Tag: Archie Gilmer

The Most Powerful Influencers

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

Matthew 5 puts Jesus’ people right in the middle of a watching world and says, “You are the light of the world.” Jesus does not say, “Go try to be light,” or “see if a little light can be brought in.” Jesus says that is who his people are because Christ is in them, just like he had already said they are the salt of the earth.

The influencer craze in today’s world shows how badly people want to be seen, followed, and known. Jesus takes that desire for influence and turns it toward the kingdom of God. The question is not whether somebody is influencing people, because somebody is always watching. The question is whether that influence is causing people to look at a life and glorify the Father in heaven.

The image of a city set on a hill makes the point plain. A city like that cannot be hidden, especially when darkness settles in and even a little light shows up from far away. Christ’s people are meant to be visible, not covert Christians, not “double o six” believers hiding behind private spirituality. The light is supposed to be seen, because God has pulled sinners out of a mess and put them on display as trophies of grace.

The lamp under the basket shows how foolish it is to hide what Jesus has lit. God puts the light in a person through the gospel, through repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The hard part is not making the light shine, because God does that. The hard part is getting self, attitude, pride, words, and behavior out of the way so the light can actually be seen.

The darkness of sin is pictured like a house after the power is gone, so black that a person cannot see even someone close by. Into that kind of darkness, the Spirit positions believers so the light reaches real people in real moments. Good works are not for earning salvation, proving greatness, or showing off Christian achievement. Good works are meant to open a window where people can see God and say, “Glory be to God.”

Jesus’ call ends with purpose. The light shines “in such a way” that people see the works and glorify the Father. The Christian life is not about living a best life, making a name, or becoming impressive. Christ lives his life in his people, and the right prayer becomes, not a desire to be a great Christian, but a surrendered desire for God to be glorified through whatever he wants to do.

Watch full sermon videos here: Salt and Light Sermon Series Videos

Key Takeaways
  1. Influence belongs to the kingdom Jesus does not leave influence in the hands of fame, platforms, and public attention. The believer is already shaping somebody’s view of God, whether that is intentional or not. Kingdom influence asks a better question than “Who is watching?” It asks whether the watching world is being pointed toward Christ or away from him.
  2. Light is identity, not performance Jesus says, “You are the light,” not “try harder until light appears.” That means the believer’s visibility begins with Christ’s presence, not personal effort or religious image management. The danger is not that the light is weak, but that self can stand in front of what God has already lit.
  3. Darkness makes little light obvious The world’s darkness is not just inconvenience, but the blindness of sin and separation from God. In deep darkness, even a small light gets attention and changes what can be seen. God places his people in ordinary roads, homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods because real darkness needs real light nearby.
  4. Good works aim at God’s glory Good works are not spiritual trophies for the believer to polish. Jesus gives them a direction, so that people see them and glorify the Father in heaven. The work may pass through human hands, but the praise must land on God, because only God cleans up the mess and makes a sinner new.
  5. Surrender gets self out of light The biggest struggle is often not knowing what God should do, but letting God do it without self taking over. Pride, fear, attitude, and old habits can block what the Spirit is trying to show. Dying to self is not vague religious talk here, but the daily work of moving out of the way so Christ can be seen.

Stay Salty

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

Jesus stands on the side of the hill and says what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus does not tell His disciples to try real hard to become salt. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.” That little word “are” matters. The disciple’s usefulness begins with what Christ has already made true, not with religious effort trying to manufacture something fake.

Salt was valuable, necessary, and understood. Salt preserved meat from decay, brought flavor to food, and even served as payment in the Roman world. Jesus uses that picture to say that believers matter in the world. Salt preserves what is right and healthy, slows down the rot sin brings, and adds something that gets people’s attention. The Spirit of God in the believer is the real saltiness. Christ in the believer is what changes lives, blesses people, and makes a disciple different from the world.

Romans 12 says not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. God is the one holding the salt shaker. The disciple is the vessel, and the Holy Spirit is the one who brings the flavor. Ephesians 2 says believers are created in Christ for good works prepared ahead of time. The Christian life is not a bunch of Christians running around trying to bless people in their own strength. The Christian life is disciples walking around letting Jesus in them preserve life and change people.

