need to do every day. 1. The things they learned of him. In other words the things they understood. When we gain new light we are accountable for that light and God expects us to obey it. Paul expected the Philippians to simply obey the light (the truth that they had received of him.)
2. The things they had received. What Paul had given them during his time with them he expected them to associate themselves with it. He wanted them to continue in deep relation with the truth that he had imparted to them.
3. All of the things that they had heard him speak.
4. Those things that they had seen him do they were to continue doing it. Paul had committed it to them and now in his absence they were to continue on in his stead. Paul got the game started and now they were the ones that were to execute or finish the task.
As a missionary what do I expect Lubabalo, Sipho, Dewald, Wisani, Babalo and others to do in my absence? What they have 1. Learned 2. Received 3. Heard 4. Seen happen while I was in South Africa. I hope to see growth in their lives and the lives of others when I get back to South Africa.

Many of you probably new Mr. Gardner. He is the father of Pastor/missionary Austin Gardner. He loved the Lord and the Lord’s work. He had a tremendous heart for missions and has helped numerous missionaries in their work all around the world.

Instead of flowers being sent to the funeral home the family has stated that the greatest way we can honor Mr. Gardner (Bro. Gardner) is to send the money we would spend on flowers to the Peru Baptist College to help train more preachers of the gospel.

Would you help honor this dear man? Here are further details if you would like to take part.
Send any contributions to the
Peru Bible College via Macedonia World Baptist Missions
P O Box 519, Braselton, Georgia 30517.

“Everyone ought to fear to die until he has done something that will last forever.” ~ unknown

Let this Mind be in you
Text: Phil 2:1-11
What is your mind set upon? What is the intense desire of your heart? What do you yearn for more than anything? What is the goal of your life? As a Christian God has told us what our minds should be set upon. Let’s take a look at a couple of aspects of the mind/mental disposition we are to have.
I. A mind like your brethren – to intensively think, be disposed, to concern oneself with – Here Paul is talking to the Philippian believers about their relationship with their brethren or with their local assembly.
A. To Love the Same – v. 2a – “the same love” – agape love – toward one another. Everyone is using the same love. Illus: One using an hp, another using a mac, and another using an acer. If we all have the same love and exercise the same love then we can all get equally good treatment from one another.
Def – Agape love –
B. To Be of One Accord – v. 2b – “of one accord” – co- spirited (behaving in a specific way, behaving in a way that has a particular feeling, mood, or character, similar in outlook/sentiment/feeling/emotion/reaction/attitude/opinion
C. To be on the Same Page – v.2c – “of one mind” – Are you on the same page as the leaders in the church? If not you are dead weight. Do you know what the purpose of this church is? Do you know what God expects of each member in a local church? Do you know the philosophy of doing the ministry at your church? If not you are definitely of one mind with the leaders God has placed over you. We are admonished to be of one mind! If we don’t know where the church is headed, what the overall purpose of the church is, and what is expected by God of each member then we cannot be “of one mind” with our brethren.
Illus: How do businesses fall apart? When you have thousands of employs or five employs and they are all working toward their own ambitions and doing what they think needs to be done or simply not doing at all.
Illus: A successful team is one that works together, gels, communicates, has a game plan and works the game plan. A successful church is one that has a plan, and works together to fulfill that specific plan.
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

