Some Guy on a Bus

Every Tuesday morning I meet with a fellow elder named Tony for prayer, Scripture memorization, mutual encouragement and accountability.  This morning he shared that he had family visiting with him - his sister, her husband, and their three children.  I asked if they know the Lord.  They do and are active members in their local church.

This led to a brief conversation about the family as a whole.  My elder friend is one of eight siblings, six of whom have definitely come to know Christ.  Their mother also knows the Lord, and their dad on his deathbed received Christ as Savior.  It all started when one of the siblings - Tony's brother Brendan - got saved.  Brendan was then used of the Lord to win his family to Christ.  

Brendan, who also is an active member in our church, got saved years ago after being witnessed to by his landlord.  How did Brendan get connected with this landlord?  This landlord has a brother that Brendan knew while working in Australia.  This landlord's brother was not a believer and mocked his brother's faith in Jesus Christ.  Yet it was through this connection that Brendan ended up getting saved.

How did this landlord - who was/is a very earnest witness for Christ - get saved?  Years earlier, while he was in Florida, some guy on a bus shared the gospel with him.

Do you see the chain reaction?  Some guy on a bus shared the gospel with another man.  This man in turn shared the gospel with Brendan and countless others.  Brendan shared the gospel with his siblings, who in turn were used to win their parents and spouses to the Lord.  Now all these parents are raising up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord - and of course witnessing to their friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

I wonder if that guy on the bus had any idea that sharing the gospel with one fellow passenger would create such a chain of events?

I wonder what opportunities God is giving me to begin or continue a similar chain of events.

I wonder how more zealously I would evangelize others if I could look into the future and see all the fruit that comes from faithfully fulfilling one God-given opportunity.

I wonder what opportunity God will bring across my path today, and if I will act on it.

I wonder. . . .

Two American Icons - Dead

I remember standing in the lunch line at Parkside Elementary School and hearing one of my classmates exclaim to another, "Farrah Fawcett is such a babe!"  That was the first time I had heard her name.  Given that eight-year-olds are such experts on who and who isn't a "babe", I was anxious to see a picture of what this woman with the cool name looked like.

I didn't have to wait long.  Charlie's Angels became one of the most popular shows on television, and posters of Farrah started popping up all over the place.  (As a kid, I always thought Jaclyn Smith was prettier.  And come to think of it, I did end up marrying a brunette.)  Farrah truly had become the "American Beauty."

Just about the time the Farrah Fawcett craze began to wane, Michael Jackson's popularity began to rise.  Of course the Jackson Five had been a sensation years earlier, but by the early 80's Michael had begun to make a name for himself.  Eventually Jackson became known as the "king of pop."  Jackson's 1982 Thriller is the world's best-selling record of all-time (PR Newswire, 1/16/09).  That dude could dance like nobody else I've ever seen.

Despite the fame, success and popularity that Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson enjoyed, both of these former American icons are now dead.  Gone.  History.  Farrah died of cancer, and Michael was overtaken by an alleged heart attack.  News of their deaths - and their lives - will consume the media's attention (and hence ours) for another day or so, and then these two sensations will become (literally) "yesterday's news."

It's a sad and sobering reminder not only of the brevity of life but also the futility of life apart from Jesus Christ.  It is not my intent to stand as judge over either Mr. Jackson or Miss Fawcett, but to my knowledge neither professed faith in Christ nor lived in a manner consistent with true Christian conversion.  Despite whatever fame they enjoyed, Farrah learned that beauty doesn't last forever, and Michael discovered that we all grow old and can't stay children forever.

Now other stars are on the rise, and they too face the same sobering realities.  One such star, Shia LeBeouf (lead actor in such movies as Disturbia and Transformers) was arrested on a DUI last year and admitted to being an alcoholic.  LeBeouf acknowledged that "he is indeed battling a few demons, adding that all actors are."

They're all in pain.  It's a profession of bottom-feeders and heartbroken people....  Most actors on most days don't think they're worthy....  I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it's a God-sized hole.  If I knew it, I'd fill it and I'd be on my way.

(Fox News, 6/10/09)

That "God-sized hole" to which Shia referred can only be filled with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Indeed, as John Piper put it, God is the Gospel.  Saint Augustine's prayer is as relevant now as it was in the fourth century when he prayed, "God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you" (Confessions, Book One). 

We who are considered the "nothings" of this world have everything this world needs - and it's all found in Jesus Christ, "who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord'" (1 Cor. 1:30-31).

Yesterday's deaths are a fitting reinforcement of the lesson we learned during Bible study the night before:

Do not let your heart envy sinners,

But always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.

