Teague Bible Church

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at our new worship times–9:30am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at our new worship times–9:30am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

ONE MORE LIGHT GONE
While in a building the other day I hear this great song of longing. I have heard it many times since. The song is called “One More Light,” by Linkin Park. The world gives no power to overcome the thing that mocks all our activities and all our achievements. Even if you care, it is not enough.

This world was never enough to satisfy our eternal nature. Only the Word of God can help us to live with power and purpose now, as we face temporal death, then beyond to all we were really intended to be. It is not fair to taste good things only to have them all ripped away by death. This song was written to remember someone lost to cancer. It is especially hard is to lose a loved one.

We may care but who can do anything about it? What the world cannot answer or give, Jesus Christ can give. The power and life of a future kingdom living now in our hearts and making since of this temporal life. Not some wishful hope, but an actual reality proved out in history before us! We will get to that later, but first to the song.

“Should’ve stayed, were there signs, I ignored? Can I help you, not to hurt, anymore? We saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep. There are things that we can have, but can’t keep.

(CHORUS) If they say, who cares if one more light goes out in the sky of a million stars, it flickers, flickers. Who care when someone’s time runs out if a moment is all we are, or quicker, quicker. Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do.

The reminders, pull the floor from your feet. In the kitchen, one more chair than you need. Oh, your angry, and you should be,
it’s not fair. Just cause you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it, isn’t fair.
CHORUS again.

This song was released a few months after the singer took his own life. He had said he could not end the voices in his head. He was very depressed.

In John 11 we see Lazarus had died. The grief was terrible and it so moved Jesus that he wept. Martha knew Jesus could have prevented the death if he had been there in time. Jesus deliberately delayed his arrival there for a greater purpose. He cared, but unlike others He could do something about it. Besides, what good is done just to delay the inevitable?

John 11: 23-27 “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him,’ I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live ( spiritually, and eventually a new body also) even if he dies (physically), and everyone who lives (physically) and believes in Me will never die (spiritually). Do you believe this?
Now that makes since of all the loss and all the pain. Will somebody do something about all this misery? Yes they have. The situation was so desperate that only the bloody cross of Christ could bring a solution. Only the resurrection could infuse a new life in us that fills us with joy, and the power of a message that goes way beyond just caring when others are hurting.

Somehow, I am not sure how, for any who will cry out to Jesus for help, they get that help! They was a guy in the Bible who so willing to do whatever he needed to do to have this changed life, so willing to follow Jesus, yet had so many doubts about it that he cried out,” Please Lord, help my unbelief!”

It is not about how many people have lived and died, but rather about crossing over into eternal life right now, right this moment.
Look, He is either really there are He is not. How willing are you to find out? It is a free gift given but you have to fully grasp it as it is held out to you! Are you for real? He certainly is for real. Do this now and find out. ” All who call upon the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10: 8-13 JWP 12/15/17

BARE MINIMUM ?
In 1975 I worked, part-time, at Auto Convoy in Dallas. Two of us believers made it a point to not isolate ourselves from the others at lunchtime. Some of the guys, however, wanted to smoke dope at their lunch time, hidden away in their car from the rest of the crew. We were not invited, of course, and we sat in a car right beside them and had a Bible study time, and ate our lunch.
One day, when lunch was done, a man from the “smoking car” ask what we had been doing at our lunch break. My Christian brother told him. The man said he believed as we did, but did not restrain himself from any pleasure, as we did. In fact, he ask us,” What is the bare minimum to follow Jesus?”
In a speech I will never forget, my Christian friend said this to him; ” _____, Nobody who knows anything about Jesus would ask that question! He was murdered on a cross for you, and you casually ask, as you stand here stoned out of your mind, ‘what is the bare minimum?’ ”
I have never felt such love and rebuke coming from the Holy Spirit, through my friend. The closest thing I could give, in relationship to it was Jesus’ speech in Matthew 23. Please go read that!
My friend began to cry; and I began to cry. It was a powerful and overwhelming moment. The unbeliever understood a reality that day that could not be denied. I never know what happened to the man in the “smoking car” after a few years passed. I hope he turned to Christ. I know that day he was touched by the tender call of the Holy Spirit to repent and believe.
We, as Christians, have to continue to make sever breaks away from the lust of the world to be effective in our witness for Christ. Simply saying we will “try harder next time” to keep our heart clean, will not cut it! You have to surrender again to do God’s will. Romans 12:1-2 is the only solution to walking in the power of the Spirit.
At the time, my friend and I were about 20 years old, and struggling ourselves to live a holy life. Yet, there is a difference in learning to become stable in your walk as a believer and saying what this man said. There is no hypocrisy in learning to grow from one level of maturity to the next.
God’s DNA has entered into every child of God and they have a supernatural hunger to grow in God’s character and purpose. Romans 8:28-39. Christians never ask. ” Hey, what is the bare minimum on this thing called the Christian life? I will try to work that into my schedule!”
” For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways.” Isaiah 64:4-5a. JWP 12/15/17

