Articles by David Smith at Heartlight

Haunted House

david@yourchurchcangrow.com (David Smith) — Sun, 31 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0500

"... the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

"... Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.'

"He answered, 'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here." (Matthew 12:14,38-42 TNIV)

Without trying to open up a can of worms as to how Christians should respond to Halloween, did you know Jesus once spoke of a haunted house? Well, he certainly did! And his story went something like this ...

The murderous-minded Pharisees had been telling Jesus: "Give us a sign and we'll tell you how things will go for you."

And Jesus, the Son of God, had responded: "I am your sign and sign enough I am. The wicked city of Nineveh knew what repentance is about and even Sheba's queen knew God's wisdom when she heard it, but you, well let me tell you how things are going for you."

And that's when Jesus brought up the haunted house business:

"When an evil spirit comes out of anyone, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:43-45 TNIV)

Quite a story, isn't it? Jesus doesn't tell it as if it were fiction, either; he tells it straight up as an undeniable fact. And I feel confident the power of his point was not lost on the Pharisees who heard him tell it. They surely understood that what Jesus was telling them was something like this:

"You've swept your house clean in a lot of ways, but you still won't let God and his kingdom into your heart. Deny me and my link with his kingdom and you will be worse off than if you had never met me. You say you love God, but the truth of the matter is that Satan lives in you!"

And such is the way it is for many still today, no doubt!

You cannot afford to underestimate the power of the work of Satan. He can be taken aback, set back and rolled back, but he is not out of the game. Just because the evil spirit that has tormented you and attempted to trip you up has apparently left you alone for now, don't think for a minute you can leave the place he vacated empty. And if you will not invite God's good Spirit to fill up your freed up time and ways, rest assured Satan will be all the more pleased to send more of his spirits to afflict you and haunt you. And rest assured, they will be more than happy to do all they can to help make your life unclean enough to live in again!

There are many false ways that claim to be Christian faith. One of the most common and dangerous of false ways of faith is the way that spends most of its time and energy on attacking what is wrong and spending little, if any, energy and time on nurturing the development of positive Christian character. You can say "No" to what you know is sin, but if you don't say "Yes" to what you know is from God, sin will ultimately only grow deeper and darker in you. And then the sin you now despise will only be harder for you to recognize and more challenging from which to turn. Or as someone once said:

"... a repentance which does not lead to a new allegiance leaves a void which the devil will exploit; he who is not positively with Jesus must inevitably end up against him."

The once haunted house you will never want to visit is your own heart darkened and calloused by repeated, half-hearted repentance. Keeping Satan's temptations at bay is as much about filling up as it about cleaning out!

So fill up your life with what you know to be good and refuse to give any demon any leeway. Read your Bible. Take time to truly pray. Turn off the television and call up that friend you know who needs encouragement. Skip that trip for your own pleasure and visit that one you know is shut-in and lonely instead. Don't feed your appetite for things with more of what you call innocent "window- shopping"; instead, sell a few things and give your money to a missionary. Don't play hookie from church; be the church and be with the church every time it's possible for you to do so. Don't give the devil a foothold and give the Spirit a leg up!

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7b)

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21)

"... go about doing good ..." (Acts 10:38)

"To those who persist in doing good ... he will give eternal life." (Romans 2:7)

You'll sleep better at night knowing your house isn't haunted!

David Smith is preaching minister in Baytown, Texas and edits "The Online Devotonal" at Your Church Can Grow!

Website: Your Church Can Grow!

Preparing to See The Passion of The Christ

david@yourchurchcangrow.com (David Smith) — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0600

I will tell you from the get go that my knowledge of Mel Gibson's soon to be released movie entitled The Passion of the Christ is limited to viewing two brief trailers, watching an interview of Mel Gibson, reading about a dozen articles regarding the movie's production, reception and release and wading through a handful of e-mails of various ilk. However, if this movie will be seen by as many people as I think will view it and if it has the emotional power and effect on as many as I think it will have, I would be amiss as a Christian minister to not be somewhat engaged with it. I plan to see it; probably more than once.

For as a Christian I always seek to ever remain aware and sensitive to the major stirrings and shapings of our culture's psyche. And to help someone become shaped more fully in spirit and life into the image of Christ, it is of immense help to be aware of what preceding factors have helped shape that person's grasp of God and what a life that follows God should look like.

