Pursuing the Path of Righteousness

Cussin’ the Devil

Josh Jennings — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:32:07 +0000

I was recently asked if it was okay to tell the devil to “go to hell.” It seems that someone of influence has said that the phrase is acceptable if spoken to the devil. While I am not certain of the context of this comment I offer the following food for thought.

First, no doubt some will say that the statement is acceptable because it is merely stating a fact; namely that the devil is in hell. However, this is not true. Though the devil will certainly end up in hell, the eternal lake of fire is not his current residence. Matthew 25:41 reports that at the end of time Jesus will say to the goats (unbelievers) Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. The lake of fire (hell) will only be experienced after the final judgment. The account of this sentence on the devil can be seen in Revelation 20:10. In addition, Ephesians two speaks of the devil as the prince of the power of the air who is at work even now on earth – not ruling from hell (2:2; see also 1 Peter 5:8).

Next comes the argument that the phrase “go to hell” directed at the devil is simply proclaiming his certain destiny. Consider though the New Testament account of his demise in Revelation 19-20. In these chapters Christ is set forth as ruler over all and ultimate judge of everyone. This includes the devil as Revelation 20:10 claims, And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Such a proclamation of the devil’s destiny is actually blasphemous as Jesus Christ is the only one worthy to pass judgment – especially final judgment (Rom 12:19; Rev 20:11-15).

Third, it is illegitimate for believers to converse with the devil in the first place. James 4:7 urges believers to submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Did you see the first phrase of that verse? Everywhere we are told to seek Christ, draw near to Him, and commune with Him. Never are we told to face-off with the devil, and James in fact tells us to do the very opposite. Being willing to talk with the devil, even to tell him to “go to hell,” expecting him to leave you alone would be much like trying to run a cat off your property in the afternoon only to put more food out for the hungry feline in the morning. The devil is a great deceiver and if he can engage you in any way he knows he is likely to get you.

Finally, the Bible is very clear on the importance of our choosing words carefully. Jesus says in Matthew 12:36, But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. Paul urges the Colossians to let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. In addition James is replete with references to watch and tame our tongue warning that to not do so is to show ourselves out of control.

So while it may seem cool to tell the devil to “go to hell,” I urge you to remember that this is not your responsibility. Moreover, to claim that it is acceptable to cuss the devil is to possibly cause young believers to stumble at best and to experience a great fall at worse. Let us all choose our words carefully so as to reflect the glory of the Lord rather than the angst of this world.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Whose Chains Do You Wear?

Josh Jennings — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:57:58 +0000

Sunday a week ago a young man with whom I have developed a great friendship came up to me after the early morning worship service. He had recently celebrated a birthday, and was in the middle of his football season. As always I offered him a fist bump for a greeting and began to ask how he was doing. I asked all about his birthday and what he had be given for that special day. I also asked him how the football season was going and if he was enjoying himself in the sport. After all this frivolous chit-chat he looked at me and said, “Pastor Josh, you know how much I love Jesus?” I naturally responded with, “how much?” He then told me something that I will never forget; he said, “I love Jesus so much I will be His slave.” WOW! What do we say to this kind of commitment to Christ?

As much as I hate to admit it I think this young man may have an understanding of what it means to be one of God’s children that even the most revered church members do not possess. Sure we have church statesmen that are trusted leaders. We also can claim that we have “godly” teachers who know the Bible and explain it so eloquently. But we rarely hear someone claim that they will be a slave to Christ. Such a commitment means that we give up all rights to our own life handing them over permanently to the Lord. We no longer merely aspire to be successful in our own endeavors in a civilized way, but we only pursue the endeavors that the Lord lays before us. We can no longer be satisfied with knowing what the Bible says and being able to explain it clearly, but must obey it out of a sense of duty to our master and His glory (yes I said duty). We are compelled to lose our very identity as others begin to see Christ in us.

I have to agree with the old saying that we are all a slave to something. I wonder today whose chains do you wear? Are you bound by the shackles of this world seeking to advance yourself in your career, build a large retirement nest egg, and be known by many for great success? Do you wear the chains of some other person (known or unknown to him/her) who you envy or long to obtain approval? Or are you irresistibly enslaved to Christ who loved you enough to suffer and die for your forgiveness; who rescued you from the domain of darkness that you might be made a child of the King; who offers you an easy yoke and an light load?

