Yours for the Asking...

I remember the day, though I do not remember the date. The preacher quoted a verse from the book of James:

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (1:5)

I remember thinking, “Someday I’ll be wise.”

I was only in the sixth grade, and I make no presumptuous evaluation of myself today. But I was not naïve in my thinking. After all, God openly made an offer and He even added that He would give wisdom without reproach, that is, without making fun of you for not having it.

Over the years I’ve heard folks treat this and other passages with the classic, “yeah, but…” logic. It is a lazy man’s way of scoffing at God’s word by explaining why it doesn’t really mean what it says. It is the voice of the doubter.

I really believe that God meant for us to ask for wisdom and I believe that He really meant that He would give it. I also recognize the context in which the statement was written. James was writing about life’s trials.

A trial could be temptation, adversity, or difficulty of any kind. It’s source might be known or unknown. However, God made an offer: ask for wisdom to get through the trial and He will give you wisdom. Just don’t doubt.

Only a fool would not ask God for help.

The psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:99-100.

I have more insight than all my teachers,

For Your testimonies are my meditation.

I understand more than the aged,

Because I have observed Your precepts.

Imagine knowing more than your teachers.

I remember a couple of college professors that seemed out of touch with reality, but I don’t think that is what the psalmist meant. And he was not saying that he knew more math than his math teacher or more economics than his economics teacher. The context is about life and living before God. And yet it was not just a religious/moral/Bible-knowledge statement.

By focusing on God’s word, the psalmist surpassed his teachers in life knowledge. He did so by reading God’s word. But notice that he also meditated on it. That means that he had to stop!

He stopped and thought. He thought about what he had read. He mulled it over in his mind. He reasoned out how to apply God’s word in his life. And that’s not all.

He gained understanding, the ability to discern. Discernment is the application of knowledge when making decisions. It is making evaluations and then choosing one thing over another. It is being able to choose good over bad, better over good, best over better. It is not just the mental capacity to make those choices, it includes the discipline to follow through by observing God’s precepts.

I am completely dumbfounded by my fellow Christians who insist on sifting through pages of human research and opinion to learn about themselves, family (marriage, parenting, extended-family), getting along with others (work, politics, church), how to be pleasing to God, how church growth works, etc. Why do so many trust their thinking to man and his research??

Jesus once said:

“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

--Luke 18:8

Mark Stinnett

December 31, 2023

Why Are There Seven Days in a Week?

I spoke with a young preacher who had taken issue with something I had said in a sermon. As we talked, I began to realize that he had a very different view of scripture than I had. So, I interjected, “Not everything in the Bible is black and white.” I detected shock in his voice as he corrected me, “Of course it is.”

I once lived in a black and white world when it came to religion and morality. And please don’t get nervous thinking I’ve closed my Bible. Rather, I have come face-to-face with a few situations in which the answer simply was not clearly presented in Scripture in black and white terms.

Let me be more specific by considering some things about the Sabbath…

The observance of the Sabbath Day was commanded in the Law of Moses and applied specifically to the Israelites. Yet, Christians are not commanded to observe the Sabbath. Still, we are not instructed that it is wrong to observe the Sabbath Day. In fact, God’s reasoning for the Sabbath Day for Israel was rooted in the creation sequence. In other words, the idea of the Sabbath and God’s intention for man to keep the Sabbath predated the Law of Moses.

In my youth I was taught that the Israelites had the Sabbath Day and Christians have the Lord’s Day. Even so, our worship assembly on the Sunday is more from examples of early Christians than direct command.

Luke, the writer of Acts, reported that he and his missionary companions met on the first day of the week in Troas. Paul instructed the Corinthian Christians to put something aside for benevolence on the first day of the week so that he did not have to go around collecting money when he arrived. These are the strongest statements in the Bible for scheduling a gathering of Christians every Sunday. I recognize that, historically, the Sunday meeting was widespread among early Christians, but the instruction is not black and white. Even then, Sunday is never referred to as the Christian Sabbath.

Did you know that the Sabbath was literally the day of rest?

Over time, the Jews, in an effort to clarify the things that were lawful on the Sabbath, added restrictions that God had not intended. In response, Jesus said that the day of rest was made for man; man was not made for the day of rest. In other words, God did not create mankind to serve a calendar. Rather, He created an extra day so man could have rest from his work.