WHAT DO THEY SEE IN US THAT WILL “DRAW” THEM TO CHRIST?
Sunday we talked about having that supernatural peace inside us that can only be experienced by knowing Christ. John 14:27. We spoke also about the fact that a believer can be rattled by the problems of daily life, so much so that we forget how to live in that peace.
We spoke about the fact that the only thing the world may believe about our Lord is what they see in us; mainly His peace working and being revealed in us, and out through us. We spoke about the fact that the world would not want something in their life they already have; a stressful, meaningless life. What are they seeing in us? We spoke about the need for the world to be “drawn” to Christ through us.
“Now judgement is upon the world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I , if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.” John 12:31-33.
When you weld copper water pipe together it is done in a way you would not think. For instance, if I glue something together with super glue I simply “rub on” the glue to the joint to make it stick together. In soldering copper pipe you cannot just melt the solder onto the joint and make it seal. If you do so, any water pressure applied the joint will bust open at that joint, and you have a leak. The way you do it is to put the two pipes together and put all the heat on the pipes. The main thing is; the heat on the pipes, and then, when they are glowing hot, you simply touch the solder to the joint and it is “drawn” deep into every gap of the joint; deep inside ever crevice. Amazingly, it can be “drawn” into the joint in any direction! Gravity has no effect on the “drawing in” process! Watching that solder run uphill, for instance, is spell-binding to me!
In the same way, people are drawn to your Savior by your witness, because of the daily walk you have with Him, in private. Of course the Lord will use your words, but your words can never overcome your lifestyle; what you have been doing in private. Our relationship with the Lord, in private devotions, where we are warmed up in His love, “draws” the unbeliever to decide for or against Christ. Your walk— makes the decision clear— for them.
By the death and resurrection of Christ we see the purposes of God most clearly. God has made the heart of man in such a way that man cannot deny the reality and purpose of the cross. All will be “drawn” toward the cross, yet some will stubbornly reject the clear message. Some are “drawn” to the reality of the cross and receive the free gift of eternal life. I have a friend who starts many of his public prayers with this statement, ” Lord capture our hearts more fully. Your great love draws us again to You.”
The cross and resurrection of Christ is the main turning point of all reality. That is not an overstatement! There is no meaning in lesser activities, nor in our noble- sounding causes, unless the cross and resurrection are a reality! Do you understand why this is so?
“I would catch a glimpse of the cross- and suddenly my heart would stand still. In an instinctive, intuitive way I understand that something more important, more tumultuous, more passionate, was at issue than our good causes, however noble they might be….I should have worn it….It should have been my uniform, my language, my life. I shall have no excuse; I can’t say I didn’t know. I knew from the beginning, and turned away.” Malcolm Muggeridge, ‘Jesus Rediscovered.’
So you are up to bat. Christmas with friends and relatives. Going to talk them to death, or “draw” them to Christ? You may find pleasant surprises and breakthroughs if you will carve out the time to be with Jesus in private devotions, way before you get together with them. Those family members you want to see saved will feel the warmth coming from you. May the Lord “draw” folks to Himself, through us in this special season. JWP 12/12/17

WHAT WILL I DO TO HONOR THE LORD AT CHRISTMAS?

