glorify

AMERICA

Posted on May 3, 2022 by West Oaks Fellowship

Some familiar words from one of our most popular patriotic songs . . .

America! America! God shed His grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!

In the refrain above, one sings of God’s grace being poured out, or “shed” on America. Undoubtedly this has been true throughout certain periods of our incredible history and undeniably, according to the scripture (See Daniel 2:21, Acts 17:26), this nation was birthed and exists to glorify the Lord. When our Lord formed and raised up the nation of Israel as a witness to the world of the One True God, He Himself declared:

So keep and do them (the Lord’s commands), for that is your wisdom and your understanding in sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

While we, as believers and Americans, fully understand that this scripture refers specifically to the Hebrew people as they walked in obedience, the underlying spiritual principle remains true for any and every nation that understands their formation was by Him, and their very existence is perpetuated according to His ultimate plan and purpose. Thus, the admonition of Proverbs 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people (people group, culture, nation, etc.),” remains distinctly true for us in America today, as well as for every nation currently functioning on our planet.

However, there is one great distinction that exquisitely, yet blatantly and irrefutably appears in the formation of these United States …the biblically-based faith of our nation’s founders and the influence of those beliefs upon the design, development, and organization of this great land.

While certainly the structure wasn’t (and still isn’t) perfect, and obviously reflected several human flaws such as those of slavery and women’s rights, the understanding of it’s imperfection was undoubtedly a divinely inspired building block offering opportunities for spiritual development.

America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

Today in our somewhat hostile environment towards anything labeled Christian (admitably not that everything labeled Christian is biblical Christianity), many choose to argue, or attempt to refute in ignorance the simple facts, the overwhelming, absolutely undeniable evidence, that a firm belief in one true God and Jesus Christ as redeemer of mankind provided an unyielding and stable foundation for our nation’s then inventive and resourceful paradigm of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness, And ev’ry gain divine!

When it comes to America, I’m always drawn to topics of study that include the concepts of both political and spiritual liberty/freedom. That’s primarily due to the fact that political freedom can only be achieved and maintained in a society that experiences spiritual freedom, and has been liberated from the holds and bondage of sin’s separation from God, and its consequential spiritual depravity, destruction, and death. Therefore, consider these irrefutable words that provide unambiguous transparency and obvious, comprehensible evidence of our forefathers’ persevering convictions and biblicaly-based faith!

… with firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. — The Declaration of Independence

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. — John Adams

Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness.–Benjamin Franklin

The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts. — John Jay

Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all government and in all the combinations of human society.–Samuel Adams

And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious and civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land. — James Madison

The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations. — George Washington

Nothing but grace, peace, hope, liberty, and freedom for all through Christ Jesus our Lord! — Pastor Frank

OCCUPATION

Posted on April 29, 2022April 29, 2022 by West Oaks Fellowship

Biblically, the record of agricultural pursuits begins with our Lord’s mandate to humanity in Genesis 2:15:

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.

Adam was charged initially with two responsibilities … 1) cultivating the garden and 2) keeping the garden. In addition, we know that the immediate post-Edenic situation featured both the agricultural and the herdsman way of life as represented by Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:2:

And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Before long came Enoch who built a city in Genesis 4:17, musicians in Genesis 4:21, and Tubal-Cain, a forger of all implements in bronze and iron in Genesis 4:22.

E.K.V. Pearce, in his work, “Who Was Adam?” suggests that this period represents that era known to anthropologists as the “New Stone Age Revolution,” introducing farming and horticulture into human society with archaeological evidence of early farming being found in the lower Jordan River Valley around Jericho. However, there is no biblical evidence demanding a separation of the age of hunter-gatherers and the age of farmers-herdsmen. Apparently, God established the latter at the outset of His creation even though modern day anthropologists, not unsurprisingly, take a contrarian view in opposition to the divine revelation of scripture, holding that the hunter-gatherers had to come first.

It’s also interesting to note that rudimentary agricultural tools, flint sickle and hoe blade, were discovered in the Carmel caves (located on Mt. Carmel of the biblical text in Israel some 20 kilometers from the City of Haifa), which obviously depicts the on-going responsibilities of cultivating and/or keeping/maintaining crops/gardens. Nonetheless, the biblical account indicates that farming was not the prominent profession of Seth and the chosen bloodline . . . Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all being herdsmen. However, Lot seems to have preferred the settled life of a Jordan Valley farmer according to Genesis 13:10-13:

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the Valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere … like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. So Lot chose for himself all the Valley of the Jordan, … Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.