So, God intentionally rested for a day after creation so that our week cycle would have seven days instead of six. His purpose was that we would rest for a day each seven-day cycle.

Knowing that man would not be very good at resting, God made a law for the Israelites. The Sabbath law was etched in stone...literally. It is not so black and white for us.

When God explained His intentions to Israel regarding the rest day, He said that man was given six days for work. We often overlook all the things that God included in the six days: work, hobbies, sports, entertainment, vacation, yard work, house projects, family fun, etc. He intentionally gave man six days to get all his stuff done. Then God asked that man give Him one day; just one...but the whole one.

God has not made a rigid Sabbath law for us. But His intentions are quite clear.

Do you take advantage of a rest day for God?

Or...

Is every day another day for you??

Mark Stinnett

December 24, 2023

What is the Basis for God's Judgment?

How does God decide how to judge?

God told Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (Exodus 33:19)

At first glance, it might seem that God is arbitrary or judges according to a whim. It is as if, depending upon his mood, He might be merciful or wrathful; He might be gracious or choose to withhold His blessings.

In reality, moodiness is a human trait, not a part of God’s character. Rather, God’s character is consistent. He is at all times gracious and compassionate. He is slow in getting angry, but will not allow sin to go unpunished. (Exodus 34:6-7) That said, can we understand God’s judgment?

God created man and woman in His own image. That means that there are qualities or attributes in humans that are like our Creator. Beyond the simple fact of creation, we know that God made humans with the expectation of there being a relationship between Creator and created.

Think of your human relationships. Why do those relationships exist? Ultimately, relationships exist because of connections of commonness. The Bible calls that fellowship.

• Family members are in a relationship because of common relatives.
• Best friends share common likes and dislikes, share common experiences, and think similarly.
• You might have a relationship with people of a common interest such as a hobby or political ideology or religious belief.

In all relationships, if the point of commonality dissolves, the relationship also dissolves. The same is true about God and us. When a person stops being like God, the relationship ends. Sin is sin because it is not like God.

Judgment, whether God’s judgment or human judgment, is composed of two elements: discernment and separation. Discernment is about deciding the basis for separation. Then, there is the act of separation. A silly, but simple example is that of judging silverware. When setting the table, silverware is put out in sets for individual use. Yet, when stored, the silverware is categorized (judged) by grouping similar kinds of utensils. In each case discernment is used, and then a separation is made.

When God judges people, it is on the basis of relationship. God separates people into two groups:

• Those who have a fellowship relationship with Him and 
• Those who have nothing in common with Him, i.e., no fellowship.

Have you ever grown apart from a friend? 

You went your way and they went theirs. Common interests and experiences became more history than present. It is not a matter of dislike, but a lack of commonality. The relationship fades.

What happens when a person pulls away from God, no longer listens to God’s instruction, and no longer thinks the way God thinks. What happens when a person no longer has anything in common with God? The relationship dissolves.

We sometimes wonder why, in Scripture, God judged people in a way that seems harsh. The simple answer is that there was no relationship. God has done everything divinely possible to have a relationship with mankind. He is even willing to forgive sin. Yet, some people refuse God, turn from God, or even oppose God.

God’s judgment is based on His recognition of a person’s current relationship status with Him.
What is your status?
Are you in fellowship with God?

Mark Stinnett

December 17, 2023

How Do You Hide from God?

Have you ever felt like hiding from God?

There are three common ways to attempt to hide from God and I think that, at one time or another, each of us had tried one of these. After having done something wrong, our conscience convicts us: “Guilty!” Our shame makes us want to avoid God, to hide from Him.

Adam and Eve: Hiding
After Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened. The next thing they did is try to hide their naked bodies with clothing. And then, when they heard the sound of God in the Garden of Eden…

“...the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” 

—Genesis 3:8

They literally hid, but It didn’t work.

Jonah: Running
God told Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh with a message of divine judgment. Jonah ran the opposite direction from Nineveh. He revealed his reasoning: He knew that God was merciful and he did not want the people of Nineveh (Israel’s enemy) to receive mercy. (Jonah 4:2)

Jonah had not sinned like Adam and Eve. He was not running in shame. He was trying to avoid God’s instruction. Stated more emphatically, Jonah attempted to hide from God through disobedience to God’s instruction! That too, did not work.

David: Denying
King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the death of her husband to cover up their sin due to her pregnancy. David continued for months without addressing his sin. He was hiding from God by denying his sin and guilt through silence.