II. A mind like your Lord – v. 5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
You make up a body with the brethren, therefore, you must be together in love, spirit, and thinking or your body will look like that of a drunken man. It will look totally unfocused and without direction.
You are in a body with the brethren of which Christ is the head; therefore you need to have a mind like Christ.
He is the one calling the shots so you need to hear what He is saying. It can be a joyful journey or it can be painful one where you are being drug and beaten to get you where you need to be. If you will not function accordingly then God will take the advice that he told us to take and that is to “cut off,” or “pluck out” that which is hindering the rest of the body from functioning properly.
Compare the following verses…
Matthew 18:8 “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”
With…
I Cor 11:30-32 – “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
In other words many “sleep” or are dead because they did not judge themselves. If we are not functioning properly as a member of the body of Christ and continue even after being corrected we will sleep, or be cut off. This is not a loss of salvation but rather an end to our life on earth. We must be on the same page/have the mind of Christ our Lord!
A. To Empty yourself as a Sacrifice for Others – v. 6, 7 – compare with Paul’s statements about himself in verse 17 – “17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.”
Paul had already said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” in chapter one.
In other words Paul in verse 17 was saying, “I am willing for my life to be poured out as a part of the sacrifice and service I offer to God for your faith and I know that if this happens I will be filled with joy, and I share that joy with all of you.
What an exchange! Pour yourself out like your Lord for the faith of others and in turn be filled with joy from God!!!
Every day we are to empty ourselves of self and fill ourselves with God. At the same time there is a process taking place called sanctification. It is a process of being made like Christ inwardly. Gradually, day by day, we are becoming less like ourselves and becoming more like Christ and one day when we see Him face to face we will be like Him physically as we will be given new bodies.
Paul emptied himself so He could have the mind of the Lord. In other words so He could set his affections intensively on those same things Christ set His on, which were others. Paul lived a life for God for the faith of others. Ask God to empty you of self. Ask God to give you the mind of Christ, a mind that gives up selfish ambitions for the sake of others. If you have a mind like Christ then the goal of your life is to glorify God by helping others gain faith in Christ Jesus.
B. To Be Obedient Unto Death – v. 8 – “and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Christ’s mind/intense desire that consumed his mind was obedience to the Father’s will even to the extent of dying on a cross.
Many of us will be obedient in a few small things but when we come to difficult crossroads in our lives we stagger at obeying Christ rather than fulfilling our own desires. Christ’s mind was to be obedient in everything even in the way He was to die.
If we are going to be Christ minded it is going to mean that we must be obedient unto God.
Sir Richard Chichester said “may we know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly; for thine own sake.”
This is not only the key to having the mind of Christ but it is cycle of Spiritual Growth. (J. Kinnebrew)
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
The more we love Christ the more we will follow Him and the more we follow Him the more we will know Him and the more we know Him the more we will love Him. (J. Kinnebrew)
The only way to be obedient unto God like Christ was is to love God, we love God by understanding how much He loves us (verse). As we grow in our love for God we will become more faithful in our obeying/following Him and as we become more faithful in our obeying/following Him the more we will love Him and so the cycle goes.
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Conclusion: “Let this mind be in you” What kind of mind? You must have a mind like your brethren so you can gel and work efficiently at building God’s kingdom through your local church. You must have a mind like Christ so you can be obedient even unto death.
The mind of the brethren should be one mind and that mind should be the mind of Christ. You see our lives are knit together through the blood of Christ. We need to be on the same page so that we can help others through our like mindedness, which is equivalent to obedience to God, in order that everyone can have the opportunity to hear of the Lord that came to die for them and unto which they are expected to bow the knee and confess as their Lord.
Phil 2:9-11 – “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The SUMMIT
A team of missionaries began holding this very special conference to try and inspire and motivate everyone to take the next step in their part of world evangelism.

The Summit has evolved into a meeting that is like a winter retreat for the entire church with a special emphasis on fulfilling God’s will for our life. You can get all the information at this site by simply clicking on these words.

The Our Generation Summit is an annual gathering in Gatlinburg, TN, of Christians with a heart for world missions. Pastors and missionaries, teachers and students, businessmen and families join for three days to address the needs of a world waiting for the Gospel.

Located once again at the beautiful Music Road Hotel in the center of action-packed Pigeon Forge, the OG Summit provides a fantastic venue for any church or youth group seeking an easy-to-organize winter retreat filled with excitement and passion for Christ.

I did a quick study about riches in the book of Proverbs and thought I would share it with everyone who reads my blog.

I know it looks long but it really just takes a few minutes to read.

