Today’s post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
A dear senior widow was our first volunteer to care for all the church’s class materials.  She saw to the filing and organizing, she ordered supplies, she found things for you and did errands.  But, “Woe unto thee” if you did not put things back where they belonged!  More than a year after she passed an elder found a note stuck up under a podium in the foyer that was used for visitor greeting supplies.  It simply asked, “Do you remember me?” with her name.  Of course we did and missed her greatly.  I thought of her again when I re-read the following and wonder, “Do you remember?”
 
Is Ephraim my dear son?  Is he my darling child?  For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still.  Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD. (Jer 31:20).

God penned these words by the hands of Jeremiah a hundred years after He brought the Assyrians upon Israel (Ephraim) in a final judgment—a captivity wherein they were scattered and lost their identity as a people.  We can read Hosea 11 to see God’s attitude toward the sinner He must punish.  But, 100 years after judgment day, God still remembered and wished and promised mercy.

When someone leaves the Lord, whether it is the child of a member sowing wild oats or one who must be withdrawn from, or one who just drifts away into immorality, how do we feel a year later?  Do we still petition God for mercy and to bring such a one to repentance?  Or, have we forgotten all about him/her?  Do we feel they brought it upon themselves and it is sort of sad, but that is just the way it is, or do we imitate our heavenly father with yearning to have these lost ones back and just how ready are we to offer mercy?

The prodigal father is not the only picture of God seeking the sinners and mourning their recalcitrance and offering mercy to the indifferent.


Repent. God is waiting for you.
 
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezek 33:11
 
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2Pet 3:9
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

I read through Isaiah last year, rather more slowly than I’d like to admit. I began to notice something, a repeated phrase. God kept referring to Himself as “The Holy One of Israel”. I saw it so many times I became intrigued and looked it up. Turns out that “The Holy One of Israel” is used as a designation for God 30 times in the Old Testament and 25 of those 30 are in Isaiah. It is used once in Kings, twice in the Psalms, and twice in Jeremiah, but the overwhelming majority of instances are in Isaiah. It seems that God had a point to make in His message through Isaiah. So I skimmed over the book again and noticed a major theme of the book: His holiness, and His people’s lack thereof.

To be holy means to be set aside for a specific use or purpose, and to be used only for that purpose. God didn’t find this in His people, Israel. In regards to Jerusalem, where His Temple was situated, God says in Isa. 1:21 “How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.” A harlot! Can you imagine anything less “set apart”? The people as a whole are mentioned in the next chapter: Isa 2:6 “. . . they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.” Instead of remaining holy, they have adopted other customs and accept as friends anyone. Pretty much all of Isaiah’s preaching against Judah addresses this issue. (Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem/Judah before, during, and just after the time that the northern kingdom of Israel was taken away captive by the Assyrians, which took place in 722 B.C.) A quick perusal:

In chapter three God rebukes the nation’s leaders, who should be setting an example, for instead oppressing the poor. Isa. 3:14-15 “Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses: what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.” He then turns to the women, as a class: 3:16 “Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet”. Adultery is in the land. Even Isaiah himself was not all he should have been. If you think of the throne scene in chapter six you will remember that Isaiah’s fear was that he was a “man of unclean lips”. The angel burned his uncleanness away with a coal.

After spending several chapters prophesying the fates of the various nations, God returns to Judah’s failings and in chapter 28 He complains that the land is filled with drunkards. But it is not just the commoners: 28:7-8 “And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.” The priests and prophets were perpetually drunk! If anybody should have been keeping themselves holy for God it would be the priests and prophets. After all, the priests were consecrated to God and His service and were charged with teaching the people the Law when not serving in the Temple and the prophets brought the people new messages from God. And they were drunk! Apparently blind drunk (“they err in vision”). Finally God takes them to task for relying on treaties with other countries instead of trusting in Him. 30:1-2 “Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!” Sound like a people set apart for Him?

