Pastor Cary's Blog

 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11, ESV)

It is every pastor’s dream. He dreams of a congregation of eager listeners studiously scribbling notes as he preaches. He dreams of hearing sighs of sadness from the congregation when his sermons end. At the end of the service, the pastor dreams of hearing the congregation exclaim in unison, “More please!”  He dreams of receiving emails and phone calls during the week asking for clarification on a sermon point or sharing an insight from God’s word. This is, however, just a dream in most churches.

I suppose this was not a dream in the synagogue at Berea. This congregation was described as “more noble” than other congregations. What was the reason for their increased nobility? The reason is “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” In other words, they went home after the sermon and studied the applicable Scriptures to see if Paul was giving it to them straight. Or to put it another way, they did their homework. Are you doing your homework?

Homework entails more than merely studying the passage from the previous Sunday’s sermon. It involves preparing for the following Sunday. It involves reading and studying the passage for the upcoming message. This is only possible, of course, if your pastor is preaching through a series in a book or he announces his sermon texts beforehand. I usually preach through books and large sections of the Bible, but I sometimes preach on biblical texts without announcing them beforehand. This is going to change, however, as I plan to begin announcing the following Sunday’s sermon text in the bulletin and on Facebook.

I encourage you, therefore, as a dreaming pastor. Do your homework this week. Surprise your pastor by “receiving the word with all eagerness.”

Soli Deo Gloria!

Generosity cannot be legislated or forced. Generosity must come from a changed heart. According to research from the Barna Group, 29% of Americans have reduced their giving to churches. David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, commented on the donor environment. “Barring a significant event or shift, the prospects for a recovery of charitable giving during 2010 appear dim. The supply of donation dollars is not likely to meet the demand from nearly 1.5 million nonprofit organizations. Even while some financial indicators show signs of life, most Americans are very concerned about the country’s long-term economic prospects and seem to be tightening budgets and scrimping on donations.”

               What does the New Testament say about giving during times of economic downturn? Consider the Macedonian church:

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

The biblical standard for giving during times of economic recession is generosity. It is giving according to and beyond your means. Even during times of hardship, Paul encourages the Macedonian church to excel in the grace of giving.

               It probably makes no sense to many to increase and excel in giving during times of hardship. Unfortunately, trimming budgets and cutting spending also means reducing giving to God’s work through the local church to some people. This is not the biblical standard, however. The biblical standard is to excel in giving even in extreme poverty. Why? We excel in giving because we have a God who provides in times of plenty and in times of want (Phil. 4:19).

               Again, generosity cannot be forced or manipulated nor should it be. Giving, nevertheless, must be encouraged.  I encourage you not to be part of the 29% who reduce their giving. (By the way, only 7% give 10% or more.) Do not be part of the 93% who give little or not at all. Demonstrate your trust in God’s provision by excelling in your giving. Be generous with what you have. I am confident God will provide for you and I know God always provides for his church.

Soli Deo Gloria!

 Once upon a time there was a hydroelectric dam in a small river community that developed a small crack and began to leak a little. A team of expert engineers and dam workers were called in to fix the crack and the leak. The team of experts arrived with great fanfare and quickly built themselves a nice headquarters building. The community was dismayed at first believing, of course, the experts should devote more of their time fixing the leak than on a new headquarters building.

Meanwhile the crack widened and the leak got worse. The experts then decided they needed new uniforms for their important work. One group of experts wanted orange uniforms. Another group of experts wanted blue uniforms. A third group of the experts wanted green uniforms. The group of experts argued for many weeks over the uniform issue. They were caught up so much in the uniform issue that no work was done on the leak. The crack got wider and wider. The leak was now causing some flooding.

The community demanded the experts do something about the crack in the dam and fix the leak. It seemed the more the community cried out for action, the more the experts argued with one another over their uniforms. Meanwhile the crack in the dam burst wide open and the water flooded the community. Many lives were lost and property damaged. What happened to the experts? Their nice little headquarters building was left unscathed because it was on higher ground, of course. The experts sat smugly safe inside and continued to argue over their uniforms. They didn’t even notice the devastation or hear the cries of the perishing outside.

