The Sword Room

Some lauded the Donald’s short-lived stint as a would-be presidential candidate, some scoffed, and others were indignant. But one thing no one did was ignore Donald Trump. Obama’s minions at MSNBC did all they could to portray Trump as a loon, and the wind up dolls on the right were incredulous at the thought of this outsider thinking he could waltz in without cow-towing to them.

Personally I never thought Trump would ever follow though and make good on his threat to run for this nation’s highest office. He basically wanted to blow off some steam. But he struck a responsive chord in those who want a leader who is a no-BS kind of guy, a man who couldn’t care less about political correctness and the derriere-kissing and double talk that has come to be the centerpiece of our do-nothing system. Trump cut through the smoke and said it like it is. When he talked about fixing the economy he spoke as one who has built and run a huge corporation. When he talked about foreign policy he put it simply: We fix our own country before we go play nanny to the world. His solutions were common sense and his strategies simple. Slash spending, cut taxes, don’t fight unless it is to win, and drill baby drill–here and now.

Make no mistake. I am not endorsing Trump. He would not be a good president. He would be an improvement, but that isn’t saying much. The question is, why does Trump resonate with so many? Because people are fed up with politics as usual and they want talk backed up with more than empty promises. There is no doubt that the current political climate is volatile. People wanted change three years ago, and the slick talk of our current president won the day for him. Now that people have seen though him and realize he is in way over his head they feel angry and betrayed.

The political scene is an analogy of the state of the church. I really do not enjoy going to church that much, and here is why. Most churches make music more important than the teaching of the word. There are scores of verses and passages in the NT that speak of the primacy of the communicated word in the assembly. But there are only two parallel passages which mention singing (Eph. 5:18ff; Col. 3:16ff) and these verses tell us that singing should be the result of the word dwelling in us richly, and that it should involve teaching and admonishing as well as praise. What we see in many churches is a long period of singing of shallow praise ditties as a build up for the teaching, which is really just an add-on. I think it would be better to teach the word first, and then once the word of God was dwelling in the hearts and minds of the believers, then sing some appropriate songs as a response to the word.

Recently I went to a church where the singing portion lasted an hour. We were on our feet the whole time, and the songs were repeated over and over. The song service ended in a crescendo of voices repeating the word Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus………..Then there were announcements and a prayer time (another fifteen minutes) before the pastor came up to speak for about twenty minutes. This is pretty much how it goes in any church of any size in our area.

“Good” preaching in today’s church has to be culturally relevant, politically correct, need sensitive, and above all, positive. Don’t piss anyone off or make them feel bad. Unless, of course, they aren’t recycling their paper, metal, and plastic–then go ahead and guilt-trip them to death. Many people will flock to churches where they can hear this kind of teaching, but many others just want someone to get up, open the Bible, and plainly expound it. When they can’t find it, many join cults or follow idiots like Harold Camping. Joseph Smith started Mormonism in an era known for it’s biblical illiteracy and relativism. These are dangerous times politically and spiritually, be not mistaken about that.

On the other hand the opportunity has never been more abundant for the spread of the word. When Jesus came on the scene and taught in the synagogues we read that the people were blown away by His teaching, because He taught with authority–not like the scribes of the day, who endlessly quoted this rabbi or that. Jesus did not cite the rabbis, but instead stated: You have heard it said…..but I say to you…

There is no way I can sit on the sidelines much longer and hide my lamp under a bushel basket. The gifts and calling of  God are without repentance. My style of teaching is from the Donald Trump school–simple and to the point. The Bible is the inspired inerrant word of God and our only source of authoritative revelation on salvation and Christian living. Jesus is the only way to God, and those who do not consciously acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior have no hope of salvation. Pop psychobabble, self-help, fuzzy feel-good-about-me-ism, and hollow platitudes about love winning be damned. When I am asked a sticky question about whether this or that behavior is sinful, I let my yes be yes and my no be no–without qualifiers, like: Yes, but it is no worse than other sins…..after all, we’re all sinners, you know. What nonsense! Is this what you would say if someone asked you if stealing is a sin? Or murder? Or sex with animals? Look, either believe what God says, or go have your ears tickled by some smoldering stub like Rob Bell.