After detailing their failings, God gives some hope. He is going to send His servant, who would make the people holy again. 49:5-6 And now saith Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength); yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” What is the servant (Jesus) going to do? Bring Jacob again and gather Israel to God. They have erred. They are less than holy. He is going to bring them back. (And, by the way, be a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the world.) Then God begins to describe the new kingdom He is going to set up, at about chapter 60. Guess what? It will be a holy nation of holy people. And because of that it will be radiant and glorious. And that is fulfilled in the Church. And that is Isaiah in a nutshell. Or at least a thin sketch of one of the major themes of the book.

What is worrisome to me, however, is how familiar that verse from chapter two sounded. Recall: 2:6 “. . . they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.” They began to be influenced by the nations around them. They used other customs. They took up astrology/omen reading like their former enemies the Philistines. They were overly friendly with those who didn’t share their faith. Gradually, they became less and less holy. They weren’t set apart at all. Is this me? I watch the world’s TV and movies. I read their novels and magazines. I have many friendly acquaintances and some close friends from the world. Am I becoming filled with their customs? Are my core beliefs and basic evaluations being affected? Am I set apart to God and His service or not? We each need to ask ourselves these questions and examine ourselves closely. Remember Peter’s warning “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first.” 2 Pet. 2:20

Lucas Ward

Today’s post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Concerning EZEKIEL 3:17-21:
"Fourth, this text affirms above all else that with the privilege of wearing the prophet's mantle comes an awesome responsibility for the life and death of the people in one's charge. To be negligent in the fulfillment of one's prophetic duty is a capital crime. The prophet is to sound the horn not only WHEN God sends the signal but AS God dictates [emphasis his]. His message may not be of his own imagination OR ACCORDING TO HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE [emphasis mine]. It is ultimately God's evaluation of their situation that the doomed need to hear, not the myopic opinions and panaceas of fellow human travelers. The message of God is that sin and wickedness require a radical prescription: repentance and casting oneself totally on the mercy of God. That God speaks in this situation is in itself an act of Grace."  Block, Daniel Vol 1 p 150

Seems that some preachers and elders need to apply this, especially the phrase I emphasized. Way too much thought is given to the needs of the people and not upsetting them and too little to sounding the alarm that a day is coming, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (2Thess 1:7-8, ESV2011) Yes, the sweet and loving Jesus whose yoke is easy and burden is light and who loved so much he died.....

Too much unpleasant truth is soft-pedaled or not preached at all, or seldom preached, or apologized for when it is preached.

If I am too harsh in the way that I do it, then someone else step up and do it nicely, but we must do it.

By the bye--God's prophets and apostles never found that nice way.

That bears repeating: By the bye--God's prophets and apostles never found that nice way.

Many that might have repented at plain preaching will go to hell because they were lulled by the nice.
 
And, according to Ezekiel, they will meet all those nice preachers again:
 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life. Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you will have saved your life." Ezek 3:17-21
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Sometimes I hate my parents.

They taught me to be self-analytical, self-critical, and brutally self-honest. And being that way when I’ve just taught a two sermon series on anger is painful. Something at work doesn’t go quite right and I’ll let everyone know that I’m not exactly happy about it. Then I’ll remember “A fool's vexation is presently known; But a prudent man conceals shame.” (Prov. 12:16); and I’ll think to myself “Well, fool, everyone has seen your shameful vexation now, haven’t they?”

The lesson I taught on love isn’t any kinder to me. The old phrase ‘He doesn’t suffer fools gladly’ could probably apply to me. There are a few of my co-workers who could be lumped into the category of fools. Know-it-all teens who don’t know anything and can’t even recognize a logical argument because they don’t know what clear reasoning is. I’ll get so frustrated that I’ll stop trying to help them and let them fall on their faces. Then I’ll think “Love suffers long and is kind. . . is not provoked. . . bears all things. . . endures all things.” When those thoughts run through my head I shout back at myself, “Yeah, but I don’t love this person, I don’t even like this person. He’s never done anything for me and usually is against me.” Then I sigh as I remember “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43)

It’s really easy to “Amen” the preacher on Sunday mornings or nod my head as I read the Bible. Maybe I even think “That’s something I can work on and get better at.” But recognizing the moments in my life when there's a chance to do better is harder. Actually living the Christian life as taught in the Bible on a day-to-day basis is hardest yet. Changing from a hot-headed fool whose vexation is known into a wise man who conceals his shame isn’t something that’s going to happen just because I read those passages or even taught them at Church. It takes daily effort and awareness. It may become more natural in a few years, but I doubt it will ever be easy. The same is true of showing love (as taught in 1 Cor. 13) to people I don’t like. Sometimes acting that way towards people I claim to love isn’t easy! I have to make a decision and then follow-through, with constant self-analysis.

