In consideration of current culture juxtaposed with the words of Jesus, it is evident that our understanding of the Lord is far from the scripture. Jesus spoke terms difficult for the American church to accept. Jesus said, Mat 19:30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. This doesn’t sound very inviting, especially for an ever advancing American society built on gain and ambition. There are no corporate ladders in God’s Kingdom.

When Jesus called for a man to follow Him, the man replied, Mat 8:21 “Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” Jesus said, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” Jesus was declaring Himself as a higher priority over the burial of family members. This is a hard pill for many to swallow. Instead of receiving the Word, people adjust it to fit into their modern thought. Even Pentecostals strain to adapt to the Word.

At one point the Lord was teaching and someone interrupted Him by saying that His family was waiting outside. Jesus answered: Mat 12:48 “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?” Pointing to his disciples, He answered His own question: Mat 12:49-50 “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

We cannot and must not alter the words of this Jesus of Nazareth. He is the incarnate God and His Word is forever settled in Heaven. So how can we reconcile our cultural preferences of money, family, funerals, and religious pursuits with the Bible? If we read about Him, it is impossible to fit Him into our culture. Jesus just doesn’t fit. He’s encompassing. If He is to be in our lives, everything else must conform to Him.

He did not tell us to seek out a good job or a notable career. He did not offer space for us to gather a retirement and then give him the few remaining days of our life. He called for our entire lives, not the end of our days. Jesus said, Mat 6:33-34 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

The Bible is challenging and Jesus is calling. True Christianity never adjusts the Word to the culture. Followers of Jesus Christ are always adjusting themselves to His command. The Cross looks out of focus to a nation of “believers” who consider church attendance a duty rather than a privilege; serving as a struggle rather than an opportunity; and giving as an obligation rather than an honor.

The mission of this house is to reunite us with the Real Jesus. This is our life; To Know Him and to Make Him Known!

Pastor Jeffrey Harpole

Cutting to the chase… Adhering to the scripture, which means obeying the Word, makes a demand on the way we speak to another. It presses us into banner subjects such as Honor, Respect, and Recognition. I am often reluctant to speak such things as it can be seen as self-serving. However, the lack of kindness through language is a damage not soon repaired by omission. If pulpits withhold scripture out of concern with how the Word is received, the hearer will be led by a secular culture devoid of righteous instruction.

To be clear, Respect and Honor have fallen on hard times. Open criticisms, personal opinions, innuendos, and gossip have all been encouraged by social media. The end result is hatred, indifference, and disorder.

On multiple occasions, Solomon wrote of those who were right in their own mind. Prov 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. When Judges 21 was written, it referred to the absence of authority: Judg 21:25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

According to the Bible, honoring our fathers and mothers is one of the 10 commandments. Paul wrote: Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; But as we know, this command has been forgotten. The issue is that when there is no respect at home, there is no respect at church, school, work, or community.

The Bible says, that we should honor one another (Rom 12:10). Peter wrote that every husband should honor their own wife (1 Pet 3:7). Honor all people (1 Pet 2:17). Paul wrote: 1 Tim 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed. Paul was speaking about action and care. Furthermore, he taught: 1 Tim 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. This verse has been virtually removed from congregations all over our country. Preachers act like hirelings and people treat them like employees.

Finally, the Bible instructs us to care for our bodies: 1 Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; This is God’s command. It is speaking to drugs, alcohol, overeating, lack of exercise, lack of sleep and rest, and so much more. We must respect the temple that God gave us!

The enemy of our soul is fighting against us on every front. However, if we embrace patience, kindness, recognition for authority and one another, we will build an impenetrable wall against the flagrancy of the world. Lastly, we are not of this world. We are of God and we must live accordingly.

Pastor Jeffrey Harpole

The psalmist once wrote about the reality of this life. He said that those who are both “high and low, rich and poor” will all face death. This is an inevitable fact. It is appointed once for a person to die and this is an appointment that everyone will keep. Yet, so little emphasis is put on that day. Many consider the temporal things they own greater than their eternal soul. People often value their possessions greater than the intangible blessings of the Lord. This is true for all status; both rich and poor and everyone in-between. All are subject to ignore the day when nothing will matter but their never dying soul.

The people of God are not exempt from these failings. Many are caught up, walking through the emotional landmine of gain and loss, bewildered by the prosperity of wicked men. However, God said: Psa 49:16-17 Do not be in awe when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him.

Hear the words of Jesus: Mat 6:20-21 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lead indicator of the location of your heart is where your treasure lies.

While we are commanded to be good stewards of what we have; to keep ourselves in subjection through self-constraint and contentment, we also know that our investments must be made for the Kingdom, and that sacrificially. We are blessed when we give and cursed when we withhold. We plant seeds of faith when we make sacrifices and seeds to the flesh when we covet.

In this life we are given the opportunity to be joined to something much greater than ourselves. However, unless we guide our passions and manage our emotions, we will easily miss the moment. Paul wrote: Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Paul was inspired by the Creator to send this most pivotal message to His creation. It is the message of guided affection and purposeful living. “Things above” are more important than anything beneath. The work of the House of God is a weighty matter and that rightly so. We are making commitments today according to His Word, our faith, and the level of our personal harvest. I submit that we seek the Lord and center our lives around the church, the mission, and the salvation of our families. For we know that our heart and our treasure will be known in the day of our appointment.

In the same chapter in which blind Bartimaeus asked Jesus for a healing, a few of the Lord’s disciples sought for a future prominence as they perceived a natural kingdom to come.

James and John were young and obviously foolish in their request. It only seems reasonable for us to consider their new found pride in this powerful, Jesus of Nazareth. They were convinced of His authority; for no one had performed such miracles as He. To James and John, Jesus was destined to become the ruling, physical King of Israel. They could sense the progress of His power and His fame. So they approached the Lord with an inquiry. Jesus asked them: Mark 10:36 “What would ye that I should do for you?”

Consider the Lord’s response. The English translation puts it so well: “What shall I do for you?” Their response was, Mark 10:37 “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.” James and John were yet immature disciples; not knowing what they asked. They were far from the Kingdom.

Ten verses later, a blind man was crying for mercy. Jesus called for him to come and asked him, Mark 10:51 “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?”

Jesus asked the blind man a very different question than the one He asked the disciples. James and John wanted position. The blind man desired vision. The young men wanted the Lord to do something “for them” while Bartimaeus sought for a life change.

The modern Christian often seems transfixed on the Lord’s temporary provisions, while the Lord is offering a change of spirit and direction. Many have fallen into the trap of temporal elevation, while Jesus is desiring to heal our mind. Jesus is seeking for faithful laborers who will serve one another, not people rising up some spiritual kingdom ladder, which by the way, does not exist.

To be clear, James and John will grow up. They will one day abandon their temporal thinking and offer their life for the cause of Christ and the Gospel. They will become men of purpose, spreading the Apostolic doctrine. However, the lesson endures: the desire of the Lord is not a momentary placement. He wants to give us “vision” and a deliverance from our fleshly ambition if we will abandon our personal desires and surrender our lives to His cause.

Pastor Jeffrey Harpole