- Proverbs 23:17 -

Removing Linoleum

Last evening I began removing linoleum from our downstairs bathroom floor.  As I undertook this arduous task, I couldn't help but notice some important spiritual parallels between removing linoleum and getting rid of sin:

1. Some sins, like our linoleum, have been in place for years. Though it is really ugly, after awhile you don't notice it.
2. Once sin becomes affixed to us, it becomes difficult (though not impossible) to remove.
3. To really be effective in removing sin, you have to have the proper tools (e.g. the Word of God, prayer, Christian accountability and fellowship, etc.).
4. Progress may be slow at times, but it is visible.  Seeing what's been successfully removed so far keeps one motivated to keep removing more.
5. The downside of seeing progress is that, if we're not careful, we can have a "that's good enough" mentality and stop short of removing all that really ought to be removed.
6. Having one or two people come alongside to help is a real encouragement and catalyst for further progress.
7. The job is rarely, if ever, done in a day.  Thus it requires not only diligence but also endurance.
8. Sometimes the areas which look the ugliest and where the most work is needed are the ones less visible to others.
9. It's not enough to remove the old stuff; you have to replace it with the new if it is going to be really beautiful and useful.
10. The process of "removing" and "replacing" becomes much easier when you've been coached and encouraged by someone more experienced that you.

I'm sure that more parallels could be drawn if more time were spent in reflection on these matters.  Come to think of it, I'll probably have more time tonight.  If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom!

My Daughter Megan

This weekend is a special one for our family as we are celebrating not only Father's Day but also the high school graduation of our oldest child and only daughter, Megan Elisabeth.  As I reflect on these last 18 years that we have had with Megan, several thoughts come to mind:

• I'm glad that God was pleased to give us a girl and that she is our oldest child.  In many ways Megan has been like a "second mother" to our boys.  She is a great sister.
• I love her hair, how it's red (she got that from my grand-mothers) and naturally curly.
• Megan has never broken our hearts through disobedience or rebellion.  Rather, she has been a very compliant child with a tender heart and generous spirit.
• My wife is the best cook I know, but Megan is a close second.  Ruthie has trained her well!  If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Megan will be married in no time!
• When Megan and I butt heads, nine times out of ten it's because we're so much alike.
• Megan has a great sense of humor.  Nobody I know can get Ruthie laughing like she can.
• I appreciate the way Megan was a witness for her Lord during her last couple of years at Weymouth High School.  She has used special projects and presentations as opportunities to share the Gospel and a Christian worldview with her teachers and peers.  This past year she even led an after-school Bible study.  This took a lot of perseverance and spiritual courage.
• Megan has some great artistic ability.  Some of her drawings have really amazed me.
• Friends can be a great asset or liability, depending on their character and influence.  Megan has chosen wisely in this area.
• I appreciate the way Megan understands and copes with my temperament and at times my preoccupation with certain things.  She knows me and knows how to relate to me.  This has not always been easy, and I'm grateful for her patience, forbearance, and sensitivity.
• Whereas many teens don't give younger kids the time of day (or might even pick on them), Megan has befriended many of her juniors and been a positive influence on them.
• I'm glad that Megan is going to a Bible college this fall - one that has a family atmosphere and is committed to a Christian worldview.  I am really excited for her and believe this will be a positive and rewarding experience.
• I won't like having one less chair at the dinner table.
• I will like having back the use of my car.
• Megan means "great."  Her middle name, Elisabeth, means "consecrated to God."  By His grace, we have a daughter who has lived up to her name.  I pray she always will.

Certainly more could be said, but some things are meant to stay locked up in the heart of a dad.  I suppose I've shared these thoughts publicly because I haven't shared them enough with Megan privately, and because I want her and everyone else who reads this to know how honored and blessed I am to be her dad.

I love you, Megan.

Why Isn't Everyone Here?

A couple of weeks ago on Wednesday evenings I began a Bible study series on Proverbs.  Our introductory sessions went well, characterized by a lot of interest and interaction.  After the second lesson, one of our church members came up to me - rather earnestly - expressing his strong desire to see the whole church benefit from this book study. He said he would promote it from any platform he could.  So I offered him a posting here at our TruthWalk blog.  Here's what he had to say:

As most of you already know, Pastor Matt has embarked on a teaching series on each Wednesday evening titled PRIZING PROVERBS. If you hadn’t known that, then please pass the Word around (pun intended)!

The first two weeks have been an introduction, formulated with the use of a "Proverb" acrostic:  

P – Purpose of the book: How to live wisely

R – Rules for interpretation to keep in mind

O – Origin of the book (author, date, recipients, etc.)

V – Various topics in Proverbs (e.g. the Lord, the family, the fool, diligence & laziness, friendship, finances, life & death

E – Explanation & Examples of Parallelism: Synonymous, antithetical, emblematic and synthetic parallelism; i.e. those that say the same thing, those that are opposite, those that are symbols and some that continue the thought or complete a statement

R – Relating Wisdom to Christ, namely the wisdom of man vs. the wisdom of God

B – Beginning of wisdom, namely, the fear of the Lord.  