David explained how his attempt at hiding worked out…

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

—Psalm 32:3-4

We can attempt to hide from God in silence, like David. We can attempt to hide from God in disobedience, like Jonah. We can even attempt to hide among the trees, like Adam and Eve. In the latter case, we may attempt to hide by avoiding fellow Christians when we feel shame. Being around anyone living the Christian life makes us feel even more guilty.

Another way of hiding among the trees is by managing conversations so that no one ever gets close to finding out our guilt.

How do you hide from God? 

You can’t.

We must understand that God knows that sin separates us from Him, and yet, He loves to forgive. He doesn’t want us to hide from Him when we sin, but rather, race to Him confessing our sins. With open arms He is eager to forgive.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.

—1 John 1:9

If we refuse to confess our sins, we are fooling ourselves in a futile attempt at hiding. Yet, when we confess our sins, we are running to God assuring Him that we agree about sin, that sin is hideous and that we desire purity.

Have you been hiding?

Do you need to confess sin?
Confess to God in prayer! 

Run to God...Now!

Mark Stinnett

December 10, 2023

Looking Back on a Day We Didn't Assemble *

I think I'll remember Sunday, March 22, 2020 for a long, long time.

It began like any other Sunday. I started early so I could get to the church building and have some 'alone' time as I prepared my thoughts for Sunday worship. But it was not like any other Sunday. For one thing, I wore blue jeans; but that was not what made it memorable.

I stepped out the back door of my house to walk to my car and the familiar sound of passing cars was missing. There were no tumbleweeds blowing through town, but I heard only the sounds of nature. Yet that is not what made it a memorable day.

All the traffic lights were green, and I passed only one moving car. Unusual, yet, those are not what made it a memorable day.

I entered the church building like any other day. I did not turn on all the lights as I normally do, nor did I unlock the doors. The government recommended that group gatherings dismiss due to the Coronavirus. No one would be coming to the building that Sunday.

However, we met remotely on our computers and phones. Although we did not meet in-person we gathered online for a period of worship and fellowship.

I saw something on that day that we didn't assemble.

Before I tell you what I saw, let me share an experience on Facebook when the following Scripture was discussed:

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

—Hebrews 10:24–25

Some folks insisted that the verse was a command for Christians to meet every Sunday. Their rigid stance made me sad; I think they missed the point.

Others opposed with statements like: "It's not a command" and "It doesn't even say Sunday" and "It doesn't say anything about worship." Their rigid opposition made me sad; they also missed the point.

The command viewpoint made it something that even a robot or a dog could obey. Yet, the opposing viewpoint lacked substance by merely pointing out what the verse didn’t say. Both approached the Scriptures as a legal document and figuratively rolled up the scroll of Scripture and whacked the other on the head. Shame. Shame on both!

We must not approach Scripture as law. We must ask why God said anything about "not forsaking our own assembling together."

I saw something on Sunday, March 22, 2020, that day that we didn't assemble.

I saw Hebrews 10:25 in a deeper way because I was given a different perspective. For the first time ever we were kept from meeting together and it had nothing to do with inclement weather, building renovations, etc. Our circumstances profoundly emphasized that meeting together is important for the life of the church.

Forty-two network connections provided the means to gather in an online video conference meeting. People joined early and stayed late. One couple amused us by volunteering to be official greeters as other folks joined. This didn't happen because we were commanded. It happened because we wanted to assemble together. No, actually, we HAD TO ASSEMBLE because that is who we are.

That phrase, "not forsaking our own assembling together," is God telling us that coming together in the name of Jesus is rich and powerful. Our assemblies have meaning because of the intent of our hearts toward God and toward each other.

Our congregation did assemble on Sunday, March 22, 2020. We prayed together; we sang together; we shared in the Lord's Supper together, we opened our Bibles together, and we just sat around and chatted with each other. It was very different from meeting in-person, but it was real and it was meaningful.

We were together when we could not be together...and we are richer for having had that experience.

I am thankful for that day.
Every Sunday I am thankful for you and I am thankful that we can be together.

Don't turn your back on meeting together with other Christians. Come and be a part of something rich and meaningful. 

God thinks our gatherings are important.

Do you?

Mark Stinnett

December 3, 2023

*Revised from a blog first published on March 24, 2020.