It’s too often said of Adam and Eve that in their pre-sin/pre-fallen state they didn’t or weren’t required to work. While it is absolutely true that they didn’t have to eat bread by the sweat of their face as described in Genesis 4:19, work itself was originally ordained by God Himself for all humanity with God being the initial, leading, ultimate, perfect, and prime example! Accordingly:

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. (see Genesis 2:1-3)

Sounds like God was busy at work, establishing the opportunity to work/labor as a God-ordained task and vehicle of blessing for all human beings. Perhaps that’s why Paul’s address to the Thessalonians is so blunt:

If anyone is not willing to work, then he/she is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. (See II Thessalonians 3:10-13)

Now Labor Day, when Americans pay tribute to the those in the work force, has come and gone, but that shouldn’t stifle gratitude for our Lord’s marvelous design … work! Let’s be thankful for the opportunities afforded us of gainful employment, always remembering the admonition found in Colossians 3:23-24:

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Therefore, here’s my somewhat difficult challenge for those desiring to be imitators of Christ. Today, will you take a moment and thank God for your job, even if it’s not so perfect and even if you’re totally disgruntled and unfulfilled? You are fulfilling His design and purposes, accomplishing that which can glorify Him and bring blessings to your life. He has placed you right there, right now, so even if you hate it, seek to know Him deeper and more completely in and through your current situation/opportunity!

Think about it, Pastor Frank aka PF

RESOLUTIONS

Posted on March 21, 2022 by West Oaks Fellowship

As 2019 approaches, many individuals will make “New Year’s Resolutions.” This practice originated with the Babylonians and was connected to the planting of crops in mid-March. Promises were made to their pagan deities and in return, as the Babylonians stayed true to their promises, the gods would bestow favor on them throughout the coming year.

Similar practices occurred in ancient Rome, where Julius Caesar modified the calendar, establishing January 1 as the beginning of a new year. They believed their two-faced god, Janus, whose spirit inhabited doorways and arches, was able to look backwards into the previous year and forward into the future. In hopes of a good future, the Romans offered sacrifices coupled with promises of good behavior in hopes of having a blessing in the coming year.

Early on, the first day of a new year became an occasion for Christians to think about one’s past mistakes and resolve to do and be better in the future. In 1740, John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service which was commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, affording worshippers the opportunity to seek the Lord’s help and favor in the coming new year. This type of service became known as watch night services throughout Protestantism in western culture.

Resolutions are a funny thing because they are usually a set of somewhat lofty goals, perhaps far-fetched ideas, things on a bucket list, or possibly a “better version of the you” that one’s hoping and praying to be in coming New Year.

Did you know that, on average, approximately 92 percent of Americans are doomed to fail at keeping their New Year’s Resolutions? One might ask, why? It’s mostly because the goals aren’t specific, measurable and/or realistic (too far-fetched to be obtainable).

As a result, some people simply don’t attempt to make New Year’s Resolutions, which is a personal choice, while others struggle to make the next year different. While I’m in a different camp, that from a perspective of continuous modification and transformation, even on a daily basis, I’d like to share some steps I use to affect substantive modifications in my life.

Now before you jump in, realize two things:

Effective change requires a serious, steadfast commitment!
Generally, affirmative or positive change requires a step by step approach, both spiritual and practical!

STEP 1: Where does your help come from? Perhaps, “I can’t, but with God, nothing is impossible!” (see Zachariah 4:6, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 4:13, II Corinthians 3:4-5, Luke 1:37)

STEP 2: Be humble and surrender your desire/will to the Lord’s purpose for your life! (see James 4:3, I Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 37:11, I Peter 5:6, I Chronicles 4:9-10)

STEP 3: Own your past, openly acknowledge sin — without excuses or attempts at human justifications! (See Psalm 32, Proverbs 28:13, I Corinthians 11:3, James 5:16)

STEP 4: Walk in forgiveness (seeking forgiveness and forgiving others)! (See Ephesians 4:32)

STEP 5: Lay all your plans out before the Lord! (See Proverbs 16:1-9, 19:20-24, 20:18, 21:5, 29:18, Jeremiah 29:11-13, Isaiah 55:8-9)

STEP 6: Stay connected and listen closely! (See James 1:19, Jeremiah 33:3, I John 5:14, Proverbs 16:20, Matthew 7:24-27, Psalm 5:3)

STEP 7: Don’t shrink back, remain steadfast! (See II Timothy 1:7, Psalm 27:14, 31:24, Joshua 1:1-9, Deuteronomy 31:6)

Faithful followers of Jesus Christ live daily in anticipation of hearing and responding to the Lord’s direction. If He has placed in your heart a need and desire to change, and you’re committed to that end, then launch the resolution. At that point, share your objective(s) with others, become accountable, and seek wise counsel (See Proverbs 11:4) from the godly, not the worldly (See Psalm 1:1, Romans 8:8)! Satan will use the seemingly good ideas of the world to trap you in the grips of his destructive system. He may help you change, but it won’t be anything that honors or glorifies the Lord (See Hebrews 11:6)!

I pray you enjoy a blessed new year of godly transformation! — PF