Amen-ing the preacher on Sunday morning is easy. Living the Christian life day-to-day is hard. It requires me to change who I am, to grow into a new (and better) person. It takes a lot of effort. Luckily, God has promised to give me all the strength I need.

Eph. 1:19-20 “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places”

So, God has promised to help with the same power He used to raise the Lord. Which is good because the more I read the Bible, the more things I find that I need to change. Self-analysis can be painful. Yeah, thanks Mom and Dad.

No, really, thanks.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jer 9:23-24)

Perhaps even the knowledge of many facts about God can sometimes be described as a thing to be boasted of in wisdom and might in the scriptures and we still fall short of understanding and knowing God.  We probably grasp “justice” and “righteousness” pretty well, but the word translated “steadfast love” can be a bit more difficult.  In the ASV it is “lovingkindness.”  In the KJV it is variously “mercy” (137), “kindness” (40), “lovingkindness” (26) and “goodness”, “mercies”, kind” and variations a few times each. A biography of Jeremiah I recently read translates it “constancy.” This aspect leads to the “steadfast” of most recent translations.

Though the love of men varies from hot to cold, God is constant. We can count on him to be on our side. It is not insignificant that this trait is listed first: His justice and righteousness cannot be denied or ignored in his actions, but the constancy of His love sent Christ and the gospel.

Right after God judges that the animals follow the rules of the Creator, He laments, “But my people know not the rules of the Lord,” and then adds the reason, ““How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie” (Jer 8:8). In other words, the commentaries and preachers have explained the law away until it no longer reflects the reality of God.

So, then, when can one honestly declare that he knows God?
“Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?  Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?  Then it was well with him. ​ He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well.  Is not this to know me? declares the LORD” (Jer 22:15-16).

Josiah was the righteous father.  It is not bad to enjoy life--he did “eat and drink”--but more significantly, he did “justice and righteousness.”
Maybe our focus is career, or house or recreation instead of cedar.  We may go to the same temple (church) our father did and practice the same religion and compete with recited knowledge and still be far from God.  God declares that knowing him consists of judging the cause of the poor and needy.  Our religion is meaningless unless we walk the streets with the steadfast love that God lists first in his character. Yes, the poor and needy often bring it on themselves – just as we did with our sins.  Lovingkindness reflects the love of God in Christ.  We know God when we actively help the worthless in a way that is truer than Sunday worship.  Jeremiah’s people did the equivalent of our worship and still did not know God.

Sort of puts a new perspective on “They shall all know the Lord from the least to the greatest” does it not?
 
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
 and I will remember their sins no more.”
(Heb 8:8-12 quoting Jer 31:31-34)

Keith Ward

Part 4 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza.  See parts 1-3 in the archives on the right at June 6, 13, and 20, 2016.
 
            And so now the excuses are arising:  “My house is too small.”  “I don’t have any extra money in my budget for guests.”  “I’m too shy.”  “I live too far away.”  “I’m too busy.”  And so on and so on and so on, as many excuses as there are people to make them.

            Can I first just mention Priscilla and Lydia?  Both were working women, Priscilla alongside her husband making tents and Lydia with her own business.  Surely they were as busy as any woman today, especially when you remember the labor saving devices they did NOT have that we take for granted.  Yet they kept people in their homes.  In fact, Lydia said it this way to Paul and Silas, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay,” Acts 16:15.

            Am I faithful to the Lord?  Then “too busy” can be taken off the table right now.  I can always find a way around it.  Instead of cooking, take someone out to dinner.  Are you faithful to the Lord or to your overburdened schedule?  Prove it and postpone something.  Get your husband in on the act and ask for his help.  In Bible examples, it was almost always the husband who did the inviting and acted as a servant/host. 