May we all as God’s children have the insight of that second-grader and be willing to daily deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and live as slaves whose master is the King of kings.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

I’ll Have What He’s Having!

Josh Jennings — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:47:17 +0000

I suppose I am like most folks when it comes to the fact that I like what I like and I want what I want. Moreover, I will be honest enough to admit that the way I know a lot of what I like and a great deal of what I want is by seeing what other people have. I may like to have a new truck when a friend pulls into the driveway to show me his new purchase. I could sense a desire for a new television when I visit friends and see the massive screen hanging on their living room wall. I have even been known to want certain food as I casually walk through a restaurant scanning the plates of complete strangers on my way to my own table. I am sure that I am not the only one who has this experience as I hear many people describe the desires of their hearts by explaining what someone else has.

The Lord obviously knew this about us also, and He addresses the issue in His word. Psalm 37:4 states, Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Now this psalm of David deals specifically with those who wonder why the wicked seem to get all the benefits while God’s people are always pleading for justice (note v. 1 where he urges not to fret over or envy the wicked). However, I believe v. 4 could have a wide range of application for us moderns. What I love about the verse is that it forces me to check the motivation for the desires of my heart. In a cursory glance it may seem that the Lord simply stands ready to give me whatever I like (Lord, I deeply desire a red corvette, a huge television, and the latest game system). Yet there is a condition put upon this promise of the Lord granting our hearts desires – it comes in the beginning of the verse: Delight yourself in the Lord. You see when we seek the Lord through reading His word, spending time in prayer, enjoying fellowship with His people, and the like, our desires then become less about the material things that we see others possessing. Instead our desires begin to be more about the spiritual things the Lord wants for us. So rather than trying to manipulate the Lord into giving us what we want selfishly, our Lord bends our will to match His own and gives us the things that we most desperately need to be faithful to Him.

Therefore, next time you think to yourself “I’ll have what he’s having,” check your desires by making sure that you are wanting what the Lord wants.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

The Context of Covenant

Josh Jennings — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:18:39 +0000

The other day I was reading in George Guthrie’s wonderful commentary on Hebrews when I ran across a sentence that I have found most helpful. In explaining how we cannot treat God’s grace as frivolous Guthrie states, “[God's] grace must be received and enjoyed in the context of covenant.” I want to put everyone’s mind at ease by saying that this is not a new theological revelation for me. I have always believed the truth of this statement. However, these words have given me a summation helpful to share with others as I talk with them about the nature of grace, the life of faith, and the Lord’s expectations of us as His people.

Consider if you will someone comes to you and begins to share what a mess his life is. He shares how he has become addicted to gambling and spends all of his family’s income trying to get the big win. He shares how this has put stress on his marriage and he and his wife rarely speak, let alone communicate, anymore. He goes on to tell how he never sees his children as he is always away from home gambling their livelihood away. Finally he mentions almost nonchalantly how he has begun to take pills to help him function since he rarely sleeps anymore. Now think of all this coming from someone who grew up in going to church, has completed all the church programs, and claims to be a born-again Christian.

It can be difficult to convince this man, or even one who is not a professing Christian, that his profession of faith in Christ seems to have been false. He has been told for a lifetime that his willingness to repeat a prayer and acknowledge Christ as God’s Son and Savior of the world is enough to save him. He has heard over and over that you do not have to DO anything to be saved as salvation is a free gift, and moreover that the Lord will receive anyone who will come to Him. He notes how he is looking for answers to real problems and all you want to discuss is how his eternity is insecure because he is not DOING good things. Yet this is the problem of cheapening God’s grace.

This man needs to see that God’s grace, while free, must be obtained on His terms rather than our own. To receive God’s grace we must enter into covenant with Him. What does this mean? Well think of the covenants that you know about: a marriage covenant, God’s covenant with Noah, His covenant with Abram, and the list could go on of contracts that we and others enter into with one another or with the Lord. The point is that to be in covenant with someone we must have a relationship with that one. Moreover, within that relationship there are expectations of faithfulness rather than betrayal. The same is true with our covenant of salvation with the Lord. His grace is free as we come with nothing to offer but disobedience and rebellion. Yet when the Lord forgives us, washing us clean by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, He expects us to be faithful to Him. Therefore, “[God's] grace must be received and enjoyed in the context of covenant,” or relationship with Him. When we turn our back on this relationship with Him, or covenant, then we turn our back on His grace and ultimately our salvation is proved to be a farce.

