Author: thesingerschapel

We hope and pray that you are attached to the right things, and the right people in the right place.  What we attach ourselves to can either make us useful or useless.  Let’s talk about that…

I was doing some work this week which required the use of one of the greatest inventions in human history, at least in the viewpoint of rednecks; duct tape.  It has held cars, carpet, cabinets, walls, windows, wounds, boxes, bicycles, buses and just about everything together at one time or another.  The one caution a duct tape technician must heed at all cost is to avoid allowing the duct tape to fold over and get stuck on itself.  It is a total waste of time to try to unstick and use this superhero grade adhesive.  The only thing to do is to tear it loose and toss it in the trash.  Duct tape that is stuck on itself cannot be used.

The thought occurred to me that people can go by the same rule of thumb.  I was reading Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia in the 6th chapter and 3rd verse and found these confirming words, “For if any man think himself to be something, when he is nothing he deceiveth himself.”  FYI, none of us are anything, but we are all nothing without the grace of God.  The context of that passage is when we see a brother or sister in the Lord who is getting attached to the wrong people, things or priorities, we are to try to restore them without getting stuck ourselves.  Romans 12:3 adds, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.“

I want to submit that this condition, among other things, is the seed from which the fruit of the Don’t Judge Me individual who live in a Glass House springs.  Pride is nothing more than a person who is stuck on themselves.  The rules and standards everyone else is held to do not apply to them.  They feel they can say, do, or wear whatever they want, however or whenever they feel like it and no one has any grounds to say a word about it.  Don’t point out my sin, just look at my positive aspects.  Only problem is, there is not one bit of Bible for that line of thinking.  Matthew 7:1 is the favorite misquoted passage of the DJM person.  But, if they read on through verse 5 they would understand that the only way we can point out a sin problem in order to help that brother overcome it is to first make sure there is no fault in that area ourselves.  By the way… we ALL live in glass houses.  People are always watching, so… folks who live in glass houses ought not walk around with little or no clothes on.

The best way to keep from getting stuck in this position is to do what I Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”  Let us not allow pride to get us stuck in a prideful sin-situation that we cannot easily get unstuck from or that would render us useless in the work of the Lord.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB

I knew my friend John had battled through cancer a year ago  He had come back to work a little thinner but just as dedicated and focused. John is saved, He trusts the Lord Jesus as his Savior. His testimony was one of thankfulness. We stop for a moment occasionally and I ask how he is doing.  It wasn’t very long ago I asked how he was doing that John pulled back the collar of his shirt and revealed a golf ball size lump on his neck. Tests were scheduled at Emory to find out what was going on. A couple of weeks later the lump was very noticeable. John let me know the cancer was back and in his lymph glands with two more tumors in his abdomen and lower back and it was very aggressive. I slipped the cap off my head and my face must have surely revealed my concern. It was like I was back in that oncology office with Angel in July of 2014 hearing the bad news. John looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder and said with a slight smile, “It’s okay.”  John had already come to grips with the possibility of making his move into a glorified body.  I put my hand on his shoulder and we went into the throne room of the Almighty where I begged God to take care of John.

Fast forward to this past week.  John’s neck has a tumor the size of a naval orange. He told me that he is going to a cancer research hospital in Maryland to undergo experimental treatment that will cost millions. He smiled when he said, “But it won’t cost me a dime. They are going to try to study my cancer in order to find a cure.” It was an admission that there was little to no hope.  John is giving the remainder of his life to try to provide a cure for millions. He is still at work every day, still focused and still smiling. He’s winner either way, ‘if he goes or if he stays’  he’s trusting the Lord every day.

Seeing how John has walked through the valley of the shadow of death makes me so ashamed when I get put out for inconsequential inconveniences. I believe I can say “It’s okay” more. I think of Paul in Philippians 2:21 when he said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” If I can live through my problems it is to the witness of Christ’s grace, but if I don’t live through them then I get to go live with Christ in heaven. IT’S OKAY!

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (He 12:2)  Jesus Christ took on the cancer of incurable human sin so that He could give His life in providing a cure for any that would accept His life saving salvation.  Looks like John is staring death in the face knowing his life has a finish line very soon but according to him, “It’s okay.” Pray for my friend, John, but don’t worry, it’s okay.

God bless you!

BroAdamB

 

Our hope and prayer is that you have experienced the peace that passes all understanding, Mercy that endureth forever, and grace that abounds.  Do we ever think about how much God has or how much He is or how powerful He is?  Let’s talk about that…

This past week I read a couple of quotes at a co-workers desk.  One attributed to world famous mathematician, William Demming that read, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it.”  The other was from acclaimed scientist Lord Kelvin which said, “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.”  As I read those words I laughed and came just nigh of shouting right at that lady’s desk.  She looked at me curiously as I began scribbling down those words.  As I looked at the black and white pictures of those abundantly educated men, I thought to myself how without realizing it they had described God in a scientific way.  He Cannot Be Measured or Improved!