As you can see, this was an exhaustive introduction and a marvelous overview/explanation of what we could expect to learn. As I looked around the sanctuary (our meeting place), I said to myself, "Where is everybody?”

This teaching series has been and will be vital to our daily walk, especially since it exalts Christ, imparts His wisdom and will instruct us about virtually everything. Also, it will clear up misconceptions, misunderstandings and/or misinterpretations. Let me cite an example:

Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Jay E. Adams in Competent to Counsel writes, 

This has been taken by some interpreters to mean that if parents train children properly in youth they will not depart from that training when they grow older. However, this is probably not what the verse means. Literally, the passage reads, ‘train a child after the manner of his way,’ that is, after the standard or manner in which he wants to be trained. The verse stands not as a promise but as a warning to parents that if they allow a child to train himself after his own wishes (permissively) they should not expect him to want to change these patterns when he matures. Children are born sinners and when allowed to follow their own wishes will naturally develop sinful habit responses. The basic thought is that such habit patterns become deep-seated when they have been ingrained in the child from the earliest days. The corollary to this passage is found in Proverbs 19:18 where the writer exhorts the reader, ‘ Discipline your son while there is hope; do not set your heart on his destruction.’ 

Wow, this is great stuff!

This is the kind of teaching and preaching that we receive each and every week at FBC Weymouth. We’re given the opportunity to ask questions, dialogue about life issues and get remedy, most importantly, Godly advice, counsel, instruction and help. Oh, how we need all of this.

So, why isn’t everyone here?

I believe that we need to make this a weekly priority for ourselves and family and friends and even those people we know who are not believers in Christ. Each week, we’ll “Get Wisdom”, and as we do, we are led by The Holy Spirit in our life’s decisions for us and for our relationships. At the same time, non- believers will be drawn to “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:24b-25.

Joe Capozzi 6/16/2009  

A Halo of Hope

The following post was written by my friend, Paul Tessari, who serves as Associate Pastor here at First Baptist Church in Weymouth, Massachusetts.

In the New Testament, James writes, 

Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’  Yet you do no know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

This truth was brought home to me at the death of my friend Greg Hudson this last week.  The bible often speaks of our life in these terms.  At every point it conveys the brevity of life and the importance of living it in light of this fact.  The reality is, at some point, we all go on to meet our creator.  Yet, though we do not admit it, we suppress this hard truth when it comes to our own life.  There is something within us that refuses to believe it and so, for the most part, we live our lives thinking we will live forever.  “Such things cannot happen to me,” we think.  It is only when a tragedy such as Greg’s occurs that we are forced to deal with our own mortality and that the veil of self denial is removed and we see ourselves in the same light as Scripture—a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 

It is at this very moment that we should ask ourselves, Where will I spend eternity?  What hope is there in death for me?  We must ask them before the shadow of self denial once again descends upon our eyes.  They are tough questions to ask, but questions we need to ask—and answer—before that fateful day happens.  Hebrews, 9:27 tells us, “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes the judgment.”  There are no second chances, no “do over’s.”  Today is the day of salvation and now is the acceptable time (2 Cor. 6:2).  Scripture tells us that our only hope of eternal life with the Lord is through His Son Jesus Christ.  The apostle Peter said this in Acts 4:10: 

He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which you must be saved.

Jesus Himself stated: 

I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

The death of Greg Hudson, while tragic, has a halo of hope—he knew Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior.  And while we grieve here on earth for the loss of our friend, we rejoice that he is at home with the Father basking in His glow.  Scripture speaks of the hope that is found in those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ, 

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words.

- 1 Thess. 4:13-18

 Paul speaks further of the death of the saints in 2 Cor. 5:6-9,

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

This is our beloved brother Greg, who is now—at this very moment—rejoicing with the Lord in Heaven. 

Do you have this hope?  Do you have this assurance?  You can.  Take this time now, while your heart is still tender to the sadness of the hour and come to Jesus Christ.  Greg did, and I know that he would want you to as well. 

What Time You Got?

The answer to that question is:  the same as everybody else.  Each person, for the duration of his life, has sixty seconds each minute, sixty minutes each hour, twenty-four hours each day, and 365 days each year to do what he/she is going to do.  That's what time you got!  Me too.

Next question:  How are you utilizing your time?  Are you making the most of it?  Are you managing it well, or squandering it?  Ben Franklin said, "If you love life, don't waste time, for that is what life is made of."  If Ben Franklin, being an unbeliever, could understand the value of time, how much more so should we who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior?  "For to me to live is Christ..." (Phil. 1:21).