I have no illusions about what the outcomes will look like. But my mind is made up. This old warrior will be back in the saddle soon. No more church done badly for me. No more feeling guilty for stating the obvious. The church needs a few more spiritual counterparts to Simon Cowell.

Or Donald Trump.

This fine summer morning finds Yours Truly meditating on a few random psalms and landing on Psalm 84. This Psalm was written by the sons of Korah, who were of the Levitical priestly line and were temple musicians. This psalm was written specifically for the chief musician. In Old Testament temple worship congregational singing was much more prominent a feature than in later synagogue worship in New Testament times. The songs used in worship, unlike many of today’s praise ditties, reflected accurate information about the person, acts, and will of God, as well as the struggles of His people.

In this Psalm there is a three-fold blessing. The first is in v. 4: Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will still be praising you. It would be easy and almost natural for a Christian today to think this statement should be applied to those who spend lots of time in church. But two observations are in order here. In the Old Testament God’s actual glory was present in the temple–it was God’s literal dwelling place on earth. In these days after the completion of Christ’s work the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 7:48); but the dwelling place of God’s Spirit is individual believers and the church corporately (1 Cor. 3:9; 6:19; Eph. 2:20). The Lord no dwells in the church building than He does in my house or car. Herein is a major problem with identifying the church as a building–a concept completely alien to the New Testament.

The Psalmist was also talking about those who dwelt permanently in the temple, a practice we would not encourage for today’s churchgoer. Basically he is saying that those who work in the temple as priests are in the presence of God all the time, while he who is away from Jerusalem longs to get back to the courts of the Lord. The application here would be to practicing the presence of the Lord–meeting personally with God for prayer and intake of the Word, as well as corporate fellowship in small groups or corporate worship. It is not that God is any more present in our lives when we do this; the point is that we are blessed when we long to sense the presence of God in our lives as the psalmist did. I don’t know about you, but I can no more live without this vital sustenance than I can without food and water.

Then in vs. 5 we see another pronouncement of blessing: Blessed is the man whose strength is in you. I am working right now on a book on the subject of power–physical power, satanic and demonic power, political power, psychological/emotional power, economic power, sexual power, and spiritual power. It all begins with God’s power. God is all-powerful because He is the source of all power, and ultimately all power is on loan from Him to the creature/creation. Often we hear warnings from higher-life bozos telling us not to act in our own strength. But the truth is, no one acts in his own strength. The energy with which the atheist shakes his fist at God ultimately issues forth from Him whom the fool so vigorously denies. What the Psalmist is referring to here is that no matter what you do or how hard you work you must recognize that any strength you possess is ultimately His strength. Keeping this in mind is a safeguard against arrogance and pride.

Finally, in v. 12 we read, Blessed is the man who trusts in you. Of course this is true because trust is faith. The just shall live by faith. We are pronounced righteous by faith. We walk by faith and not by sight. Whatever is not of faith is sin. Trusting God is or should be a way of life for the Christian. So blessed are you when you trust Him in the face of doubt and adversity. He is sovereign, and His providential hand guides all which comes to pass in His universe. Nothing is left to chance. God does as He pleases in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can ward off His hand or question what He does.

So experience blessing today. Long for and practice His presence. Recognize His strength in you. Trust Him.

When our youngest son Jeremy turned out for wrestling as a freshman in high school he made the varsity team. He competed at 152 and then 145 pounds, which are the two loaded weight classes because most teenage guys weigh about 150 pounds. Wrestling varsity as a frosh usually means taking a few lumps from upper-class studs, which is not a totally bad thing. But Jeremy had been in the sport since the age of four, and so we expected him to have a higher degree of success than your usual incoming freshman.