Are you living in the context of covenant today?

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Do Not Touch

Josh Jennings — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:31:48 +0000

Last week our congregational Bible study passage was 1 Chronicles 13. This is a fairly familiar Old Testament story though many are uncertain of the truths to be gleaned from it. The main event of the chapter is found in verses 9-10 where Uzza reaches up to steady the ark of God as it seems in danger of toppling off the ox-drawn cart. As soon as his hand touches the ark God strikes him dead. This most tragic scene interrupts a context of great joy and celebration. The text notes that David and the others had placed the ark of God on a new cart, likely in hopes of not having “car trouble” as it were. As they transported the ark the text notes that David and the others worshiped with all their might, evidently with music, singing, and dancing. It is not hard to understand how the Uzza incident could effect David in a negative way. In fact, if we are honest most of us would react like David with anger toward and fear of God. After all, how could God do such a thing to someone who was merely looking out for the well being of that which represented God’s presence with His people? Surely Uzza’s act was not so scandalous that it mandated his death – or was it?

The truth is that the whole effort is couched in disobedience. The ark of God was never meant to be put on a cart of any kind. Rather it was made to have poles inserted into rings along the side and then to be carried by the priests in whose charge it was placed (see Exodus 25:10-15). Had the people been obedient to transport the ark according to God’s command there would have been not scandal or disruption in the joyous occasion. Keep in mind that the return of the ark of God was a great blessing, not intended by Him to be draped in scandal. However, when the excitement of God’s blessing overwhelmed David, and others, to the point that they did not follow the Lord’s instructions disaster followed. We must be careful that we receive and enjoy God’s blessings as He intends them lest in our excitement we sin against the Lord our God, make light of His instructions and expectations and reap terrible consequences. I challenge you to consider how you have misused or mishandled the Lord’s blessings in your life. What are the potential consequences?

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

A Real Wise Guy

Josh Jennings — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:03:14 +0000

A couple of weeks ago in our congregational Bible study we read about Solomon’s prayer for wisdom which he prayed near the beginning of his reign as king. One thing that strikes me about this prayer is that Solomon begins by acknowledging that he himself is a fulfillment of one of God’s promises. In verses 6-7 Solomon recounts how the Lord had promised his father David that he would not be the last of his family to reign over God’s people. This promise came as a reward for David’s faithfulness to walk with the Lord and lead Israel in the ways and will of the Lord. When Solomon was anointed as king of Israel God was fulfilling that promise to His servant David. We need to remember that we ourselves may be the fulfillment of one of God’s promises to one of His children. Maybe you are an answer to the prayer of a couple who nearly lost hope of having children. It could be that someone prayed for a friend that would promote holiness in his or her own life, and then you came along. The possibilities are endless, but we need to remember that as children of God He intends to use us. Moreover, many times he is using us to fulfill a promise to or answer a prayer of another of His children.

Another interesting thing I find in Solomon’s prayer is his attitude of humility. In verse 7 he admits that he is young, inexperienced, and ill-prepared for such a task as ruling over a people. Solomon lived in a day when kings would often be crowned at a very early age. However, I cannot recall an account of any such king admitting he may not be ready to rule. Most folks, young or old, would relish in the crown of a kingdom, and use it to maximize their own agenda. Solomon realized the weight of this office and asked the Lord to give him the wisdom needed to lead such a vast nation (vv. 8-9). In my own opinion Solomon showed at a very young age a degree of wisdom that few acquire in a lifetime of experience. Granted he stumbled along the way, but here we should learn that it is possible for God to use young people as great leaders. Solomon was a “chip off the ole’ block” when it terms of being an example that the Lord does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart of those whom He chooses to use. We also see that wisdom is the foundation of a multitude of blessings. When we seek the wisdom of the Lord we find that many other rewards are ours as we make wise decisions at our places of work, in our church, and in our homes. Are you a real wise guy (or gal)?