10 Principles About Money From The Book of Proverbs Referencing Verses Where The Word “riches” is found.
1. Proverbs 3:13-16 – Happy (How happy! Blessed) is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise (profit) of it is better than the merchandise (profit) of silver, and the gain (increase, fruit) thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
Here in the book of wisdom God tells us it is unbelievable how happy and blessed the person is who acquire’s wisdom and draws out understanding through life. He tells us the profit of these two treasures is of greater gain/profit than gold and silver. They are more valuable than rubies. He takes it up a notch, actually He takes it as far as He can by saying they are better than anything you can possibly desire- - - don’t even compare the things you might desire with them because they will not measure up. So, whatever you seek after, whatever you think is great and wonderful is not to be compared with true wisdom and understanding. You think that a certain something, or someone is what will make you happy and satisfy you, but God says you don’t have a clue because His wisdom and His understanding far exceed those disappointing desires. The Bible says that length of days or long life is in her right hand and in the left, riches/far richer and honor/splendor. In other words when you obtain genuine wisdom and understanding you secure longer life, greater riches and the quality of your life becomes magnificent. That sounds like “the life.” Well, here the Bible is saying it is not found the way the world teaches it is found, not down the path of living to make money. Money is in the category of one of those things that we can desire that is “not to be compared unto her.”
2. Proverbs 11:4 – “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.”
Riches have no value in the day of wrath. Money, silver, and gold have absolutely no worth in God’s eyes. They are nothing more than rocks to him. You cannot buy your way out from under the wrath of God. In the day of wrath you will have to pay up. What will you pay with? The Bible says that “wrath of God abideth” on you. How will you make peace with God? Will you buy Him off? How, because when you leave this body and go into eternity you leave everything behind. You will have nothing in hand to pay Him with. On that day you and I will see the true worth of earthly currencies and treasures. THEY PROFIT NOT!!!
John 3:36 – “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him”.
The only thing that will help you on that day is the righteousness of Christ. You cannot gain it or obtain it on that day. You will have had to secure it previous to that day, for in eternity it is no longer available. Do you have the righteousness needed to deliver you on the day of wrath?
Romans 3:24-26 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
You see the only righteousness that will save you from the “day of wrath” is Christ’s righteousness. You place your faith in His shed blood and He becomes your substitute. He has already paid for yours sins, but when you believe on Him you receive His righteousness so when you stand before the Lord your sins have been paid for and you stand covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Riches have no value on the “day of wrath.” You might as well be carrying toilet paper on that day.
3. Proverbs 11:28 – “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”
Here the Bible says that he that trusts/hopes/is confident/is sure in his riches shall fall/be lost. Some people make it their entire lives with riches and are able their entire lives to trust in riches and it gets them through this life, but even if you make it through this life on the shoulder of money you will “fall” or be lost forever in eternity.
Though that does happen, the fact that some are able to trust in money their entire life without a great fall, most are not so fortunate. Many people everyday are falling flat on their faces because their trust/hope was secured on the shoulders of money. Money failed them. Now their life is a disaster and they are left without hope because when money left hope left with him. Have you found yourself in this situation? Are you on the brink of disaster because your hope and trust is in your bank account or in the assets you possess? You need to rethink where you store your hope. Is it in a secure place? If it is anywhere but in the Lord it is on shaky ground and you are headed for a great fall if not in this life then it is coming in the next without a doubt.
4. Proverbs 13:7 – “There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.”
How can this be that a man that has nothing is considered rich?
a. Because he is free – II Peter 2:19 – “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
The man who has nothing is not overcome by anything because he has nothing. When money is the ruler in your life you are in bondage to it. A child of God is to see money as a tool for God’s Kingdom. He/She is also to see all of the money given to him as simply riches of His master (Jesus Christ) over which he is simply a steward. When you live the way God intended, you make yourself poor, yet with great riches! You see the right way to handle money is to hand all the decisions on how it will be spent over to God, allow Him the ownership decisions since it is His money. But at the same time as you hand it over and become poor you also must realize that He is your father and as you give, God promises to give to you. Maybe it is not going to be in the form of money but the blessings of God will be upon your life thus making you a rich person.
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