I say all that to say this -- since this movie has been so frequently discussed in public already, no small number of people have asked me two questions: "Are you going to see this movie?" and "Should I go see this movie?" There is an implied question contained within both of those questions: "Would it be good for me?" So let me take this moment to answer the two questions verbalized by offering an answer directly to the question implied. And my answer is: "Yes, it has the potential to be very good for you - if you prepare yourself for viewing it in a healthy way." And let me venture further and offer some advice as to what would make for a healthy way to see it.

First, read and re-read the gospel accounts of the passion of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 27:36-28:10; Mark 14:32- 16:8; Luke 22:39-24:12 & John 18:1-20:18) You can simply do nothing better to prepare yourself to see Christ's passion depicted than to hear it described perfectly in the original source materials.

Second, research the practice of crucifixion in the culture and time of Jesus. Twenty-first century Americans simply cannot imagine what this every-day sight for many in the ancient world was like. It will still probably be some time before Martin Hengel's brief work, simply entitled Crucifixion will be surpassed -- it would make a fine place to start. If that work is not readily accessible, an article on "crucifixion" in a quality Bible dictionary or encyclopedia would be of great help. I would point you toward two such works: Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels by InterVarsity Press and The Anchor Bible Dictionary by Doubleday. Either, or both, of these works is probably available in your local public library.
Works there are aplenty discussing the spiritual and doctrinal dimensions of Christ's crucifixion. Two classic works are Leon Morris' brief, clear work entitled The Cross of Jesus and John R. W. Stott's more thorough and suggestive work entitled The Cross of Christ. And an outstanding work to share with someone yet to believe discussing the spiritual dimensions of Christ's cross is Max Lucado's small, inexpensive, heart-felt work entitled He Did This Just for You.

Third, weigh with care anything you hear about this movie before you pass along what you've heard. It may or may not be true. Gossip is never good. Christians check their sources before repeating a matter lest they wound their credibility and needlessly hobble their Christian witness and influence.

Fourth, do not take pre-teens to see this movie. This movie is a very vivid depiction of one of the most horrific ways a person can die, all the more horrific that that person is the very Son of God. Just as you would exercise care and discretion in the recounting of a wide variety of stories inside or outside of the Bible on a variety of subjects with children, (sexuality, violence, etc.), use discretion here, too. Much of the Bible, if honestly and wholly depicted in cinema, would rightly receive an "R" rating. Not all of the Bible's message need be shared with minds still too young to grasp it properly and not yet mature enough to process it in a healthy way.

Fifth, exercise your imagination and prepare for it to be stretched by this visual depiction of Jesus' crucifixion. The Gospel accounts speak ever so briefly of it. "They crucified him there." (Luke 23:33). No doubt the lion's share of the reason for their silence is because of the familiarity of the original audience with the act of crucifixion, a subject virtually alien (and if not "alien," almost certainly "sanitized") to modern Americans.
If your mind is at first offended because what is presented on screen differs from what your mind's eye first imagined, be not surprised, for interpretation and imagination are at work. And if the mind tilts simply at the thought of depicting the crucifixion, consider again that the crucified one is the Christ of the living, loving God and stand in awe!

Sixth, pray for God's use of this movie as a tool of blessing in the opening up of your heart and the hearts of others to the indescribable gift of the sacrifice of his Son for our sins. As you view this movie, recall and thank God in prayer again and again that Jesus took on all this in your place; he willingly substituted his life on that cross for your life that you need not suffer such fate, spiritually-speaking.
Silently, speechlessly praise and adore God in prayer as you see the Lamb of God represented as laid on the altar for our atonement with God. Sit in awe at what was done for you and recall that this is not merely a movie, but a re-telling of the heart and soul of the ultimate message of our Maker to us. And so confess your sins to God in prayer over and over and rejoice in his forgiveness, though purchased at such awful cost.

Seventh, look for ways you can use this movie as a tool to discuss faith with friends who are yet to believe. I know of entire churches who are booking seats for themselves to view it. That's fine. I know of ministers already making plans as to how to use video clips in the future in Bible classes. That's fine, too. But don't allow this golden opportunity to discuss Jesus Christ with non-Christian friends and family to pass by unseized.
More people than you know are hungry to hear about Jesus Christ who will not readily enter a church house door, sit in a Bible class or go on a church outing. Many of them will see this movie - some out of curiosity, some out of controversy and some because of earnest inquiry. The presentation of this movie silently pleads: "Just ask me why Christians have such hope within them." As a person who has hope because of your submissive response to Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection, eagerly, actively ready yourself to give answer to anyone who asks the reason for the hope within you (cf. 1 Peter 3:15) -- and ask others if they have this same, living hope. You may just be the one God can use to tell them how to embrace this Christ, crucified and raised for us all.