Jeremy won his first varsity match by a pin. Then he went on to have a 50/50 record the rest of the year. He was successful against many lesser skilled and experienced opponents, but against the better guys he seemed to have the same problems. First, he didn’t know how to pace himself. Second, he relied on strength instead of technique. His brawling style got him into trouble and frustrated his coach. The coach told me he was trying to help Jeremy develop a style that worked for him and to formulate game plans for how to wrestle smart as well as hard. By the end of the season we started seeing flashes of improvement.

All spring and summer Jeremy worked on developing his style and strategy. He wrestled freestyle, lifted weights, went to camps, watched hundreds of videos, and drilled moves during football season. As a sophomore he looked like a different kid. In shape, confident, and effective. He stayed in good position and used his solid defense to set up a calculated offense. The result was a league title, second place finish at regionals, and a trip to the state tournament in the 171 pound weight class.

Success breeds motivation, and Jeremy continued to perfect his style and skills. As a junior he made it to the state finals, where he lost a 3-2 decision to the champion—who was the only opponent to beat him all year. He defeated several state champions that season. As a senior he was a marked man. Ranked #1 in his division all year he once again found himself in the state finals, where he lost another close decision. He was devastated. I was disappointed as well, but in retrospect I have come to see the value of having a game plan for success.

If you are a young man I want you to know the world has changed a bit since I was a kid, particularly in the area of opportunity. The good paying union jobs we used to fall into right out of high school forty years ago are all outsourced to China. For every such job left stateside there are thousands of applicants competing for the good wages and benefits. As a result many younger men are thrashing about aimlessly, with no direction or motivation. They fill the void with video games, pot, booze, porn, sex, and even excessive sleep. The future is bleak for many of these guys.

What is the answer. Well, to use Jeremy’s wrestling experience as a model, what they need is a plan. It is really no different, whether you are trying to compete in a sport or in the world. Opportunity is there, but you need a game plan–a winning strategy. In other words, once you figure out where you want to go and what you want to do, you must lay out the steps needed to get there. There are three things you need to consider as you do this. I call them the three S’s.

First, what are your strengths? What are you good at? What abilities to do you possess? Work to your strengths, not your weaknesses. Actually you do not always know what you are good at until you try to do a few new things. For Jeremy it was his natural strength and athleticism that helped him on the mat, as well as his stubbornness and hatred for losing. As much as you can, go with what you are good at. Of course you can’t always do what you like. For example, if you are an athlete that usually means keeping up with your studies.

Second, what are your supports? Who are the people in your life who can help you get where you want to go? These are usually family members, friends, or fellow workers and students. A true support is someone who will help you and even push you to be better. They will encourage you when you want to quit. They will tell you you have a shot and to keep on going. They will help you see what you need and how to get it. Surround yourself with a team of good supports and lose the losers in your life who will drag you down. For Jeremy the main supports were his family, his coaches, and his teammates. They motivated him to improve on the mat and pushed him to keep his grades up for eligibility. In life you need to seek out people who will serve as supports for you, and you also need to support them.

Third, what are your successes? Many times people get stuck in a particular area of life, and they feel like they can’t get moving. They lose hope, and with the loss of hope all motivation flies out the window. The way to cure this negative thinking is to look into your past and see where you have succeeded in attaining goals and solving problems. Everyone has success in their past. They have solved bigger problems than the one which has them stuck at the present moment. But for some reason they just can’t see light at the end of the tunnel. Looking back at past success gives a person hope; and where there is hope there is motivation. Jeremy had many successes in his past. The skills and strengths he used to reach his past goals and solve problems in the past will help him move forward to meet his future goals.

As a young Christian man I felt overwhelmed by the world and the future. I felt like an insect trying to swim across a huge lake without drowning or being eaten by fish or birds. When I look back all these years later I am so thankful for where the journey has taken me. It was not easy, but one step at a time I managed to plod along with God’s help. I am thankful for the strengths, supports, and successes I have been able to use; and I know that for you and me the key is to move forward day by day toward the ultimate goal.