Jesus also warns that salt can become tasteless. That should get a believer’s attention. Compromise does not always look like open rebellion. Compromise often looks like gradual dilution, like water leaking into a barrel of salt until the salt washes away and only gray useless grit remains. A person can look full and still be full of dirt. A disciple can say the right words, show up at the right times, and still stop being useful if the world has been allowed to dilute the life of the Spirit.

James calls friendship with the world hostility toward God because giving the heart to the world after belonging to Christ is spiritual adultery. Jesus says tasteless salt is good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. That warning is serious, not because Christ’s sacrifice was weak, but because Christ died to make His people useful to the Master. The call is simple and weighty: be salty, stay salty, stay close to God, pray in the Spirit, walk in truth, and let the world see something real enough to make it thirsty for Jesus.

Watch full sermon videos here: Salt and Light Sermon Series

Key Takeaways
  1. Salt is identity before activity Jesus says disciples “are” the salt of the earth, not that they should strain to become it. Christian usefulness begins with union with Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, not with self-made religious energy. A disciple learns to live out what God has already made true, like learning how to wear what has already been given.
  2. The Spirit brings the flavor The believer is not the one shaking the salt all over the world. God holds the shaker, and Christ in the believer is what actually affects lives. That truth humbles spiritual ambition and also removes fear, because usefulness depends on surrender to the Spirit, not on personal strength.
  3. Compromise usually dilutes slowly Compromise does not always arrive as loud rebellion against God. More often, it seeps in like rainwater through a leaky roof, slowly washing away the salt until the barrel still looks full but has become useless grit. The danger is not merely looking worldly, but becoming so mixed with the world that Christ is no longer recognizable.
  4. Usefulness belongs to surrendered vessels Second Timothy says a cleansed vessel becomes useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. The point is not endless recommitment like a revolving door, but a yielded life where the Spirit is allowed to rule. A life surrendered to the Holy Spirit becomes available for God’s purposes in ordinary moments.
  5. Distinct lives create holy thirst Salt makes people thirsty, and a Spirit-filled life can awaken thirst for Jesus in people who do not even know what they are looking for. The world does not need slightly better versions of itself. The world needs lives so clearly changed by Christ that people begin to wonder whether God is real and whether His truth can be trusted.

The Christian Journey Cannot Be Solo

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

As we read here in 1 Corinthians, we can plainly see that the singular Body of Christ is made up of a plurality of individual believers. This is Paul’s description of the Church. Everyone who becomes a believer, by way of placing faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and following God’s plan of salvation, is grafted into the body of Christ.

Graphic featuring the text 'ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT' and 'One Church' with people holding hands in the background, symbolizing unity and community.

So many times, I meet people in the community and as I get to know them, I find out that they believe in God. However, when the conversation turns to discussing what congregation or church they serve with, suddenly things change. It seems to trigger a frantic series of comments about how “they and God do their own thing.” Or “nature is my church.” Increasingly I am hearing from all ages that people just do not believe that there is a need to attend worship or be a part of a church congregation to be saved.

 My first response to this is that we must be very careful not to attach anything to the process of salvation other than what scripture teaches. What I mean is that attending church or being a part of a congregation of believers is not what saves a person. That’s right, going to church is not going to save anyone from the consequences of sin. However.

Scripture teaches many things about the Christian life and the characteristics of being a genuine believer in Christ. I want to focus only on a few areas of scripture for the purpose of this topic. But first I want to review what it means to be a Christian.

People who claim to be a Christian are those who have accepted the truth about Jesus as the Christ. His life on the Earth and death, burial, and resurrection are the work that brings forgiveness for the sins of mankind. Putting one’s faith in this fact and repenting of being a sinner is the beginning of this process. The Christian life is a series of acts of obedience which leads to spiritual growth, starting with baptism by immersion and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Upon becoming a Christian, the Holy Spirit immediately begins the work of sanctification. This is the lifelong journey of growing in Christ and the Holy Spirit having His way in our hearts through our submission to His will in our lives. This is what it means to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Here we find the issue in the hearts and minds of many who actually do believe but do not realize that their understanding is off. The following are the definition of the words ‘Lord’ and ‘Savior.”