In it all, let me just say, thanks be to God that:

"... God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 TNIV)

David Smith is preaching minister in Baytown, Texas and edits "The Online Devotonal" at Your Church Can Grow!

Website: Your Church Can Grow!

The Gospel According to Radio

david@yourchurchcangrow.com (David Smith) — Wed, 12 Nov 2003 00:00:00 -0600

"It's never wrong to care about somebody." (Linda Jones, played by Debra Winger, in the movie Radio)

"... as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people ..." (Galatians 6:10 TNIV)

Today's devotional will cost you about seven dollars and two hours of your time. But do this -- drop everything and go see the movie Radio. Take your older children. Bring a friend along. Invite your neighbor. There is gospel in this story!

I won't ruin this movie for you. I'll resist the temptation to use some scenes from it here as illustrations. Instead, consider this a bit of a reader's guide for viewing this movie or as a discussion guide for you to share with your friends following your viewing of it. But in it all, see what good can come from loving others when it apparently costs us dearly to do so.

Key Lesson One:

We've all had the experience of finding great blessing in the midst of what would have appeared, at first, to be a great curse to us. In Jesus Christ, our life is about finding him in everything that life brings us -- especially in those things that we would not have chosen at first to be a part of our life. So we have to ask ourselves some hard questions:

In what ways am I seeking to discover what life is really about through the hard things in my life? How am I seeking to see and understand God better in the matters and people my life encounters that are difficult and uncomfortable to me?

Suggested Bible Readings: Luke 9:23-25 and Hebrews 12:7-11.

Key Lesson Two:

We often decide, consciously or unconsciously, whether or not we will get involved in the lives of others on the basis of what we will receive in return for our assistance. We ask: "What's in this for me?" And if we find ourselves asking that question, we should immediately ask ourselves some other questions:

Could it be that the height of mature living -- living as God would have us live -- is to reach the point where that question no longer has such priority and we deliberately choose instead to live toward others solely on the basis of how our relationship with them will bless them in some way? Could it be the real joy and contentment I'm searching for in my life can be found by my seeking less of "getting what I want” and spending more of my life helping others "get what they need?”

Suggested Bible Readings: Philippians 2:17.

Key Lesson Three:

Helping others isn't always easy. We all know from experience that doing so is almost always difficult. This is so often the case that much of life boils down to this single question: "How much am I willing to suffer in order to help someone -- anyone -- else?" However, because we don't know what the future holds and cannot measure the exact price of our daring to help someone, we use that as an excuse not to get involved at all.

Perhaps we should recall that part of the gospel message is that God knew the total price of helping us find release from our sins before he sent his Son to die for us -- and he sent him anyway to die in our place in the cruelest of ways. As disciples of Jesus, our task is for us to emulate God in every way possible way. That requires faith on our part in areas that are matters of knowledge to God. And faith, if anything, asks questions, questions such as:

Is my life actually driven by my own knowledge or more by my trust in God? Am I living my life unnecessarily limited by my knowledge of what others may think or say about me or is it inevitably led by my faith in what God has said and what he thinks of me?

Suggested Bible Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Key Lesson Four:

We should not be surprised if our extension of help to someone is met with some sort of gratitude. Gratitude can take many forms, not the least of which is imitation of the one who has helped us. As we become involved in the lives of others, the call for us to live holy lives becomes all the greater for those we have helped may look to us as examples in others aspects of life. And that brings up some important questions:

As I tell myself I want to live a life in such a way that it is a blessing to others, do I clearly see how that is connected to my need to live a life pleasing to God? Do I truly understand how helping and holiness are intimately connected? Am I trying to hide from growing in holiness by isolating myself from involvement with others?

Suggested Bible Readings: Hebrews 12:12-14 and Hebrews 13:1-6.

Key Lesson Five:

When we help others, we are often tempted to help only those who have been good to us, or at least, to those we think will do us no harm. However, that is not how God loved us in Jesus Christ. He loved us and helped us in Christ even when we did him much harm. The gospel is about forgiveness and Jesus tells us our forgiveness from God will be in proportion to our forgiveness of others. That's a strong word for us to hear so it should move us to ask ourselves some strong questions:

In what ways do I truly forgive others? How much am I willing to allow my forgiveness of others to cost me? Am I truly forgiving others if what I call my "forgiveness" costs me little or nothing?

Suggested Bible Readings: Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 6:14-15; and Romans 5:6-8.

Go see Radio and see much of the message of Jesus Christ in it all. And may others see Christ in you, more and more each day.

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39 TNIV)

David Smith is preaching minister in Baytown, Texas and edits "The Online Devotonal" at Your Church Can Grow!