Really, there is no rocket science to it. If you fail to plan you plan to fail.

A bit of a twist on the popular adage.

One of my many jobs as a young man was as a laborer on the yard crew at a cement plant. Eight hours a day five days a week on the end of a shovel, or Mexican backhoe, as they used to call it. Cleaning up spills and messes. Once I got a rhythm going I could go hard all day, stopping only for the usual breaks. But I hated it because the pay was low, and the guys on the crew were a tough bunch of cussing chewing boozing losers. On top of it all we had to work under the kilns in a tunnel that ran about as hot as your typical sauna. I have already told the story of how I volunteered for and got a position running one of the company bulldozers, having never run one before, and how I went to a friend who was an equipment operator for a quick tutorial before jumping on the machine at 7:30 the very next morning. Three weeks later I had a wealth of experience and a fat wallet. Moral of the story–nothing ventured nothing gained.

This morning I was reading in John’s Gospel about Peter’s attack on the servant in the garden and his three-fold denial of Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest. It is easy to focus on Peter’s failure without remembering that he put himself in the position to fail by wanting to be with Jesus. The others had fled (except John). Peter wanted to follow the Lord and try to help, and in so doing risked his life. Because he did not take the safe course of retreat he was vulnerable to failure. Nothing ventured nothing failed.

Same thing in the Matthew 14 storm incident where Peter alone of the terrified disciples dared to think he could walk on water. But at Jesus’ directive to come off Peter went. Yes, he lacked the faith to stay afloat, but at least he tried. Notice that he asked Jesus first to bid him come, so that when he stepped out of the boat he was obeying a command. He tried and sank. Nothing ventured nothing failed.

Peter was impulsive. He had more confidence in his ability than he had ability. He needed to learn this, and his experience in the courtyard that fateful night prepared him for what was to come. Less than two months later he stood in the power of the Spirit preaching to the multitudes on Pentecost. Three-thousand saved in one day. There could be no question in Peter’s mind about his part in it. He had no illusions of grandeur because he had gained valuable insight into his own limitations. Failure is not always bad, ultimately: from it we learn to depend on God. They payoff is not always immediate, however.

Nothing ventured nothing failed? That sounds like the attitude of the unfaithful steward who buried his coin in the ground. Dare to trust God today as you are faced with opportunities to serve Him. Don’t be foolish; base your decisions on the wisdom of His Word. Dare to take the calculated risk of sharing with that friend, neighbor, or fellow worker. Who knows what will happen. Step out of the warm comfort zone on the sidelines. Get into the game.

Nothing ventured nothing failed?

Failure is not in the eye of the beholder. Think of what Peter’s denial looked like to him and the other disciples. Who would have ever guessed then that the Big Fisherman would be so mightily used of God?

Nothing ventured nothing gained. I like that better, along with It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. (What does that have to do with anything? Well, I’m not sure, but it seemed like a good time to throw it in.)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” But as it is you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

New Years resolutions usually have to do with two things related to physical health: exercising more and eating less. Nothing wrong with wanting to be in better physical shape and trim some inches off the old waistline. But these promises to ourselves come and go and nothing changes. Why? One reason is because we have ungodly motives, or motives that focus not on the spiritual dimension. Why do you want to lose weight and get in better shape?

So you will feel and look better. Fine: nothing wrong with that. But this year think of it differently. Think of it in terms of what a more trim and healthy you will do for your spiritual life. When you are in better physical condition you sleep soundly and are thus able to start the day off with a good quiet time; you perform better at work, and in the evenings you are more alert to give attention to the Lord and others, instead of collapsing on the couch in a gorged stupor and wasting the evening watching the usual fare of so-called reality shows.

Seriously–think of your resolutions in terms of how they will impact your spiritual condition, and the benefit will be tremendous.