            And speaking of sharing the work, go in with another family.  That will automatically lighten the cooking load and help with the shy problem.  The more people, the fewer awkward silences.  If that other family lives closer to the guests, have the meal in their home and you have another problem solved.  See what we are saying?  You can always make it work if you put your mind to it.

            Then there is the money problem.  And the “too small” house problem, which we would assume is at least partially caused by the “money” problem.  Once again, asking for another to help can remedy it, but assuming there is no one to ask, stop trying to find a hindrance and remember this:  Jesus looked at the widow and her two mites and said her gift was far greater than the richest man’s there.  Surely people who claim to be his disciples will also recognize your lack and the fact that you gave to them even in your own need and bless you for it too.

            When my parents were first married they had friends over nearly every Sunday night for scrambled eggs and toast.  No, not fancy eggs with smoked salmon or goat cheese or fresh herbs—just plain old scrambled eggs.  The other couple brought a loaf of bread for the toast.  They had a great time every week.  Do you know why?  It certainly wasn’t because of the food—it was because of their relationship.  Get over worrying about what you serve and start thinking about who you should serve.  Look for specials at the store and serve what’s cheap--chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, macaroni and cheese, yes, even scrambled eggs. 

            And the “small” problem?  My guest room used to be my boys’ room—room for bunk beds and two bureaus.  As a guest room there is barely enough space for the double bed and a chair and one night table.  I do my best to offer the things in Patricia’s list, but there isn’t room for it all.  The shower is so small that a larger person has to get wet, step outside on a towel to soap up, and then step back inside to rinse.  If you dropped the soap, you couldn’t bend over to pick it up without the other side of you banging against the shower wall and, depending upon how cold it was, possible hitting the ceiling.

            Guess what?  No one has complained.  Without exception, all of my guests have thanked me for taking them into our home.  You are worrying about nothing, and I am here to prove it.

            I hope you have enjoyed Patricia’s material and I thank her kindly for allowing me to use it.  If you would like to thank her yourself, then do so in the comments section below.  She has a knack for mixing the scriptural with the practical.  I learned a lot just listening to her, and more by actually being a guest in her home, something I hope will happen again.  Maybe I will get to return the favor someday, and I hope she won’t drop the soap in that tiny little shower!
 
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Rom 12:13.
 
Dene Ward

Part 3 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza.  Parts 1 and 2 are in the archives at June 6 and June 13, 2016.
 
            Let’s get down to brass tacks.  Assuming you actually have a guest room and guest bath (which I stress in all caps IS NOT NECESSARY!), here is “the guest room test.” 

            Sleep in your own guest room just as it is, using the guest room pillows (you are not allowed to use the pillows from your own bed).  See if you are comfortable and think about the following checklist.  Ask yourself if there are any improvements you are able to make.  If you do not have an actual guest room, think about ways to make your sleeping area as comfortable as possible.
            Is the mattress comfortable?
            Are the pillows comfortable?
            Are the sheets and blankets comfortable?
            Do you have extra blankets for those who might like to sleep warmer?
            Are there end tables on both sides of the bed, i.e., places to set down a glass of water, eyeglasses, a book, medicine, etc.?
            Are there lamps beside the bed for reading or to find one’s way in the dark without having to walk across the room to the light switch?
            Is there a mirror to dress by?
            Are there space and hangers in the closet to hang up clothes?
            Is there a box of tissues and a waste basket?
            Does the window open easily for a guest who wants fresh air, and a screen in the window for that purpose as well?
            Are their curtains or shades for privacy?
            Is there a place to set luggage or a luggage stand?
            Is there a chair (often needed when dressing)?
            Is there an alarm clock?
            Are there guest towels set out in the bathroom, and more in case needed?
            Are there toiletries like soap and shampoo and plenty of toilet tissue?  ( I keep a painted porcelain pail of all types of travel size toiletries, including shower gel, body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, dental floss, hand and body lotions, chapstick, bath talc, shave cream, a disposable razor, and a clean toothbrush in the bathroom closet—dw.)