Savior (Greek-Soter) means savior, deliverer, preserver.

Lord (Greek-Kyrios) means master, one to whom someone belongs.

I believe it is difficult for a person to reconcile how they can be a genuine Christian while at the same time ignoring, or rejecting the truth found in the Word of God. The Christian life grows and is lived according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit together with the truth God’s Holy Word. The Bible.

Many want Jesus as ‘Savior’ but cannot or will not accept Him as ‘Lord’. The problem with this is that it cannot work this way. There is only one Jesus. There is only one Savior, who is also Lord.

So, when Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, (inserted above), he describes how God designed the body of Christ, The Church, to be the united by the one Spirit. There is only one church. No one can be the church alone. We cannot “do” Christianity by ourselves. We need other believers. That is what God created. Wen Jesus returns for the purpose of bringing home His bride, it will be The Church.

“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” – 2 Corinthians 11:2

“But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.”  – 1 Corinthians 12:24-25

The point in all of this is simply that according to scripture, God intends for those who are saved by the blood of Christ to be united in Christ. United in the Spirit which dwells in each of them. One Church, lead by one Spirit, saved by one Savior.

Each believer has a specific purpose which God intends to use in harmony with the body of Christ. Because of this we should have a growing desire to be connected with a group of other believers where we can serve and grow together for the sake of the witness and for the sake of the lost souls in the world.

As I have already stated, not one of us can be the church alone. We need each other for growth, accountability, encouragement, strengthening, as well as fellowship in Christ. In fact, it is actually an act of disobedience if we are not regularly connected to a congregation of other believers. We are disconnected from what God is doing with His Kingdom.

“and 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

We the believers around the world are a powerful force to reckon with. Our mission is to go into the world for the purpose of exposing the lost to the reality of God and the need for Jesus as Lord and Savior. When the Church is active together, united in Christ, we are unstoppable!

God and His Kingdom is and always has been claiming great victories over the existence of His creation! Even in our world today. The Kingdom of God is the greatest thing going in the entirety of God’s creation! Why would anyone who claims to be save by the powerful blood of Jesus not want to be a part of it?

Anyone who is genuinely saved would then naturally desire to be a part of the Church. It would be an extreme necessity. In fact, when we are away from our Christian family, we feel something missing. Christians need each other. We need each other like we need Jesus. After all, it is the same Holy Spirit living in us!

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” – Matthew 18:19-20

To God be the Glory!

Our Struggle with Patience

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship, Life & Perseverance1 Comment

As I sit down to write this blog post, I find myself overwhelmingly aware of the reality of this topic. What I mean is that I have spent much time in thought and prayer as to just how to word my thoughts about patience and how it impacts the Christian life. The problem is, the more I think about getting it done, the more impatient I become about getting the words out to finish the blog post! The struggle really is real!

To get on with it. I was having a discussion with some people recently about the fruit of the Spirit as described by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” While making the point in the discussion that we should notice that scripture shows the word ‘fruit’ as a singular and not a plural. Meaning that each of these virtues which make up the fruit of the Spirit are simply a part of the totality of the fruit of the Spirit. Sort of the DNA of the fruit of the Spirit.

While we discussed each virtue, when we looked at the virtue of patience, like always, we all expressed frustration about the fact that we all struggle with patience in our lives. I personally believe that struggling in this area of life is normal and should be expected. However, I do think that many times, people may misunderstand what this part of the fruit is really about.

It is common that our knee jerk reaction when talking or thinking about patience that our thoughts go to all those time in life when we have trouble waiting for someone or something. Or maybe we think about having to put up with a person or people that are difficult to put up with. I would say that both of those thoughts are correct and applicable. However, I would submit that God in His Word intends that we have a deeper understanding of what patience is all about and how it plays part in the totality of the fruit of the Spirit.

Recently while teaching through 1 and 2 Samuel, we studied how David was running for his life while King Saul was in hot pursuit for the purpose of killing him. All the while, David had knowledge of God’s promise and plan for his life that he would eventually become King of Israel. David exercised patience each time he had opportunity to kill King Saul and showed self-restraint. David at that time was a superb example of what it looks like to trust God and His plan.