We cannot measure His power, for He holds all things that are together (Col 1:17).  We cannot measure His wisdom for He knows all things (Isaiah 55:8).  We cannot measure the abundance of His blessings.  We cannot measure His ways or His will until many times it has been already passed.  If I may flip the quote, We cannot manage what cannot be measured.  He is too great to be advised or instructed.  He is too knowledgeable to be told what to do.  His love is too expansive to be measured (Eph 3:17-19).  His Spirit is too consuming to be kept in a box.  Your church bulletin has no means of managing what God may want to do. We do not, we cannot manage God.  Let us stop trying to manage Him, His will, His Spirit, His presence.

Lord Kelvin, we cannot improve what cannot be measured.  We cannot Improve Him because we cannot reach the end of His measurement.  When that widow poured oil out of the cruse it did not run out.  When she reached into the bottom of her barrel of meal she was dipping into the top of His barrel (I Kings 14).  We cannot improve His mercy (Ps 136).  We cannot improve His grace (Rom 5:20).  I think of the Perrys song from a few years ago that said You cannot improve upon the Truth (Ps117:2, Jn 1:14, 14:6).  No matter what publishers attempt to do to gain profit, His Word, His original word, cannot be improved (II Tim 2:15).  The Word of God is the only thing we hold on this earth that requires no New and Improved sticker.  It is pure (Ps 119:140) from the beginning to the end.  We cannot improve or exhaust the endless truth that lies within.  We cannot improve so great salvation (Heb 2:3).  God has nothing to improve in Himself, except we that believe in Him (Jn 14:20).

He is Measureless!  He is without of Improvement!  We can depend on Him!  Let us not be guilty of trying to manage His will, or His ways.  Let us not attempt to improve His message or His methods!  The Gospel still works because it is perfect with no need of improvement.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB

We hope and pray that you are finding the riches of God’s grace enriching your life.  I am thinking today of the old Easter Brothers song, Thank You Lord For Your Blessings On Me.  That line that goes, “They think I have nothing, But they are so wrong…” resonates in my soul like a shout in the halls of my heart.  The question is, what have I lost to gain the riches of God’s grace.  Let’s talk about that…

Over in the gospel of Luke chapter 18 we find that Jesus is approached by a rich young ruler who zealously pleaded for an answer of how to ‘inherit eternal life.’  After establishing his self righteousness in obeying the commandments, the young man is disheartened at the prospects of giving away the monetary physical wealth that he has acquired in exchange for heavenly treasure that would await.  We know that Jesus doesn’t save us by any work or physical sacrifice, but, he also never promised that our life would stay the same once we give our lives to Him.  The context is in serving Jesus.  In the following verses Jesus’ disciples also wondered what their reward would be for setting aside there worldly pursuits and family engagements in order to follow everywhere Jesus led.  Jesus assured them that there certainly is a just reward in this world and in eternity for those who are unafraid of what they might lose in this life to serve Him (v30).

In complementary context, Jesus exhorts all who will hear in Matthew 10 not to be afraid of various situations.  Verse 9 suggests that we not be afraid of losing money to follow.  Some one said, What can you be afraid to lose that you do not have?  In verse 14 Jesus tells us not to fear the rejection of any man.  Verse 19 instructs us not to be afraid of what we will say when we are called to give an answer for the hope that lies within (I Pet 3:15) when we are put on the spot for our faith.  One of the greatest fears the Lord addressed in verse 26 is the fear of what our family, friend or foe will think, do or say when we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ to the fullest and farthest.  Old Job (Job 13:15) knew no fear of what Jesus dispelled in verse 28, the fear of losing our mortal lives.  Finally, in verse 31 the Lord advises us to cease from our fear that what we do or who we are is not valued or valuable to God.

The summation of the message of chapter 10 is in verse 39.  “He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”   Oh, the freedom we find when we are liberated from the fear of losing.  When we release our hold on what shackles our service we are opened up to the wide spectrum of a life that is dependent and directed by the perfect will of God from where we will draw all heaven sent calling, courage, character, companions, and, if you will, cash when we need it.

What are you afraid to lose?  What or who is holding you back?  What could the Lord Jesus Christ do with your life if you would let go of what you are afraid to lose?  I am a Loser who gained more than I could have ever imagined.

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

Our hope and prayer is that the promises, presence and prospects of the Lord have given your heart cheer and the spirit of revival in this week.  We often do not realize that being re-vived is a personal experience.  Let’s talk about that…

Psalm 85 verse 6 asks a very sobering question, “Wilt thou not revive us again…” The writer makes that statement with a matter of uncertainty but undergirded by a hope that He will.  Revival is not a set of dates on a calendar or a visiting preacher coming to a church to preach on ordinary week nights.  It is not about a tent, a theme or a time set aside.  Being revived is the spiritual CPR that brings our listless heart back to life from its’ lax condition.  So the question is, what would prevent us from revival?  Why wouldn’t God revive us?