            As stated above, your house may not be the Ritz.  A fold-out sofa, a cot in the den, or an air mattress on the family room floor may be all you have to offer, but most guests—and all Christians, we hope—are gracious and grateful for whatever you offer.  Spending this kind of time together promotes an intimacy that keeps misunderstandings at bay and creates deeper relationships that last a lifetime.  God knew what He was doing when He commanded hospitality. 
 
Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. Prov 15:17

Dene Ward

Today’s post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.  You will find parts 1 and 2 in the archives at April 18 and May 16.
 
Having determined that anger can be very dangerous from our Lord’s description in Matt. 5, and seeing that Solomon in the inspired Proverbs describes actions taken in anger as those of a fool and yet learning from Paul that it is possible to be angry without sinning (Eph. 4:26), we now turn to the question of whether any actions taken in anger are approved of by God. Or is anger without sin merely the emotion without ever acting on it? To answer this question, we turn to the New Testament which has several examples of both Jesus and various Apostles getting angry and acting on their anger. We will look at these, determine if sin is present (obviously not in the case of the Lord) and then examine what made these men angry and what the extent of their actions were. We will then try to draw some conclusions about this issue.

Obviously, our Lord never sinned (Heb. 4:15). So His angry actions should be the most instructive. The most famous events in which He showed anger came at the very beginning of His ministry and again at the very end, when He cleaned the Temple of merchants. John records the first instance:
John 2:13-17 “And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up.”

While the other three Gospels record the latter event (Matt. 21:12ff, Mark 11:15ff, and Luke 19:45ff). Here is Matthew’s account:
Matt. 21:12-13 And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of he money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers.

In both cases, His anger was real. He made a scourge (a really souped-up whip) in the first instance, to drive out the livestock (and the merchants?) and in both cases He overturned tables, dumped out money, and forced the merchants to leave. In the later episode, He combine two Old Testament passages (Is. 56:7, and Jer. 7:11) into one quote in which He intimates that not only had the merchants turned the worship of the Father into a commercial exercise, but that their activities were not on the “up-and-up”. Read up on the House of Annas sometime, and you’ll see their shenanigans.

So, our Lord was obviously angry, and He took some rather drastic actions. He made a scene! He raised His voice and was physically violent!! Worst of all, He probably hurt their feelings!!! Why was He so riled up? Look at what He said: they were turning the worship commercial and were thieving as well. In the process of this, they were polluting the Father’s House. This is where the people of Israel came to worship and commune with God. It was to be holy. These merchants were making it common. This enraged the Lord and, as His disciples noted, zeal for the Father’s house consumed Him. So, He exercised His anger against the pollution of God’s House.

Another time the Lord was angry was recorded in Luke:
Luke 9:41 And Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and bear with you?

He sounds pretty angry here, doesn’t He? “Faithless and perverse”? When you read the corresponding passages in Matthew 17 and Mark 9 it becomes clear that His anger here was directed at His Apostles for their lack of preparation for handling the major challenges they were to face. What’s perhaps most instructive is the fact that, though He expressed His anger in the above statement, He took no angry action against the Apostles. He let them know He was angry at their failure, then He instructed them in how to be better in the future. In other words, He seems to follow the principle given in Eph. 4:26. He was angry with them, but did not sin in His anger.

Next we turn our attention to Paul, who has several recorded instances of anger. The first takes place during his first missionary journey:
Acts 13:8-11 “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.”

Obviously, Paul is angry here. You don’t say someone is full of all guile and villany an call him a son of the devil if you are feeling light and happy-go-lucky. So, the first question is, did Paul sin? Did he go too far in name calling and in striking this man blind? Even a cursory reading gives the answer as a resounding no. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit when he did these things. They weren’t Paul’s words and actions so much as they were Holy Spirit’s. So what made Paul (and the Spirit) so angry? What justified such harsh actions? Elymas was trying to turn a listener away from the faith. In standing against the Gospel, he earned his fate. Twice more Paul displayed anger, in Acts 13:44-47 and 18:5-7, when the Jews tried to keep the Gentiles from hearing the Gospel and/or stood against it on their own. They also blaspheme both times. In both cases Paul angrily leaves them to their fate and turns to teaching the Gentiles alone. Other than his words denouncing their thickheadedness, though, he takes no actions against them in his anger. In fact, his actions mirror Jesus’ teaching to his disciples in Matt. 10:14 as he shakes out his cloak at them.