5. Proverbs 22:1 – “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.”
How do you do business? How do you pay your bills? What is more important to you, making every dime possible or keeping a good name. The Bible says that a good name is to be chosen over great riches. How does this impact your life?
One way is to look at a verse in Psalms 15. Verse four says “He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” Let’s say that you agree to sell your car to someone for a certain price as long as he comes up with the money by a certain day. The day has not yet arrived but another gentleman approaches you about the car and offers a thousand dollars more than the amount you agreed to with the other man. What do you do? Take the money and run or keep your word and “swear to your own hurt.” The Bible says that you should keep your word because your name is at stake.
As a father I now make decisions that will impact how people perceive my sons. When people ask Clark and Hudson who their father is are they going to have to be embarrassed about their dad’s name or will they say without hesitation that Kevin Hall is their dad? A lot of that will have to do with whether or not my name is more important to me than riches.
What is more important in your life? How does your business decisions testify to your answer?
6. Proverbs 22:4 – “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”
This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. This is the verse that we need to instill in our children. This should be our philosophy for life and should be our conviction of how a fulfilling life is lived.
Through humility and fear of the Lord are the things that we as human beings cherish so much. You want riches/greater riches? You want honour? Do you want to live a fulfilling life? It only comes through these two things. You must humble yourself to God and live in fear or reverence of Him. Give Him the keys to your life and allow Him to rule and live through you then you will experience those things you so desire more than ever.
7. Proverbs 22:16 – “He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.”
Are there instances in your life where you find yourself robbing or deceiving the poor in order to increase your riches? Are the people you tend to give to the rich? If so, the Bible says that you shall surely come to want/lack?
Many of the sales techniques today are merciless tactics that have caused many poorer people to become so engrossed in debt that they are at their wits end. Have you or are you in the business of taking advantage of poor people? This verse tells of where you are headed. What you sow is what you will reap. You are going to come to impoverishment yourself.
8. Proverbs 23:4,5 – “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.”
What is your goal for working your job? Is it to one day be rich? The Bible is clear here that “to be rich” is not to be our goal. That is your wisdom. We think that if we become rich then our needs will be met, our stress will be gone, and our dreams will be had. This is foolishness according to the Bible. I am not sure whose word you are banking on but I’m going with the Bible on this one. To be rich is not the goal of our labors.
Let’s just be honest and think back over the years and think of friends, family, Hollywood stars, and athletes who lived for money and now are completely broke. Don’t go down that road. Do not set out to be rich. Do not set your trust and hope in something that is sure to grow wings one day and leave you stranded on the island of depression. Everything in your life is to be aimed at and in line with the life to come. Your job is a tool for building God’s kingdom. If God sees fit to make you rich, so be it, but do not make the mistake of setting out to be rich.
9. Proverbs 27:24 – “For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?”
Sometimes the Bible is so simple that we rush pass the truth being presented. This verse says riches are not forever. Many times as a preacher you do not present something new but you reiterate, encourage, or challenge your people about something they already know but need to practice. This verse is a topic for one of those kinds of messages. We all know that money or riches are not forever but we do not live that way. We live as if riches are the only thing worth living for in this life and in the life to come. Though we know we cannot take it with us we still pursue it as if it is greatest treasure on Earth. But the honest truth is that only that which can pass from this life to the next or from time to eternity is of any real worth. Riches are not forever! Souls are forever. The Word of God is forever. These are things that are worthy of your priority time. In comparison how much of your time is used in pursuit of money and how much of your time is spent on impacting eternal souls or in the eternal Word of God?
10. Proverbs 30:7-9 – “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”
The last verse in this study of riches is very fitting. Here toward the end of this book of wisdom we find the writer making two requests that concern our subject at hand. He asks first of all that vanity and lies be removed far from him. He wants uselessness and idolatry removed from him. He does not want to get sidetracked in life. He wants those things that have no real worth to be removed out of his life and he asks that he would be kept far from anymore that may be offered.
Then he precisely describes how he desires to be taken care of. He asks that he would be given neither poverty nor riches. He prays not to be rich for fear of pride thus forgetting who His Lord is. He also prays not to be poor to keep him from the temptation of stealing and taking God’s name in vain.
This is the state of living that you and I should desire, not that we would be rich, nor to be poor, but to be in a continual state of daily provisions from God. We should desire and pray to live a life of seeing God’s hand of provision in our life on a daily basis so that we keep our eyes upon the one who is leading us along life’s path. Ask God to remove the vanity and lies in your mind that you live by on a daily basis. Then ask Him to feed you with food that is convenient/necessary for you so that you keep your eyes on Him for your daily provisions.