So in addition to losing this gut and getting back into my 36′ waist jeans I too am planning to push myself away from the table and have a seat on the recumbent cycle at the YMCA more regularly. Also to start the sit-ups and crunches again after a two-month layoff. No doubt about it, I want to look and feel better. But my motive is different this year. I want to be as alert and productive as possible in 2010 for the glory of the Lord. Anything can happen: I could die of cancer or be hit by a semi. Lord willing, though, here are my ministry goals for the upcoming year.

1. Promote the Swordroom site more aggressively to increase traffic. We have seen anywhere from 600-1000 hits per month over the past five months with almost no real work at promotion. Mostly word of mouth. That is about to change, and you can do your part by telling as many people as you can about the Swordroom. We hope to average at least twice as many hits per month next year.

2. Expand the Swordroom. More videos will be coming in the spring and summer of 2010. I hope to add a photo page to give you a visual of the Man Cave and the Fight Club gatherings. An expanded suggested reading page is also in the plans. Other possible ideas include guest bloggers, more links to other like-minded sites, and possibly some form of live interaction, such as a weekly chat time.

2. Increase the size of the weekly Fight Club. At this time we have 4-5 in attendance on average now, and I would like to see the Lord bring us two more men to round out the number to 6-7. Then maybe start another group after that. Also we want to see continued growth in the lives of the men participating.

3. Writing. This year we will (Lord willing) self publish a book on fighting the good fight of faith. I have not thought of a catchy title, so if one pops into your mind, please share it as a comment or via the contact link. This book is already in the works and we hope to make it available through this site and at Amazon by June 2010.

4. Local church. After over three decades in full time preaching ministry we are busier than ever in the ministry of this site and the fight club. With the writing and site promotion underway it promises to be a very busy year (20-30 hours weekly on top of my day job). We have found a great little church in our community where the Word is preached and the ministry is no-frills. We have spent so many years on the other end of the podium that it is a real lesson for us in what it’s like to be  regular churchgoers sitting in the congregation week after week. Please pray for God’s grace as we grow in our ability to demonstrate genuine love for other believers in the context of the local church. To any from this little church who might be reading these words, thank you so much for welcoming us into the fellowship. Please be patient with us–we are so far from perfect.

As you make your plans and projections for the new year remember the glory and sovereignty of God. Hit the gym and lose that gut (or butt) for the glory of God. And when you plan be sure you submit your plans to the sovereignty of God, because unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.

Thanks be to God for bringing us through one of the darkest hours imaginable of attack from the enemy this past year. We wanted to drop out of the fight many times, but God provided the needed perseverance and has led us in triumph in Christ. Glory to His name. He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Today we are in the familiar passage in Acts where the Spirit transports Phillip from Samaria, where he had been evangelizing the masses, to a personal encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch on the desert road to Gaza. Wouldn’t it be exciting to be directed by God this way? Just wait for Him to transport you to the precise place He wants you to be and verbally instruct you in exactly what to do.

Of course this is not God’s normal means of guiding us. He has created us with minds, and He expects us to use them to make wise decisions. Sometimes we are faced with choices in areas not specifically addressed in scripture. We cannot appeal to God’s Word to either condone or condemn our proposed course of action. In such cases there are general principles we can apply found in passages like Romans 14 and 1 Corinthian 8. Can I do it in faith? Can I do it to the glory of God? How will my actions impact others? All things considered, at the end of the day we must make choices without a direct word from on high.

Sometimes we wish God would whisk us away as He did Phillip and tell us straight up what to do. Some Christians want such direct extra-biblical revelation from God so much that they manufacture so-called words from God to justify their actions. But this is not necessary. Again, God has given us minds, and he expects us to use them. Pray and consult scripture. Seek godly counsel. But in the final analysis you must often make decisions. Hard decisions. In such situations you might feel alone. Rest assured you are not. The same God who was with Phillip is the God who was with Paul as he sat in a solitary Roman jail cell. His providential hand is present, even when you cannot see or feel it.