Oh, how we wish we could be patient like David was. Oh, how we wish we could be as patient as Noah was while he built this gigantic boat in the middle of ridicule and persecution. And it definitely seems impossible to exercise the patience that our Savior displayed when He was arrested, beaten, mocked, spit on, cursed, and eventually crucified! He showed us the ultimate example of waiting on the Father to complete His plan! That is what patience as well as the rest of the virtues of the fruit of the Spirit is all about.

We say Amen! While at the same time, we continue to struggle with patience in our lives. Let us consider that maybe some of that struggle exists because our perspective on the things of life can be out of place. If our perspective is that which is focused on ourselves and how the world affects our own lives according to our plans and desires, then it is possible that we will experience unnecessary struggles in our lives.

If our perspective on the things of life and the events of this world are that of the Christian life, then our faith will have a great affect on our ability to exercise patience in all aspects of our lives. At the same time, it would not mean that we will never struggle with patience, it simply means that our struggles will ultimately build strength in our faith and our walk with Christ.

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” – James 5:7-8

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”- James 1:2-3

James explains this struggle that we all have with patience. He tries to help us understand that even this struggle has a purpose in the plan of God for our lives and for the bigger plan for His Kingdom!

Returning to our study in 1 and 2 Samuel, we are reminded throughout the life of David that hardship and struggles will prepare us for whatever God has in the plan for our future. It is most likely true that most if not all of us who are walking with Christ genuinely can testify that God had been preparing us for the things in are life today throughout our younger days. If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that many of our worries and anxieties were unwarranted.

As James points out in the previous text, when we experience challenges to our patience, we should notice that our faith is being tested and we are being strengthened for endurance. Therefore, we should expect our struggles with patience to be different the longer we live and walk with Christ!

Finally, I would offer encouragement when we say to ourselves, “that all sounds great but this patience thing is just too hard!” Thank God for His Holy Spirit who lives in all of us who are part of the body of Christ through submitting to the work that Jesus did on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins! Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit would be sent to be with us, be our guide, to be our strength. We are not expected to work hard at being good at all these virtues that Paul described as the fruit of the Spirit. What Paul is saying is that if we live surrendered to the presence of the Holy Spirit then this fruit, (singular), will be evident in our lives. Not only one or two at a time but all of them.

Our hard work is simply the work of submitting to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Surrendering to God. 100%. This is when patience will be on display in our lives for the world to see!

To God be the Glory.

The Power of Expectations

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

Anyone who has been “around the block” would testify to the fact that things do not always go the way that we plan or expect. When our expectations are not met, we might sometimes say “life happens.”

The truth of the matter is that when our expectations in life are not met, disappointment is the result. Therefore, we should make an effort to notice that expectations, while not always wrong or out of line, can be immensely powerful. Expectations can be so powerful that they could lead to either overwhelming anxiety and depression when not met or unbelievable success and blessings when applied appropriately.

I personally have spent most of my life learning to appropriately deal with expectations. My own toward others, others toward me, and expectations between me and God.

For years I struggled with managing expectations between myself and others. I often crumbled under the weight of the expectations that I felt others placed on me and also became defeated when let down by the expectations that I had put on others around me. Mostly, the expectations or lack of expectations that I had for myself had done the most damage early on.

It is only when we can learn what God expects that we then have any chance to manage expectations between others as well as ones we have for ourselves. After all, who knows better than God?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.” – Isaiah 55:8

After giving our lives to Christ and receiving forgiveness and grace through the blood of Christ, only then can we understand that what God expects is that we be who He created us to be. Then after we see that because of our desires to sin against Him that we cannot live up to His expectations, then we cry out in repentance and surrender to God. That is when we begin to learn and truly understand what God expects. He expects us to trust in Him by faith.

The point is this. Once we learn the proper place for expectations to live in our lives, then we will experience more joy and less disappointments and anxiety in life. After all, is that not what we all are searching for? There is nothing more miserable than a broken spirit.

“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

Just to be clear. There are many situations and roles in life that require expectations to be in place for all of us. Parents definitely should have expectations for their children. Spouses should have expectations for each other. Employers should have expectations for their employees. Society should have expectations for their government and so on and so forth.