It is a good thing to establish honorable traditions at your family gatherings. You may not be in a position to do so. Maybe your kids are grown and it is hard to get them all together. Perhaps you are single.
Perhaps either one, or both, of your parents are now gone from this life. So either personally, or as a group, these things might help.

We read the Birth narrative of Jesus in Chronological order before the presents, but after the food! Do a short version if you have little kids, or adults with short attention spans. ( You should be laughing at this spot.)

The long version in the proper order:
Luke 1: 5-80 then Matthew 1:18-25 then Luke 2: 1-39 then Matthew 2: 1-23.

To do the brief version it is:
Luke 1: 26-38 then Matthew 1: 18-25 then Luke 2: 1-20 then Matthew 2: 1-23. I have found that if you practice reading it a few times before you can keep a 4 years old interested for 9. 45 minutes, depending on how many pancakes they had. Put a little zip in the reading, please! Do not bore them with the most exciting book ever written! Lol.

We would sing a few Christmas songs. A max of two verses only.

We would start it all with pray and thanks to God, and that included a prayer done with a review of good things and bad things that happened during the past year.

( Like all great battle plans, have a backup plan if things go sideways. Just don’t make the presents the main thing.)

We also let each person say something about the past year. If that is a 6 year old, well, the reflection will be brief. Give the threatening look to the other, older kids when the youngest is saying stuff that is serious to them, but funny to the rest. You can laugh about it privately later!

We break out the old photo album and let each person in the room tell about the picture. This is always a good thing!

We make a birthday cake for Jesus, since He is the guest of honor, and it is His birthday. We always put one candle on it; but I do not know why. That would be the next year right? ( He was actually born in 4 B.C.; ask me about it; and while you are at it, ask me about my grandkids! Is that bumper sticker still available?

 We all tell something we like about one or more of the family members present. Once, when the kids were not so amiable towards one another, (because the one got up Christmas morning at 5 a.m. and woke the others up,) we were entertained by a praise of the family dog that would bring a tear to a glass eye!

A Few Facts For Fun:
Matthew 2- The wise men narrative- happened at least 3 months and up to two years later. ( 900 miles -Ezra 7:9/ 8:31) When I set the Nativity scene I put the wise men as far away from the manger scene as possible and let the kids know that the wise men visited Jesus when He was a toddler, and not at the manger when Jesus was born, but later, at a house. I still get that look that says, “Really; this is life-shaking information?” And I still get my little feeling hurt over it. Lol. Oh da’ pain!

Nowhere does it say there were 3 wise men; it could have been 50. Unlikely only three took such a dangerous trip. We assume three because there were three gifts. Are we bored yet?

Nowhere does it say they were kings. No where does it say they were from the far east (Orient.) The “East” would be Persia
( Iraq and Afghanistan.) Daniel’s prophecies, given when he lived in this area, in the 600’s B.C. would be well noted by the wise men. They were religiously trained men, not kings.

Were they named Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar? NO. Although I assume they were friendly. Was one a black man? NO. Did they follow a comet or a star to the location in Bethlehem? No. It was the supernatural light called the Shekinah Glory. No natural star could lead to such an exact, small location. Bethlehem had about 1000 people at this time.