(c) 2010 Dr. Cary M. Paulk

Soli Deo Gloria!

                        When peace like a river attendeth my way,

                        When sorrows like sea billows roll;

                        Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say

                        It is well, it is well with my soul.

Many know the story behind this beloved hymn. Horatio Spafford loses his four daughters in a tragic accident at sea. While Spafford was traveling to comfort his grieving wife who survived the accident, he was inspired to write these timeless words.

The providence of God is bittersweet at times. We experience incredible times of peace, and we experience waves of sorrow. Sometimes the waves of sorrow last longer than we believe we can bear. We feel like we are suffocating and cannot breathe. Painful experiences sometimes come in rapid fire. So we are tempted to retreat into our little foxholes fearful of getting shot once again. During these times, we certainly do not feel like singing, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”

If you see someone in this suffocating state, I encourage you to overcome your fear of getting involved. Go to this hurting brother or sister with God’s comfort. “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). “Comfort one another” (2 Cor. 13:11). Stop telling yourself it will not make a difference. It will. Stop worrying about what you will say. Just go. Often just knowing someone cared enough to come is comfort enough.

If you are in this suffocating state, I encourage you with Horatio Spafford’s words: “Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded [your] my helpless estate.” Christ has regard for your helpless estate. He has sent another comforter, the Holy Spirit, to you. I pray his comfort wash over you in waves of mercy.

Soli Deo Gloria!

In my devotional time this morning, I began reading 1 Corinthians 9 and somehow landed in Romans 12. The heading title in my Bible for Romans 12:9-21 is “Marks of the True Christian”—an appropriate heading indeed. I was particularly struck (i.e., convicted) by verse 11. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Slothful I can swallow. Do not be lazy. Zeal I get. Do not be lazy in being eager. I began to choke on, however, being fervent in spirit. It means fervently as in boiling over. Scripture commands us to be in an emotionally zealous boiling over state in our service to the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I cannot make myself excited. I cannot make myself eager, and I surely cannot make myself boil over. In other words, I am not good at faking my emotions. Yet, God is commanding us to be emotional.

Obviously God does not want us to fake anything. You can stoically say, “Just do it,” but you cannot just “do” emotions. Emotions must be cultivated, led and driven by something else. Our emotions must be driven, impelled by the Holy Spirit. Sloth, laziness in any area of our lives is a work of the flesh. Although it is not explicitly listed as a work of the flesh, slothfulness is patently a work of the flesh. It is the tendency of the flesh to let things drift. This is painfully true in the area of our emotions. Our fleshly tendency is to allow our emotions to drift with the winds of our circumstances rather than set on fire by the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to set the dry kindling of our emotions ablaze.

The good news is, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). We are not led by the shifting winds of our circumstances nor are we led by the frequent invasion of apathy. We are led by the Spirit of God. As such, we do not live according to the flesh. Rather, we “by the Spirit…put to death the deeds of the body.” Our drift toward mindless apathy is just as much a “deed of the body” or “work of the flesh” as “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry etc.” are (Gal. 5:19).

I am resolved, therefore, to be more diligent in keeping watch over my emotions. At the first sign of apathetic drift, I need to tighten the mooring lines of my emotions to the Holy Spirit. I do this by confessing my emotional drift and calling on the Holy Spirit to change, yes change, my emotional state. As the Holy Spirit blows through my heart, I am transformed from a mindless hulk drooling in front of the TV to a zealous servant of God boiling over on everyone I encounter.

Soli Deo Gloria!

  

1.    God is good. He is always good and he has never been bad.

2.    God really does want me to be happy.

3.    John Piper is right. “God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in him.” A little hint…this is the secret to enjoying the happiness God really wants me to have.

4.    Marriage is a lot better than the world says and every bit as good as God says. I love you Donna.

5.    My Dad was smarter and wiser than me.

6.    I really do not know as much as I think I know.

7.    God had everything to do with my salvation and I had nothing to do with my salvation.

8.    God has saved me, God is saving me and God will save me.

9.    Sin is not as fun as it used to be.

10. Wherever you are in life, be there! (Yes, even in the painful moments.)

11. The institution of government is not inherently evil—people are.

12. God is looooooooonnnnnnnggggggsufferrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnngggggg toward me. (Sorry, got a little dramatic there.)