However, when we put all of our weight on those expectations and insist that our lives play out exactly according to those expectations, well then, we would be setting ourselves up for failures, disappointments, anxieties and ultimately those broken spirits.

This is not the life that God would have us live. He would have us live lives that are able to put those expectations in their appropriate places all the while leaving room for God’s plan. In other words, as we try to manage expectations appropriately in our lives, we would do good to expect some unexpected realities to impact our lives.

We can know the will of God, via the Word of God, however we cannot know the mind of God, nor do we always know God’s plan as it plays out. So, we would do better to be more flexible when it comes to our expectations for ourselves, others and even God. We should learn to commit our plans to the Lord and let Him have His way.

“Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established.” – Proverbs 16:3

To God be the Glory.

30 Years- A Father & Son Journey to Manhood

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

It has been a year and a half since my son’s funeral. I have decided to share some of his wisdom along with some of my own reflections about our life together in a book which was just published. The title of the book is called 30 Years. Sometimes 30 years does not seem long but sometimes it is a lifetime. The following is an excerpt from one of the chapters.

Paperback and E-book available on Amazon (click the photo)

As a preacher, I have had opportunity to preach many funerals. I am certain as long as the Lord allows me to have days, I will have many more opportunities. It does not much matter the age of the person who had passed on, the grieving family always feels that the passing of their loved one is too soon. That is because we can never really prepare ourselves for this kind of loss. Not even if we can see it coming due to extended illness or something of the kind. I often find myself telling families that this pain that we feel is simply the cost of loving people. It is definitely worth it.

At the beginning of this chapter, I included scripture from James 4:13-14 (NIV). “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” I believe that every word of the bible is absolute truth. I also believe that if we would consider the wisdom to be found in it, such as this particular portion, we would not only suffer less but see God more throughout the course of our journey.

Remember in the beginning of this book I shared the dreams that I had for my son even before he was born? Not only did those dreams get destroyed but I also learned that God’s plan for these past 30-years was much greater than anything that I could ever have dreamed! After all, since none of us really know how much time we will be given in this world, how could we possibly come up with any plan that would actually be good? I have learned many things over those 30 years, one of which is that God’s way is the best way, and that life is short.

It turns out that my son was a wise man. He lived life in high gear most every chance he could. He made the most of every opportunity and every relationship he had. He lived well and he even died well. He was a strong man. A great man. He was God’s man! He made the most of the 30 years that God gave him in this world.

The purpose behind writing this book is simply to share a small part of the past 30 Years and prayerfully hope that it might be of some help to others along the way. I pray that anyone who would read this book would be blessed.

To God be the glory!

Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes – Spiritually Speaking?

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

While realizing that not everyone is a country music fan, specifically what is now known as the “oldies” in country music. Nevertheless, there was once a well-known country music singer/songwriter known as George Jones. He sang and wrote many #1 hits on the country music chart in his day. One in particular comes to mind for the topic of this blog post. It is titled, “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”.

This song was actually written by Max Barnes and Troy Seals. Jones and his singing it made it a hit toward the later years of his career. The song was simply about an old country music legend wondering about the future of country music. Reminiscing about those who had come before him and participated in making country music great.

“Who’s gonna fill their shoes? Who’s gonna stand that tall?Who’s gonna play the Opry, and the Wabash Cannonball?Who’s gonna give their heart and soul to get to me and you?”

Those are the words of the chorus in that song. It causes me to ponder about other things in life, as it would with anyone else when reflecting on their own career or profession. Me being a Preacher, it makes sense that I would wonder about the church, “who’s gonna fill their shoes”?

In every church congregation, with the exception maybe of some new church plants, there are always those faithful saints who are “the older members”. These are the ones who have, because of their faithfulness, continued the work of the Kingdom of God over the years. They are the reason that the congregation even still exists! Some were there when the congregation first formed and when they built their first church house. Others came along throughout the years.

As a Preacher, I have heard many stories about the histories of the church congregation. Stories of how the men and women on the rolls throughout the history of each congregation worked hard and stood firm in their faith. Testimonies about how the gospel was preached and people were saved and how everyone loved gathering at the church and meeting together.