A contemporary of Ben Franklin's understood the importance of time even more than he did and consequently accomplished more than Franklin did - at least in light of eternity.  This man's name was Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest theologian in the history of America.  He also preached what is probably America's most famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."  Jonathan Edwards pastored right here in Massachusetts and was greatly used by God in the revivals that swept across New England in the 1730s and 1740s.  

Edwards was born in 1703, and seventeen years later he was born again while contemplating 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.  Amen."  While meditating on the marvel of God's Person and the glory due His name that Edwards "began to have a new kind of apprehension and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious ways of salvation by Him."  This is what Edwards wrote in his journal, having had the Gospel written on his heart.

Having been miraculously converted, Jonathan Edwards was now committed to glorify and honor God with every fiber of his being.  To help himself do this, he crafted over the course of the following year dozens of "Resolutions" which were designed to help him achieve his life's ambition:  to glorify God.  It's amazing to think that Edwards began writing his famous Resolutions at age 18 - less than a year following his conversion - and completed them before he turned 20.

These Resolutions can be grouped in various categories, which Dr. Steven Lawson has capably outlined in his outstanding book, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards.  One such category was that of Time.  In Resolution #7, Edwards vowed,

Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

Realizing that his death may be preceded by the coming of Christ, Edwards later wrote for Resolution #19,

Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

Clearly, these particular Resolutions were designed to help Edwards steer clear of temptation.  As noted by Lawson, "If he [Edwards] cold say that he ought to avoid any activity in his final hour, he would know that he ought to avoid it at any point in his Christian walk....  Living as if he was in his last hour helped him keep sinful things at a distance."

About a year after finishing his Resolutions, Edwards wrote in his journal,

I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.  July 8, 1723.

Edwards earnestly wanted to live a life in such a way that he would never lie on his death-bed wishing that he could relive it, knowing that he had wasted it.  If we are to live contented lives, we must make the same commitment, resolving to take significant steps now.  Like Edwards, we must make the glory of God our number-one pursuit and passion.

What in your life needs to go?  What needs to be added?  In what ways can you better maximize your time, making the most of every minute, to count for eternity?  

May each of us like Moses pray, "Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).

Love Them While You Can

Nine years ago today, my mom went to heaven.  With her husband and five children surrounding her and singing her favorite hymns, Mom "breathed her last."  It was on a Thursday, at 5:24 p.m.  (More than once in the days and weeks that followed, I had to excuse myself from the dinner table, so conscious was I of when the clock turned 5:24 and reliving that moment in my mind.)

I'll always be thankful to the Lord for those nine precious days I had with Mom prior to her homegoing, especially sitting at her bedside and holding her hand all through that final night.  God gave me those hours to reiterate to Mom how much I loved her and to thank her for being such a faithful and loving mother to me.

Mom's last audible words were: "I have so many good memories ... good memories.  I love you."  (For my birthday that year, Ruthie gave me a beautiful, marble-based picture holder with those words engraved on it, with pictures of Mom and me, along with the rest of the family.)

It's been nine years since I've been able to look Mom in the eye, hear her voice, squeeze her hand, spend precious moments with her.  God graciously granted me 31 years to enjoy Mom. Whatever opportunities I had to cultivate our earthly relationship are now gone.  All I have now are the memories and the anticipation of heaven.

Years ago, while I was in college, I heard a song at church one Sunday morning that made quite an impression on me and has stuck with me ever since.  So many songs are written about how precious children are, but this song is about how precious parents are, and how we must "love them while we can."  You can listen to it by clicking here and then clicking on the orange demo line you see in the link.  Here are the lyrics:

They tied our shoes, took us to school, patched our worn-out jeans

They soothed our tears and calmed our fears, and listened to our dreams

Somewhere along their golden years, their hair has lost its sheen

The notes to hymn one hundred ten crackle when they sing

And now they are alone, no children's voices fill their empty homes

 

Chorus

We must love them while we can, we must love them while we can

For time just seems to hurry by, and the days slip into years

And the moments that we have will disappear

So love them while we can

 

Verse 2

The folks that taught us our first words, still have much to say

The silver secrets of the world, lie beneath those crowns of gray

As they approach the end, we change our role from children to best friend

Bridge

We always thought they'd be around

Until the end of time

Until day we wake and find ...

Chorus

We must love them while we can, we must love them while we can

For time just seems to hurry by, and the days slip into years

And the moments that we have will disappear

So love them while we can

I realize that not everyone has been blessed with Christian parents like mine.  Nevertheless, God's Word instructs us as children to honor our parents ... to love our neighbors as ourselves ... and even to love our enemies.  You'll never regret showing the love of Christ to  your mom and dad.  If your parents are still living, don't wait till Mother's Day or Father's Day to express your gratitude or to demonstrate your love for them.  Make the most of today.  Love them while you can.