There are things that can ignite our sense of being alive such as a glorious sight (Ps4:4, Is 6:1-5) but what might prevent that?  I fear we are NOT IN AWE OF THE SAVIOR.  The fear of the night can heighten our senses and make us realize our complete senses, but I fear we are NOT AWARE OF OUR DARKENED CONDITION (Eph 4:18, II Cor 3:14, I Jn 2:11).  When we find ourselves with a cause, or a need to fight (our flesh) our juices can begin to flow more than normal, but I fear that we are NOT ALARMED BY SIN (Ezra 9:5-6, Joel 2:1, Jer 6:15)!  Those moments that we must stand for right cause us to plant our feet and stand our ground but I fear we are NOT ABOUT OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS (Lu 2:49, Jn 9:4, Mk 16:15).  What could revive us?  What is preventing revival?

What is preventing you from having personal revival?  I do not know what it is for you but in these last days we cannot let anything prevent us from being spiritually alive to the fullest. Psalm 85 explains it; v1-6) When we turn our heart to the savior then revival can come.  How do we walk Re-Vived; v9) In His Salvation, v10) Remember our First Love, v11) Live Right, v12) Bear Fruit, v13) Walk With Him.

Wilt God Revive YOU again?  Is He able, yes.  Are you willing?

God Bless You,

BroAdamB

 

These are the final two services from our time of Revival at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Sardis AL. God bless, BroAdamB

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Hello friends, we wanted to share some videos of our revival services at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Sardis AL this week. We hope they can be a help to you.

BroAdamB

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1873653226296918&id=100009567762324

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Our hope and earnest prayer is that the Lord has answered your heartfelt sacrificial prayers.  You know, He keeps those tears you have shed in prayer in a bottle and a book of remembrance (Ps 56:8).  Let’s talk a little bit about that…

One of my favorite accounts of the Bible is Hannah’s prayer in I Samuel chapter 1.  She is trapped in a circumstance where it seems the wicked prevail and she has been left out in the cold.  So, she prays.  She weeps sorely, her soul is bitter… but, she lifts up a serious prayer.  It is a specific prayer for a son.  But, it is also a sacrificial prayer because she is determined to bring that boy child to the temple of God and give him unto the service of God.  Verse 19 tells us that The Lord Remembered her.

Do you realize that even though that The Lord might seem like he has left you alone, forgotten your prayers and left you with no hope of relief He has never forgotten anything or anyone.  He Remembers.  He remembers what He has promised in His Word. He remembers when you asked Him to save you.  He remembers every time you have cried out in the depths of night with a broken heart and a contrite spirit (Ps 38:14).  My Lord Remembers!

There is, however, one thing that the Lord does not remember; our confessed and forgiven sin.  Somebody ought to shout and wake the neighbors over that!  He Remembers our sin no more (Jer 31:34, Ps 103:12, Micah 7:19…)  All those sins, trespasses, transgressions and iniquities He puts into the sea of forgetfulness never to bring them up again.  Look into Hebrews 11 and see if there is any shred of the heinous sins that those heroes of the faith committed ever mentioned.  Grace covered it all and the Lord remembers them no more.

There is one other thing that the Lord will not remember; who He never knew.  Matthew 7:21-23 tells us of the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:14) where the wicked dead will be judged for their sin and what they did with Jesus Christ.  Many will have lists of things they did in His name but if they never accepted the free gift of salvation then the Father will say, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Be someone that the Lord remembers. Pray prayers that the Lord will remember.  Trust that when you pass through the veil of death, you may not remember your child’s name but God will remember you.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB

The Bible tells us in Psalm 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”  Our hope and prayer is that you have told another generation about the mighty works of God this week.  Let’s talk about that…

Our family has just finished four straight weeks of camps. There were two weeks at the North Georgia School of Gospel Music (ngsgm.com) where they learned the rudiments and kids were redeemed. 178 campers came to sing but  around 7 also ended up saved.  Once we reached the month of July it was time for the Power of Two Junior camp and Teen camp back to back (powerof2youthcamp.net).  All told, with 700+ campers plus workers attending the two camps, there were 48 saved and around 5 young men called to preach.  That kind of saturation cannot help but affect your life.

On the final night of PO2 the Holy ghost directed things in a very serious somber direction.  The presence of God was heavy and challenging as one by one men gave directive testimony of how God can change a life from hopeless to Heavenly guided.  Those words came from men as young as 14 year old preacher boy Aaron Trask, who serves with his family as missionaries in the jungles of Honduras, to men like Brother Lee Davis, Dean McNeese, and Eric Brown, Stacy Pearcy on up to the legendary Brother Sammy Allen.