This past December, I was presented with a gift by my Father. I suppose it is sort of heirloom. I never had the opportunity to meet my Grandfather, as he passed away before I arrived. However, my Father handed me a bible that he and his brother bought for their Father. This bible was given to me for the purpose of reading and passing along in the future.

This bible also got me pondering about the future of the church. I not only mean the local congregation, but the body of Christ as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I believe that the Kingdom of God could ever be defeated, die off, or even fade away. What can happen is that the Kingdom of God, the church, can, will and is changing generation after generation.

I still wonder, who is gonna fill their shoes? Who is going to be faithful in the work of the body of Christ? Who is going to be faithful in the work of the local congregation? Who is gonna stand firm in the doctrines of truth and bend like a pine tree in the wind when it comes to loving people? Are their going to be stories told in the future about the faithful Grandparents, Parents, Aunts and Uncles who walked the Christian walk in front of the children of the family which stood as testimony to the work of God in the local congregation?

 

The Most Important New Year’s Resolution

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

As we all get back to our daily routines after New Year’s day, I would like to take a moment to point out that most of us are simply going to return to business as usual. This I suspect is much of the reason that resolutions ultimately fade away after a few months.

Sure, we all do our best to “try again” when it comes to those things in life that we believe that we are failing at or cannot seem to get any momentum with. I pray that we all can experience success or progress in our lives. However, I know from experience as well as from God’s Word that life is not always pies and ice cream.

The truth is, life happens. And as long as we are given life to live in this world, I would advise that we all commit to making just one resolution this year. I believe it is the most important resolution a person can make each year.

I came across this message, preached by Charles R. Swindoll. I will simply leave the video here for your enjoyment and pray that it will inspire us all to make the commitment!

The “War on Christmas”- Almost Laughable!

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Culture & Conviction, Faith & Discipleship1 Comment

I, like many, have been hearing a lot about this “war on Christmas” lately. It seems that for the past several years, this topic almost dominates the social and even political conversations that go on in our society. Everyone from the President of the United States to the fellas at the barber shop is talking about how there is a “war on Christmas”!

After searching though the search engines of the internet to see what might be being said about all of this, and you know that what is on the internet is always trustworthy, I found an enormous amount of political debate about the meaning of Christmas and what should and should not be acceptable forms of celebration during Christmas, often referred to know as the Winter Season or Winter Holidays.

Since I am a Christian and a Preacher, I suspect that most would expect this blog post to be the typical defense against the attack or “war on Christmas”. Well, I am quite sure that most will be disappointed by this post if that is the case.

The entire idea of a “war on Christmas” is almost laughable if you ask me. Especially when looked at from the perspective of the believer, those who call themselves Christian. The Christian is a person who is confident in the truth about Jesus being the Christ. The Christian is a person who is sold out to the absolute truth about the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary for the purpose of giving Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of all.

For the Christian, the responsibility and expectation given to them as disciples of Jesus is to show the World what God has done in your life. This is how the Christian is to be the witness. Many times in the accounts of the Bible when a person was healed they went everywhere telling everyone about what Jesus did for them! This is what it means to be the witness to the world for the Kingdom of God!

It is not the Christian’s responsibility to prove that God exists. It is not the Christian’s responsibility to prove that Jesus is the Christ. God does not need our proof. It was Jesus Himself that provided evidence to Saul on the road to Damascus.

It was Jesus all throughout the gospel of John that provided proof of His Lordship to the Pharisees and the rest of the Jews. It was God who raised Jesus from the dead and proved to the entirety of existence that He Is!

No, the Christian’s role in the Kingdom of God is to bring glory to the King! We do that by being faithful to what we believe about Him and His plan of salvation to all who likewise believe! Love God and Love people. That is what is to be focused on!

For the Christian, loving God is all about worshiping Him and serving Him as ambassadors! Part of that is taking time to stop and acknowledge that thousands of years ago, a baby was born as a fulfillment of God’s promises! Acknowledging that without this baby, who was God in the flesh, there is no hope for humanity as far as any relationship with our Holy God!

Too many of us are spending all of our time trying to force others who are not believers to accept our ways or traditions at Christmas. I mean, really! Look at Daniel for example; here is a man who was taken from his home, culture, and even an attempt to change his religion/faith was attempted.