Finally, we have an instance of Paul cursing in his anger:
Gal. 1:8-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”

Here Paul literally pronounces a curse upon a class of people. Did he sin in so doing? Obviously not, as he was writing as the inspired prophet of God in recording the epistle to the Galatians. What has him so worked up? People who changed, perverted, the Gospel in some way or other. And this makes sense: if the Gospel is God’s power to save (Rom. 1) then changes to it would undo the salvation inherent in it. So Paul was angry and took approved actions (leveling a curse) in his anger.

While this is not quite an exhaustive list of instances of approved anger in the New Testament, it does cover every major category of approved reasons to act on anger. These are
1) When the House of God is being profaned.
2) When someone is actively trying to keep an individual from hearing the Gospel.
3) When people are opposing the preaching of the Gospel generally.
4) When people blaspheme.
5) When some try to pervert the Gospel.

In looking at the first category, I’m reminded that the Church is now the House of God (1 Cor. 3:16). When people are profaning the church by their sectarianism or their disregard for authority, or in whatever way they are profaning the Church and making it just a common, worldly social group, I had better follow my Lord’s example and get angry. The profaners need to be rebuked into repentance or driven out (“FIRST pure, THEN peaceable” James 3:17)! The sanctity of God’s House must be maintained and I had better care enough about it to get angry. When I look at number four, I wonder at my reaction to people who take the Lord’s name in vain – the most common form of blasphemy. These are the times it is ok to be angry. Indeed, these are the times I should be getting angry and that actions taken in anger will be approved of by God as long as they don’t go too far. NOTE: Jesus drove the merchants from the Temple, He didn’t hang them from the battlements.

Another thing I note as I look at the above list is that there is no mention of it being ok to take action in anger when the reason I’m angry is someone did something to me. When someone commits an affront to God (blasphemy) or pollutes His house, or stands in the way of the Gospel, it is permitted/expected for me to act in righteous anger. When someone does something to me, I am to “turn the other cheek”. Paul deals with this:

Rom 12:19-21 “Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

God claims the right to avenge wrongs done to us. If you think about it, He has priority. After all, when someone injures a son of God, that is an affront to deity, to God Himself. His family has been affected. Surely He has priority in the vengeance line over me merely trying to avenge myself. And, of course, God’s vengeance will be just, whereas I might go overboard. So, as Paul says, give place to God when angry over personal slights, but be filled with righteous zeal when any pollutes the House of God, perverts His word, or stands in the way of the Gospel. Those are the only approved actions from anger mentioned in the New Testament.
 
Lucas Ward

Part 2 of a series taken from material created by Patricia Miozza.
 

            Scriptures to read on your own about hospitality:  Gen 18:1-8; 2 Kings 4:8-17; 1 Tim 5:3,9,10; Matt 5:46-48; 25:31-46; Luke 10:25-42; Rom 16:23; Gal 6:9,10; Heb 13:2; 3 John 1-8.

            After reading those scriptures ask yourself questions like:  In what sorts of ways was hospitality shown? (You might be surprised at what we have labeled "hospitality," but really, it's nothing more than service.)  To whom was it shown?  How does God view hospitality?  How does the Bible describe people who show hospitality?  What does Jesus say about how important showing hospitality is?

            If you’ve done that little exercise, you undoubtedly see that showing hospitality is an essential trait of a Christian.  Maybe it’s time to ask myself some questions:  First and foremost, what are some steps I need to take to prepare my heart for an attitude of service?  That is where it all begins.  Things will come much more easily if my heart is right. 

            “It’s my duty,” may be true, but will not help you get the task done in the joyful and generous way God requires of us.  “The Lord loves a cheerful giver,” not one who hates every moment of his service.  So be practical and honest—if that is your problem, how do you go about fixing it?  Humility and gratitude will go a long way on this one. 

            Once you have that problem licked, it’s simply a matter of figuring out exactly what to do.  So the next question is, what are some steps I can take in my home to make my guests comfortable?