What is your attitude toward money/riches? As you examine your life and mentality right now do you find yourself falling prey to many of the traps the Bible warns about concerning money? Make a commitment today to start memorizing these principles and changing the way you think about money so that you can experience true financial freedom.

Here are a few more thoughts from the book Spiritual Disciplines by Donald S. Whitney.

“As the one who is out of money values it most when it is gone, so do we at death value time most when it is gone.”

The author points out from the verses below that the Bible warns believers that if they pursue a life based on pleasure they will have painful regrets at the end of their lives.

Proverbs 5:11-13 “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!”

Jonathan Edwards said “Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had when I come to die.”

“If those in the merciless side of eternity owned a thousand worlds, they would give them all (if they could) for one of our days. They (those in hell) have learned the value of time by experience. Let us learn it by encountering the truth, and discipline our time for the purpose of Godliness.”

Colossians 4:5 - “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

The word “redeem” means to buy up, rescue from loss, or to improve opportunity. What are you doing to rescue your time on earth from loss?

I recall a conversation with a lady in South Africa. She was an english lady. She was rebuking me about the way we do our church services in South Africa. She told me that when she ministered to the African population she and those she worked with would wait for them to show up. She said it was their (Africans) culture and so they would wait just as long as needed for the people to show up. She honored what is referred to as “African time.”

I told her that if they had a job they would be expected to show up on time so if we schedule church for 10am we will start exactly at 10am. (We have people show up all the time after the service is finished). She argued that the people are not paid to show up at church like they are for a job. Well, I stopped arguing at this point because I saw that we were on two different worlds at this point. You see we are paid to go to church. As a matter of fact we have been paid so much in advance that we will never work enough for what has been done for us (I am not at all saying salvation must be worked for), but God has done so much for us that the LEAST we can do is be faithful to church and honor Him enough to show up on time for our meeting with Him.

On top of this if you really think and meditate on the verse mentioned above in Colossians and then do a study on time in the Bible you be hard up to argue that we are not to be good stewards of time. Showing up half an hour or an hour late for church is not a good steward of time. Building habits of being late for everything is not being a good steward of time.

The author of this book points out that there are many things in life, once lost, that can be regained. Time is not one of these things. Once it is gone it is never to be regained.

One more quote and I am finished.
“We speak of saving time, buying time, making up time, and so on, but those are all allusions, for time is always passing.”

“Redeem the Time!” Rescue Your Precious Time From Loss! What will you do today with your TIME that will count for eternity?

Currently I am reading the book Spiritual Disciplines by Donald S. Whitney. I would definitely recommend the book. It would actually be a good book for a new Christian.
Mr. Whitney says that God uses three primary Catalysts for changing us to make us like Christ, but notes that only one is truly under our control. The first is people. Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” God uses people to make us more Christlike. The second catalyst that Mr. Whitney notes is that of circumstances (Romans 8:28). Then the one that is the reason for the book and the one that is under our control is spiritual disciplines. The author notes that in the previous two God works from the outside in, but in spiritual disciplines God is working from the inside out. One of the primary texts as a basis for the necessity of spiritual disciplines is I Timothy 4:7 “…exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” Exercise or “discipline” yourself unto Godliness.

Good quotes found in the book up to this point.
“Disciplines are the Door to Liberation.”
He gives an example of this through people who become experts at an instrument. Through strict discipline they become free to play the instrument how they want to.

Elton Trueblood said “We have not advanced very far in our spiritual lives if we have not encountered the basic paradox of freedom…that we are most free when we are bound. Discipline is the price of freedom.”

Elizabeth Elliot said “Freedom and discipline have come to be regarded as mutually exclusive, when in fact freedom is not at all the opposite, but the final reward, of discipline.”

This is just in the opening chapter. This gives the foundation for the book. When we discipline ourselves spiritually, though we may feel bound and some may call us legalists, in the end we will be free. One who disciplines him/herself to memorize scripture is free to answer every man scripturally. One who disciplines him/herself to fast can experience freedom from insensitivity and so on and so on!