Did he put out a bunch of news flyers about a “war on Christianity”? No! He simply continued to be faithful to what he believed about his God. Sure, he was ready to “defend” his actions, although I would look at that as being prepared to give reason for your beliefs!

Where did this idea of a “war on Christmas” begin anyway. Surely the rest of the world is experiencing the same type of social and cultural debates about Christmas and even Christianity. Let me suggest that what is now called the “war on Christmas” is indeed the same as what is referred to as “the war on Christianity”. This has been happening since Adam and Eve were lied to and gave into temptation!

The enemy, Satan NOT PEOPLE, has always been trying to destroy God and the ones that He loves! A few headlines in the news are saying that Donald Trump is winning the war on Christmas, and that we are once again allowed to say “Merry Christmas”. Other articles and blogs show that Henry Ford began a campaign against Christmas in defense of Jewish and other religious holidays being left out back in the 50’s.

As long as we are pointing fingers, why don’t we say that the “war on Christmas” was started by King Herod during the time of Jesus’ birth found in Matthew chapter 2. Or we could blame the King of Egypt who sought to kill all the male babies which, had he been successful, been the end of God’s plan of salvation!

As long as we are blaming, we would have to look at every person who stood in the way of or tried to stand in the way of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus! This is why I say that this so-called “war on Christmas” is laughable. What is happening in society today is nothing new! God’s true enemies have been trying to stop His plans since the beginning of the world! It is a hopeless pursuit on their part.

Let me finish by pointing this out. The only real war that is going on is the war against the faith of human beings. The battle field is in the minds of each person, and the heart/soul be the spoils to the victor!

Therefore, Christian, do not be fooled by the ways of the world as those ways broadcast some absurd propaganda intended to lead everyone to believe that any one person or group of people have the power to change any part of the absolute truth about Christ! NO! Christmas and your celebration of it, is totally up to you!

Our President, the President of the USA, can publicly give society permission to say “Merry Christmas” or some other person which the world gives authority can instruct society NOT to say, “Merry Christmas”. It will not change how I celebrate Christmas.

I personally do not hold ill feelings toward anyone who does not believe what I believe about God. Nor am I offended by anyone who even protests my faith. No, I feel compassion and concern for them. No, it is not that I have no concern about others being offended by my actions, yet when it comes to how I and my household love God and love people, yes, there is a limit to my participation in the manners in which society seems to demand of all of us.

“If it is disagreeable in you sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will sere: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”                                Joshua 24:15

Christian, do not let the world dictate what you are about at Christmas or any other time. The only way to truly have a Merry Christmas is to love God and love people in a way that honors God and brings glory to the Kingdom of God!

To Give or Not to Give- That is a Good Question

On By Archie L. GilmerIn Faith & Discipleship, Life & PerseveranceLeave a comment

 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:35 (NASB)

Often times in bible studies and just casual conversation, I hear people bring up the topic of discerning when to give to those who ask. Usually this question refers to those who are seen on the street holding the cardboard sign which is intended to explain their situation. Other times, people will call or arrive at the church office wanting some assistance with something.

I personally believe that this “dilemma” is born out of a torn heart. Many Christians genuinely want to help those in need. I mean, if we are genuine Christians, then it would be in our hearts to show love and compassion for the needy. On the other hand, Christians are people and people don’t like to be taken advantage of. When it does happen, and it seems to happen often, it king of leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Some respond by cutting off all benevolence to anyone, after all that would only be fair and safe, right? Others take the attitude that they will just give what they can always, leaving the receiver in God’s hands. Many leadership meetings at churches have been spent discussing this matter. Ultimately, churches and Christians alike really want to help those in need and minister to them, yet at the same time do not wish to be taken advantage of and allow some to steal from them.

As I address this issue, let me make it clear that I personally to not have a concrete, “this is what to do” answer. What follows is just my two cents. I pray that it is helpful.

First, we see in John 13:35, among many other places in Scripture that the Christian is one who loves others. In fact, that is how we are to be distinguished from the rest of the world. Jesus even taught that we are to love God and love others. I will submit that loving God and loving others is not something that the Christian strives to get better at and achieve, rather it is what is in us. It is who we are.