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Worthless Worship

Josh Jennings — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:41:29 +0000

Our congregational Bible study passage for this week is 2 Samuel 24:18-25. While many times the conclusions to biblical books are somewhat routine, here we have another case all together. If you take time to read the context you will find that the Lord has sent pestilence upon Israel for disobedience. Verse 15 notes that seventy thousand men died from Dan to Beersheba (check the maps in the back of your Bible). The solution the Lord sends to David through a prophet is to go to the place of the violation, build an altar to the Lord, and worship there. The place is the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (v. 18). David goes and seeks to buy the property from Araunah so that he can build the altar and offer sacrifice to the Lord there. Araunah shows himself to be most loyal to his king and to the Lord as he offers to give the king whatever is needed at that place to worship (21-23). David’s answer to Araunah though is very telling of his character, and should pose a great challenge to us in our own lives. Verse 24 states, However, the king said to Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing. It would have been so easy for David to take the offer of Araunah and make the offering to the Lord and expect all to be well in his kingdom. You will remember that in the past he was willing to manipulate the circumstances of life and take the easy way in order to have what he wanted – namely Bathsheba. Here we see a more mature David who realizes that God’s grace is not cheap, that being king is not an exemption from faithfulness to the Lord, and that the Lord indeed requires us to surrender our whole selves to Him.

How often do you bring an offering before the Lord that costs you nothing? There are a number of contexts on which to ask yourself this question. First, and most obviously, there is the financial context. A financial offering goes beyond your typical tithe and is something the Lord impresses you to give for the building of His kingdom. Let me say now that more significant than the financial context is the serving context. Most folk are willing to serve if they intend to be at church anyway or if they are headed into town anyway. However, when is the last time you went out of your way to serve another person in the name of the Lord? How often do you minister in the church when it is not simply your time to be in a certain venue? Finally, and most importantly, I hope you will consider this principle in the devotion context. We typically pray before we go to bed at night and before most meals that we eat. We sometimes will devote ourselves to read a daily Bible reading to log some time in the word of God. All these things are wonderful in themselves, but would you not agree that the Lord longs for more devotion from His children than this. Do you ever search the Scripture for an answer to a question in your life? Do you regularly spend time in prayer seeking to discern the Lord’s will rather than simply sharing your litany of needs? Have you ever fasted in an effort to show the Lord how serious you are about seeking His will and in effort to be sharp to receive it? We live in a culture of cheap grace and mediocre worship. I hope that this week you will be challenged to examine yourself and make sure you are not giving an offering to the Lord that costs you nothing.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Wanted but not Welcome

Josh Jennings — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:31:37 +0000

I read a story from the Associated Press about a couple from Miami who moved four years ago to a town in North Dakota on the promise of free land and cash to relocate. The town in ND was seeking to lure young families to settle in their town since it had been declining in population for over a decade. The family was happy to leave all the hustle and bustle of Miami and get to a much more quiet and tranquil life in the mid-west. They continue to enjoy the spaciousness of their homestead, their children enjoy the smaller school (about 72 students in the high school), and they do not even mind enduring the harsh winter weather that frequents their new home. However, they are seeking to sell their home and move back to Miami. A very practical reason is that the wife has parents who are aging and need attention. However, the more personal reason is that they have never been accepted into their new community. Many of the locals have not only failed to reach out to them and make them feel welcome, but have actually been aggressive in making threats to vandalize their business and generally make their lives miserable.

I mention this story because it betrays an attitude all too frequently found in churches. Pastors, church leaders, and lay people long to see the Lord build His church in and through their local congregation. Virtually everyone in a church would claim to want to see growth. I can think of no one who would admit that it is desirable to see a church shut its doors. Nevertheless, when new faces appear they are sometimes not welcomed and worse still made to feel like intruders. How must this grieve the Lord when those claiming to be His children actually thwart His work in drawing all men to Himself? The Lord is indeed blessing us here at PBC and currently we seem to have a favorable reputation in the community. However, we must continually check our own attitudes as believers, and also hold one another accountable lest we become satisfied with the status quo and begin working against the Lord’s efforts to work through us in the lives of those in our community. I hope that each one of us will begin considering what kind of reception our visitors encounter. I hope that we will be willing to serve them as they seek the Lord in our congregation. I hope that our favorite seats and our Sunday School books do not cause us to seem crass and selfish. I hope that we never show ourselves to be cliquey in the way we relate to one another, but that all people would know that we are His disciples by the love we show one another and to them.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Mission Irazu, Costa Rica Part VI