13. Every day I am doing a lot better than I deserve. Why? Because every day I receive God’s mercy (See Lamentations 3:20-23)

14. It is never too late to say I love you.

15. It is never too late to say you are sorry.

16. Don’t keep a list. God does not keep a list of my sins.

17. The Ten Commandments apply to Christians. They are blueprint for enjoying our covenant relationship with God.

18. Doctrine is important. What you believe affects the way you behave.

19. Behavior is important. It demonstrates what you truly believe.

20. I will never lose my salvation. God is too powerful and too wise to leave my salvation in my hands.

21. I am a Calvinist but I am not happy people reject Christ and ultimately face God’s wrath.

22.  Death is cruel. I do not grieve as the world grieves, but death is difficult to watch. A little tip—the reality of the resurrection (Christ’s and the resurrection of believers) makes death easier to accept.

23. It was really dumb that I did not want my parents to kiss me or hug me in front of my friends. I miss their hugs.

24. Be nice. Not to be crude, but mean people really do _ _ _ _! Sorry, I know, I am a pastor. But, it’s so true.

25. Honor your spiritual leaders. Be kind to your pastor, elders and deacons. I have been on both sides. Tell them you love and appreciate them. Submit to them. Also, hold them accountable the same way you would like for them to hold you accountable.

26. The Bible is not boring.

27. Dogs are great therapy.

28. I am not surprised by man’s inhumanity to man.

29. God is not a Republican or a Democrat.

30. The local church is God’s plan A for reaching the world. There is no plan B.

31. You can never pray too much.

32. You can never love too much.

33. Most of the time when I am angry it is not righteous anger. Guys, please stop using that excuse.

34. Don’t play with matches. You will get burned. (My Dad’s saying...matches is a metaphor for sin)

35. Roses do not grow under neon lights.

36. Music is not inherently evil, people are.

37. Take a walk. Breathe deeply…isn’t God awesome!

38. Dad, it is never too late to play with your kids. Yes, you can still play with them when they are grown.

39. Give your wife a Mother’s Day present.

40. State the opposing position in a fair and honest way. When describing an opposing view of theology/doctrine or politics etc…, state it in such a way that if the person holding the opposing view were listening to you they would say, “That is exactly what I believe.” Please, stop calling people names. It is really stupid in politics and theology.

41. God does not need my good works—my neighbor does.

42. Expository preaching is not boring, some preachers are…(sorry, just speaking the truth.) I love you brothers…

43. Old guys rule.

44. Use sunscreen.

45. Eat plenty of fiber…it will keep you from eating too much.

46. Treat your wife like a queen.

47. Never dishonor your wife (husband) in front of others.

48. Smile at people.

49. Hug often.

50. Stop looking for the perfect church. 

 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.  10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

(Matthew 24:9-13)

 There is something which sucks the life out of churches. It is a slow growing cancer. It is a silent killer. This killer is called apathy. It is best summed up in the popular exclamation, “Whatever!” I have often wondered where apathy comes from. As I look at my heart and at the church, I see much apathy. I wonder to myself, “Why are there so many apathetic hearts in the church?”

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12). In his commentary on Matthew, R. T. France says, “If ‘love’ (for God and for other people) is the key principle of living as the people of God (Matt. 22:37-40), and so the opposite to ‘lawlessness,’ the ‘cooling’ of love marks the end of effective discipleship. A love which is cold is like a fire which has gone out.” I believe a good definition of apathy is a cooling of our love for God and for other people. Has your love grown cold? Is lawlessness (yours and the lawlessness of others) having its destructive effect on your life?

Perhaps this “cooling” of love for God and others is to be expected in these last days. This passage in Matthew says as much. It does not, however, have to describe you and me. We can return to our first love. There is hope. God dwells with “the contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isa. 57:15). The remedy for an apathetic heart is revival. Revival comes to those who humble themselves before a holy God and turn from their sin. Revival comes to those who cry out to God to relight the fires in their hearts that have grown cold.

Soli Deo Gloria!