When you share about Jesus, that name must be a daily reality to you and if so, they will “catch” the truth of the resurrected Lord as they see Him, presently, in you. Do they see Him in you and me? Do I walk in the peace the angels were talking about? Do you walk in the peace the angels were talking about? Best gift you can give your family this year is something they will “catch” from you and from me. Be contagious! Gods bless you my dead brothers and sisters in Christ. JWP

John 14: 27 ” Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Pascal And The Peace Only Christ Gives
” Nothing is more intolerable to man than a state of complete repose, without desires, without work, without amusements, without occupation. In such a state he becomes aware of his nothingness, his abandonment, his inadequacy, his dependence, his emptiness, his futility. There at once wells up from the depths of his soul weariness, gloom, misery, exasperation, frustration, despair. Sport, pleasure, entertainment and society are so often pursued not because they bring pleasure, but because they take men’s minds off themselves.”
Those words were spoken by Blaise Pascal. They sound like the modern-day quest of lost men for sure. But these words were written about 1660. This really reflects the motives of lost people for doing what they do. This statement by Pascal is not about doing nothing with your life. This is about a real and current peace. No one can live in a continued state of mental and emotional agitation! It is ashamed that believers can sometimes fall into this state of misery Pascal describes.
” “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” King James Version. It is not so much that the KJV got it wrong here as much as it misleads a bit. Literally, in Greek it reads, ” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, among men with whom He is pleased.”
1. This peace is a “present tense” peace,not a future peace. Something you can have right now, even in this fallen world. It is your best outreach for Christ, because while they may listen to you tell them about Christ they are really thinking, “Do I want what they have in their life?” If you are hassled, stressed and hurried, just like the world, then why would they want what they already have?
2. This present reality offer of peace is only to certain people. Those who accept Christ’ offer of eternal life. There is no way God can smear over the top of unwilling people any of His peace. Only a changed heart can have peace.
The proof is in verses that say Jesus did not come to bring a peace that the world would accept. Luke 2: 25-35 and Matthew 10: 34-37 point this out. Come this Sunday and learn more about it, but mostly come and experience it after you learn. Your entire eternal destiny depends on it. You cannot manufacture your own brand of deep and abiding peace. You have been trying for years now, right? Peace is something you receive, you cannot work for it or earn it.
I would love to close with some “feel-good” generalized message of happiness to you during this holiday season. I cannot do that. If I tried you would rightly ignore it. I have something solid and significant to say Sunday. I did not manufacture it. It was given to me. It is the Word of God which makes a promise of current peace for you and for me.
” Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you: not as the world gives, do I give to you, let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27″ JWP

What Do You Think?
It is difficult not to be disturbed by daily news reports. Continued bad reports can make us feel that we, the individual, can make little difference in stemming the tide of the terrible direction the world seems to be going.
Constant exposure to bad news has been proven to make us less likely to be active in doing good. You have to decide to listen to God so that you can change the world around you for good.
You have a new life in Christ. You have the power to live differently than the world. You will never help change the world, through your lifestyle witness, if you don’t feed your new nature. It is really as simple as that.
” Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7.
This above passage is a command, and yet a great joy. It is the best thing that you can do to effect the world. Too many Christians are trying to give a drink of water out of an empty bucket. You have to be full of the Lord’s presence to ever help anybody else.
I became a Christian at 19 years old. My mother was wise to keep her personal walk with the Lord strong, even in the mist of my life going way off the rails. You would think that she would be so worried about me that when we talked that there would be great anxiety in her voice and manner.
She was the opposite of that. After I was saved, we talked about what she was thinking during those days. “I knew that you needed to see the kind of life you could have in Christ. I kept asking myself, ‘Does he want the life that I have?’ I gave my worries about you to the Lord and lived in the joy of the Lord. That is where the real power is. Not in me acting like Jesus could not change you, and trying to control you, or change you myself.”
Way to go mom! I worked myself silly trying to impress my friends as the party guy, but was empty inside. My mom never let the current condition of the world keep her from her commission to represent Christ to me. She did not take her clues on what to do, based on the news.
” Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
So, verses 6-7 is what you pray.
Verses 8-9 is what you do.
It really is as simple as that. JWP 11/27/17

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at our new worship times–9:30am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!

Please join us in today’s word. And let us know what you think….either in our comment section or in person at our next service. Join us every Sunday at our new worship times–9:30am for Sunday School and at 10:45am for Worship Service. We’d love to see you here!