Website: Your Church Can Grow!

Give God Your Best and Don't Look Back

david@yourchurchcangrow.com (David Smith) — Sun, 26 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0500

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."

He answered, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:1-8 TNIV)

Mercy.

At first glance, the meaning of this word from our Lord may seem distant and difficult. However, let me suggest to you that despite all its talk of Sabbaths, Pharisees, priests, temples and consecrated bread, it is anything but distant. Difficult to live out? Yes! Distant and removed from where we live here and now? No! It is as close as what we all would surely agree is our greatest need.

Mercy.

Let me try to illustrate the truth of this word with the help of three true stories about real people in real-life situations that I have known. If you can relate to the reality of any of these stories then I believe you can relate to the reality of the power of this word from Jesus.

Story One:

She has a family to support. She has a decent job and she is diligent in doing it. It's the only thing she's ever done and the only thing she knows, but her work hours rarely mesh with the hours of assembly down at her church. Rarely are there openings in the field in which she works and cutbacks are not uncommon, so a person clings to a position if he or she can get one.

She loves the Lord a great deal, so come Sunday, her heart is always in one place while her body is in another. She feels trapped and she is weighed down with guilt. As she tells me of her conflict, she looks me in the eye with deep conviction and asks: "Am I lost?"

You see, the one who is offering mercy is in a quandary now because she cannot offer sacrifice.

Story Two:

They walk out of the leadership meeting smitten in spirit for the umpteenth time. The meeting has gone precisely as they could have predicted before they entered it -- the majority of their time was wasted in haggling over some point of minutiae in one of their worship assemblies or about the condition of their building. The surface issues change through time, but the ultimate result never does -- the church's leadership resources are squandered on discussing property and programs rather than wrestling in prayer for people. It appears that while wounded sheep are all about them, the leadership's chief concern is more about their temporary "sheepfold" rather than the sheep.

Depressed over their apparent inability to solve the problem and somewhat angry that such sin is allowed to continue among God's people, they come to me and ask me to pray for them about their spirit for they see something even worse rising up -- they see themselves slowly becoming like the others. These are not young rebels seeking to make a play for power. These are earnest people of God beginning to question what truth is and what they're to be about. With tense voices and sweaty hands, they ask me: "Are we off base?"

What is at stake? Those who see mercy as supreme are now beginning to question their vision of mercy's supremacy.

Story Three:

Few consider the reality of their marriage vows as he has considered them. He and his mate enjoyed many years of health, but a cruel disease has now left his wife often bedridden and unable to care for herself. The illness has affected her mind, so that he has become the only person she will trust with the simplest of tasks. His responsibility in care-giving is greater than I have ever known for anyone. However, though once a leader in his church family, he is now harassed by several well-intentioned members who do not, nor cannot, fully understand the depth of his plight. Their thinly veiled insinuations that he could "come to church sometimes if he wanted to" have cut him nearly as deeply in spirit as watching a disease ravage his wife. As he lifts his head up from his hands and looks at me through bloodshot eyes, he asks: "Does the Lord understand?"

The one pouring his life out expending mercy has been brought to the very gates of doubt by some who believe sacrifice is a weightier gift than mercy.

To these and to so many, many more -- people like you and me -- the Lord reminds us:

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Sacrifice is good. But sacrifice is not necessarily what is always best. Sacrifice is cheap compared to the offering of mercy. Sacrifice costs, but mercy almost always costs more. Much more.

So never forget -- God is always worthy of your best. Refuse to offer him anything less. You give him your best when you serve those around you who are in need. Doing so will surely be burdensome and personally costly, but it will be worship of the highest order to him who is Most High. And this will ever be true, whether or not others around you recognize it for what it is -- as it is indeed in your Father's eyes.

As valuable as silver might be, you would not trade your gold, ounce for ounce, for silver. Trade not then the mercy you can give to others, for the less costly gift of sacrifice. For the Lord himself has told us what he wants most of us, and it is the gift most costly and unnatural of all:

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Yes, God understands our struggles in offering this gift, for he gave us his own Son on the Cross. No, we cannot lose our way to him if caring for others ever means more to us than caring for things. And our salvation is secure when we fully rest ourselves in the surety of his mercy and pour out our life as mercy on others. For he who sustains us is he who sustains all things by his word, and that gracious word of his grace has spoken:

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

Learn what this means and live by it for mercy is at the heart of our Lord.

David Smith is preaching minister in Baytown, Texas and edits "The Online Devotonal" at Your Church Can Grow!

Website: Your Church Can Grow!