As I soaked it all in the Lord directed me to a Psalm that I had prayed through at the beginning of the service.  Chapter 145 verse 4 was coming to life before my eyes.  “One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”  Our minds might want to read that it is an ‘older generation’ who tells a younger but that is not what it says.  The Lord impressed to me that it could just be a younger remnant who has to tell an older generation who has gone off the rails what God has done in their lives.  Could it be that the younger generation has to tell my generation that old time religion still works, it still reaches young people, it still saves and changes lives.  There have been times that a younger generation has taken up the standard when the older let it drop into liberalism, compromise and pacification.  Samuel had to tell Eli, Joseph had to tell his older brothers, David had to proclaim to his older brothers that there was still “A Cause.”    Young Timothy had to preach to an older generation in Ephesus, and a 12 year old Jesus spoke words that amazed all the aged men that listened in the synagogue.

As you go forth into the world I exhort you to tell another generation of His mighty acts and praise His works.  Tell that crowd you stand before today, tell your children, tell your parents, tell your teachers, tell your elderly loved ones, tell your co-workers, tell your Sunday school class, just Tell Another Generation while there is still time.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB

Our prayer is that you have lived out the purpose and plan that the Lord has laid before you this week.  How wondrous is the tapestry of our interwoven lives that He has stitched together.  We all have our own thread that He uses to bring the beauty of His handiwork together.  It is all our own.  Let’s talk about that…

I was drawn to  read this week in John 21 where we find that Jesus has shown Himself to the disciples after the resurrection.  The crucifixion has past, the burial of Jesus was performed, He arose as promised and now He has been seen very much alive and well.  How amazing it must have been for the disciples to witness all of this.  I can only imagine how they processed it all in their minds.  But, now what?  He has not given the great commission yet and they have not been filled with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.  They are in an in-between time where things can get confusing.  Peter says something every country boy thinks about throughout these summer days, “I go a fishing.”  Remember, he and many of his cohorts were professional fishermen before Jesus said, Follow Me.  It seemed the only option for him I suppose.  I want to give you something to think about today and you tell me what you come up with.

When Peter launched out in verse 2 with nets in tow he also took at least 6 other men in the boat.  A bad day fishing is better than a good day working, except if fishing is your work.  They had not caught one single fish all night.  From the shore Jesus calls out inquiring of their progress.  Unknowing whose voice it was, they replied that they had come up with a goose egg, “0”!  This voice from the shore advises to cast the nets on the right side.  WHY NOT!  Well, they went from nothing to nets full in a matter of moments.  Now, notice this.  John the beloved, writer of this book of the Bible, realizes this is the voice of Jesus but Peter did not catch it.  Peter is, for some reason, fishing naked. So, he covers himself and heads to shore where Jesus is waiting with breakfast.

So far, Peter has walked away, taken others with him, not recognized the voice of God, and is naked.  Not a good score card so far.  Then after breakfast Jesus asks Peter the same question three times and gives an direct instruction on what He wants him to do.  Many times I wish I could hear the voice of God that clearly.  Then, Jesus gives Peter a direct prophecy about his future and what he will face in his later years.  Again, if I could know something like that directly from the lips of Jesus I’d do an Irish jig!  Jesus then makes this statement in verse 19, “Follow Me”, and Peter looks over at John and asks Jesus, “and what shall this man do?”  Jesus’ answer, “what is that to thee?”  In plain southern English that means, Mind Your Own Business and Get Your Own.  Jesus had a work for Peter and He had a work for John, but Peter was more interested in what Jesus would do with John.

Here is my message today.  Hey, Get Your Own.  Church member, don’t worry about what God is doing with someone else, Get Your Own.  Preacher, don’t worry about what God is doing with another preacher, Get Your Own.  Hey singer, don’t worry about how successful someone else is, Get Your Own.  Hey Sunday School teacher, don’t worry about what other classes are doing, Get Your Own.  Laymen and little ones, don’t worry about how God is using someone else, Get Your Own.  Now, you say, Preacher, what are you talking about?  Two things; Peter was not thankful that God had given him direct instruction, direction and prediction, and then, I believe we can spot a bit of jealousy in Peter toward John.

I will leave you with this.  Peter walked away from ministry for a moment and led others with him.  He could not discern the voice of God because he was always talking himself.  He ended up going back to something Jesus had called him away from and ended up naked.  Peter became frustrated at the probing self analyzing questions from Jesus and totally missed what God was revealing to him personally.  Finally, his focus was not on what Jesus said to him but what He was going to say to another disciple.  We have prayer and a Bible.  We can know what God says to us and can accomplish what God does through us.  Don’t worry about what God is saying or doing with someone else.  Get Your Own!  I will leave it right there for you to digest.

God Bless You!

BroAdamB