Josh Jennings — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:32:33 +0000

Well we are safe and sound back in the USA. I was not able to update the blog after we left Hotel Las Burmas as there was no wi-fi at our other places of lodging. Therefore, let me bring everyone up to speed on the latter part of our trip. On Sunday morning the team divided into two groups one going to worship in Cot with Francisco and the other going to Boqueron to worship with Oscar. Johnny prached in Cot where he intended to challenge the believers there to work toward supporting their own church. However, when he showed up the attenders were not believers and thus changed his message to John 3 on the need to be born again. One young lady expressed interest in learning more about the gospel and how she could come to Christ. Pray as Francisco does follow-up ministry with her that the Lord would change her heart and use here to show her family, friends, and neighbors the beauty of Christ our Lord. At the same time I had opportunity to preach at Oscar’s church and challenged the people to love one another from John 13:34-35. Oscar had expressed during the pastor’s conference that there is much bickering among his congregation. There were two families visiting the church on Sunday and the people did well in welcoming them. It is my prayer that the believers in Boqueron will repent from selfishness and love one another as well as serve others together in Jesus’ name.

In both of these venues other members of our team gave testimonies and ministered through song. I know that Allen shared his powerful testimony with those in Cot, that Brian was able to encourage a woman who was struggling in an abusive marriage, and Mike ministered in song to those present. In Boqueron Guss led us in special music, and Kip shared his testimony. There was also special music from the children of the church and another testimony from one of the members there. I believe the consensus is that we were blessed to worship with the Ticos on Sunday and I am certain that we all look forward to being able to do so again in the future.

From the church we took a 4.5 hour buss ride to the Carribean coast where we spent two nights. The beach was beautiful but the town was spiritually dark. Johnny had opportunity to speak with a waitress from Spain who was also a budhist. Other folks seemed to walk by with no concept of what true pura vida (pure life) is all about. Finally on Tuesday we took 6 hours to travel back to San Jose where we met with Jacob and the children as well as Francisco for dinner and a short nap before departing from the airport.

Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for us during our trip. The Lord indeed worked in mighty ways. People were saved, we were edified, and now our families are satisfied to have us all back. Continue to pray for the work going on in Costa Rica’s Irazu region and let me know if you would be interested in being a part of a team to go and minister to the Ticos of Irazu.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh

Mission Costa Rica – Part V

Josh Jennings — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:55:35 +0000

The top story of the day did not happen first on the agenda this morning. We had lunch at a little place on the side of the road in Cipreses. Our desire was that the believers in that village would be called together by the Lord to start a church for their area. However, these people were not those who came for lunch. One young man Jacob knows from the area was invited and seemed to reluctantly attend. Allen was slated to conduct a Bible study after lunch and did a wonderful job sharing on the nature of true faith. After explaining faith he shared his testimony which truly resonated with the young man Jacob invited. The whole episode ended with the young man in the floor repenting of his sin, and he was saved. Jacob also had opportunity to share Christ with a man there and led him to the Lord as well.

Previous to this event this morning we had a time of fun and recreation at the plaza in Cot. We played soccer, football, and various other games with the kids of the village. We also had the opportunity to speak with some students of an English class and help them with their conversational English. The time ended with Jacob sharing the gospel with around 200 people. He did a marvelous job articulating the gospel, and we were able to give the children a commic book with the gospel in it afterward.

Finally, tonight our marriage conference speakers (Dough & Janice and Gregg & Lynn) switched venues from the other night and presented material on communication and intimacy respectively. Doug and Janice had a couple of folks come to their session and they provided wonderful discussion and feedback. Gregg and Lynn had a nice turn out and some especially interesting questions. Everyone should be sure to ask them about the feedback they received. We all had a wonderful day ministering for the Lord and now trying to get things ready for tomorrow. Please pray for the services going on at Cot and Boqueron that the Lord would move in the lives of His people.

In Christ,

Pastor Josh