            Before you begin any project, especially spiritual ones, remember to pray for God’s help and guidance.  For some reason, this always seems to be the last step for us—the one we use when things fall apart or do not go as we expected.  Don’t put the cart before the horse. 

            The next step is to seek advice from others who have already shown themselves a worthy example of hospitality.  All of them will be more than happy to share their ideas with you, and that’s exactly what we are told to do in Titus 2, another very practical piece of scripture.

            So now that we are on the road, here are some suggestions for showing hospitality.  There are more ways than you realize. 

1.  Invite visitors in the worship assembly to your home for a meal OR take them out to dinner if they need to get on down the road.

2.  If you know ahead of time that visitors are coming from a long distance for a gospel meeting or extended study at your home congregation, invite them to stay in your home—don’t wait to be asked.  (And I will add to Patricia’s suggestion—even if you find out that night, invite them!  We ended up with two gospel preachers in our home for five nights on a last second whim one time, but we have never regretted it.  They were gracious enough to know we were not exactly prepared and never once complained about anything! dw)

3.  Have people over for a sing or a potluck.  If your home is too small for the whole congregation, divide it up and do it once a month until you get them all.

4.  Have a family over for dinner, or even just coffee and dessert.  While we all want to do a little extra for guests, it does not have to be elaborate.

5.  Have college students in your home for a home-cooked meal.  They are usually satisfied with just about anything and keep each other entertained.

6. Have a group of teenage girls over for a study and sleep-over, yes, even if there is no teenage girl in your home.  Show them that older people are worth knowing and have something to offer, and then listen well to their concerns and ideas to prove it.

7.  If someone needs a temporary home, invite them to live with you.

8.  Show kindness to strangers outside the faith, especially when you see them in distress.  This may not even involve a meal, just a ride home or the use of your phone.  You never know but what it may be their opportunity to hear the gospel.

9.  Have several widows in your home, or several singles.  They are often left out because we tend to think in terms of couples and families, particularly if that’s what we are.

10.  Now that you have seen several ideas, make a list of your own, one that suits the home you have and your own resources.  While hospitality in the Bible always included a meal, there are many other ways to show it.  What it’s really all about is filling a need.

            Challenge yourself to do one or more of these this year.  Look through those verses at the top if you haven’t already.  Be creative.  And use the gifts God has given you (your home, your cooking ability, your income) for His glory and the service of others.
 
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 1Pet 4:8-10.
 
Dene Ward

If you have been with me long, or in any of my classes, you know that I do my best to make my lessons practical.  Too many sermons end up short of the mark.  They are all theory, all concept, all theology, and fail to tell the listener how to apply those ideas to their lives in a concrete way.  “It’s up to the listener to apply it,” I heard one preacher say, which misses the most obvious point in the world: if it were easy to do, surely we would have done it already.  And then there is the big stumbling block for us all:  Applying the scriptures to my life means I must examine myself for faults that need correcting, and who is eager to do that!?   

Read the prophets sometime.  They were specific in their catalog of sins. 
Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals— those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge, and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. Amos 2:6-8.

Do you think that was specific enough?  Read Micah, Hosea, and Malachi.  They are all that way, and they were not the first.  “Thou art the man,” Nathan told David, leaving no room for doubt in David’s mind.  Concrete applications should be part of every lesson if for no other reason than to help people learn how to make those applications to themselves.

I recently sat in a hospitality “workshop” given by a wonderful sister in the Lord named Patricia Miozza, the very ideal of hospitality herself.  Yes, we studied the scriptures and talked about the sacred obligation that hospitality is and always has been.  But after that we put feet to the lesson, learning exactly how to offer warm hospitality.  We talked about excuses and how to overcome them.  We talked about the various methods of showing hospitality.  Then we even talked about making guests comfortable in our homes in an extremely practical way.  Patricia called it “The Hospitality Challenge,” and since I will be using her material, far be it from me to change the title.  Besides, it fits because for many of us it is a challenge, but one I hope you will take.

For the next few Mondays I will share with you Patricia’s eminently practical suggestions for us as we all do our best to practice this God-given duty.
 
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Heb 13:1-2
 
Dene Ward