The Christian is one whom in the Holy Spirit has taken up residence. Even though the trinity cannot be explained completely, we can know that the three are one. Therefore, since God is love,

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.     1 John 4:7-8  (NASB)

and the Spirit of God is God, then we can conclude that love is in the believer. This is why the Christian has this “dilemma” in our hearts when it comes to showing love and compassion to those who present themselves in need. I think that the first point of focus would be with self. We Christians would do good to ask ourselves, who is making the decision as to whether or not a person is genuinely in need or not?

The question that we usually ask ourselves almost immediately is, does this person really need help? Or, is this person being honest, or are they just making up a story to get the help they are asking about? My not so favorite one that some have asked is, how do I know they won’t go buy drugs or alcohol with what I give them?

To 99% of the people in the world, it seems that those questions are legitimate questions. However, for the Christian, we must remember that since the Spirit of God is living in us, our approach may be different. I am not saying that it is wrong to think about those questions, however, I am saying that they should not be out guide to reach the conclusion to the “dilemma”.

Second point. I do not think that the Christian is “obligated” to give to everyone who presents a need. The scripture is clear that we are to help others when we have opportunity and the means. Along with that, I will submit that the Christian has a responsibility to be good stewards of that which God has entrusted in their care.

I do not believe that God desires for the Christian to be taken advantage of. Nor do I believe that God desires the Christian to be taken for a fool. After all, we are ambassadors for the Kingdom of God to this world. We must look at benevolence of any kind as an investment. An investment in the work of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus taught a lesson using a parable about a wealthy man leaving his wealth in the care of three men. Each having the same responsibility. Two were successful, the other failed. The two that succeeded increased the wealth of the Kingdom because they feared their master and thought to do what he would want them to do. The third, on the other hand, was more afraid of failure than the master. He did what he thought was best and did not consider what the master would have him do.

The same is true here for the Christian. The Master, our Lord, has given us His valuables. We have the responsibility to be stewards of that wealth. That wealth, by the way, is His love, the gospel of Christ, Salvation. This should lead us to the question, why does the scripture teach us to give when we can give?

I often try to insert into those conversations about this matter the answer to that question. At least what I believe to be the answer. It is two-fold really. First, but not foremost, the scripture teaches us to give because that is what love is. If love resides in a person, then compassion will rise to the surface. Second, and foremost, the scripture tells us to give because of John 13:35. The world will know the Christian because of the way we love.

As far as knowing when not to give or be taken advantage of. I often think about Acts chapter 3.

“But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”               Acts 3:6 (NASB)

Here Peter and John were presented with a man in need. It so happened that this man had a genuine need. However, they did not give the man what he asked for. Instead, they invested in the Kingdom of God by giving him what was most valuable. The result was that the crippled man encountered God and the world around them was impacted greatly by the witness! If you don’t believe me, go read it for yourself.

The point that I am getting at here is this. There are times to give and there are times not to give, that is when it comes to the things of this world. When it comes to giving the love of God, there is never a time not to give. For the Christian, the key is to seek guidance from the Master. “What would Jesus do?” even though that has become a cliché, it still rings true.

The letter to the Galatians instructs us to keep in step with the Spirit. That means that we are not making the decisions. I know, that is hard to accept, but it is the way the Master set in place. The Holy Spirit will guide us away from poor investments with the Master’s wealth, and make us aware of the good investment opportunities for the Kingdom of God.

I hope I have explained this well enough that you all can see that it is a matter of making disciples in everything we do. We help the needy in hopes that they will encounter God and His Kingdom, whether they are Christians or not. We help the Christians who are in need for the purpose of getting them back in the Kingdom work force, and we help those who are not Christians for the purpose of exposing them to the love of God! So, we must seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit when it comes to helping the needy in this world.

Oh, one last thing. God does not expect nor desire anyone to become needy for the sake of helping those in need. Give what you can, when you can. If you have not the means, seek the Lord for other ways to help. Peter and John told the crippled man, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give you.” Acts 3:6. If we genuinely have the Spirit of God living in us, then we always have something to give.

We should offer that whether it is received or not.