And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" 

And he said, "I am."

Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread."

And he said, "I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, 'You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way you came,'"

And he said to him, "I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back you with into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.'"

But he lied to him.

I Kings 13:14-18, ESV

 

The setting for the passage above is as follows: Israel had split into two nations and were now known as Israel and Judah. Israel's king had gone bad and had made idols for the people to worship, so God sent a prophet from Judah to warn the king of Israel. God told that prophet that once he had delivered the message, he was to return home by a different route and to make sure that he neither ate nor drank while he was in the territory of Israel. The prophet, referred to as "the man of God" was obedient to the LORD's instruction and was successful in passing along the warning. God even performed a great miracle through this prophet that did at least temporarily turn the king of Israel from his sins.

 

But when an old prophet from Israel heard about what the man of God had done, he went after him. We can see of the unfolding of events in the passage we just read. The old prophet was able to convince the man of God to turn from the final part of his mission and come back with him to eat and drink. This is where we read one of the most impactful statements of the Bible:

"But he lied."

 

We are not told why the old prophet lied and I suppose it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that the man of God disobeyed the Lord and was killed for his disobedience. Now this will seem outrageous to some of us. We will try to defend the man of God with statements like, "What if God had really spoken through the old prophet?" or, "It wasn't the man of God's fault for acting upon words that he trusted. After all, how could he know that the man had lied?"   

 

We could come up with a hundred more excuses for why the man of God should not have been held responsible for disobeying the LORD - especially when he thought he was obeying Him, but all such excuses would prove hollow. The fact is that God had already made His will plain to the young prophet, and no amount of lies, deceits or subterfuges should have convinced him otherwise. The fact is that the young prophet - this man of God - should have known better so God held him accountable for that error in judgment at the cost of his very life.

 

And, of course, there is a critical lesson in this historical account for us, if we will just pay attention to it. Here, then, is at least part of that lesson:

 

We have the Word of God fully available to us in the form of the Bible. This Word tells us everything that we need to know. But, sometimes, it is hard work for us to actually go to the Bible and read God's Word for ourselves. We tell ourselves that the Bible is too big or that we are too busy or that no one but the experts can really understand the Bible, so we defer our knowledge to others. Often times, like that young prophet, we listen to those who tell us what we want to hear. Don't you know that the man of God was tired from his travels. Don't you know that he was hungry and thirsty - probably hungrier and thirstier than he had ever been before. 

 

In short, he was vulnerable, and the old Prophet took advantage of that vulnerability. We don't know the old prophet's motivation. Maybe he was jealous. Maybe he felt sorry for the young prophet and decided to tell him a "little white lie" so that he could ease the man of God's discomfort. Maybe the old prophet was just misguided, or maybe he was simply evil. None of these possibilities matter, nor did any of these "reasons" give the young prophet a reasonable defense. The bottom line is that he disobeyed God - someone whose power he had just witnessed first hand - and the penalty for that disobedience was his life. 

 

And the lesson for all men for the rest of time should be clear: When we have a choice between God's Word and the words of men, go with God! This is not a lesson that God reveals to us because He is mean - just the opposite! God knew that there would be people who would lie to us for any number of reasons. Furthermore, He knew that we would trust some of those people to the point where we would be tempted to be deceived by that lie. Maybe it's because they were older and seemingly wiser, maybe it was because they were telling us something that we secretly preferred over His instructions, but whatever the reason, it would never be an acceptable excuse in the eyes of the Lord. God is not being mean in this - He is protecting us!

 

So, how then can we be safe? Is there any way that we can avoid be deceived by the compelling lies of men? And the answer is clear. We can avoid being misled by the lies of men if we will simply do this one thing: Get it in writing! And that written explanation that we have is the Word of God - the Bible. And it is enough! 

 

 

 

You ever have one of those dogs? I'm talking about the kind that just seem to be a nuisance. They bark too much, they eat too much, and they often just seem to be in the way. Then when you go out of town, you have to find someone to look after them. Snuffy was such a dog. He was my older brother's main present on his 5th or 6th birthday, but I considered him as much my present, for I loved that dog even though it was true that he could be a pest at times.

 

I can remember trying to go down our tall slide in the back yard. There were few things more enjoyable for a small boy, but then you had to pay the price when you got to the bottom of the slide for Snuffy would be waiting there to jump all over you and greet you as if he had not seen you for days. Every time! Add the fact that he was about sixty pounds, and I was probably no more than forty and that greeting would turn into a fight for my life.

 

In addition to that, it was my job to feed him -sunshine or rain, hot or cold. Since we lived near Seattle, it was often the "or rain" option and there is nothing like being greeted by a wet and hungry dog. He took a whole coffee can of food and Mom preferred that kind that made its own gravy when you added hot water, so I would have to fill up the can with food, take it to the sink and wait for the water to get hot enough, then go outside and drain off the excess water while Snuffy would be trying to get the food. Some boys had turtles for pets and I'm sure I would have envied them if I had thought about it.

 

I remember my dad telling us kids about what a pain that dog could be. He said that when we moved to one house that the first thing he had to do was build a fence for Snuffy. There was a big stack of 1x1's on site and dad decided to use that for the fence. He said that Snuffy just sat there, attached to his chain, watching the fence building process. When the fence was finally completed, Dad was a proud and satisfied man. Then he let Snuffy off of his chain whereupon he promptly lowered his head and rand full speed through that fence. He didn't jump it - he literally ran through it.

 

Dad said another time he come home late at night from a business trip only to find the front door bolted from inside as was Mom's practice whenever he was travelling. Since he didn't want to wake up the whole house he decided to hop the fence and go in through the other door that didn't have that feature. He said that Snuffy did not recognize the strange figure of his beloved master as he was climbing over the fence, and that his trip back to the other side was much quicker (and noisier) than the climb initial climb.

 

And his plan not to wake up the whole house didn't pan out.

 

But all the aggravation and all the inconvenience were made up for the day that Snuffy became a hero. My Granny was visiting from Texas and stayed home one afternoon to watch my kid sister while the rest of us went out. Now Granny was used to watching kids for she had raised seven herself, but that was back in the Texas Panhandle where trees were few and far between and we literally lived on the edge of a forest. My three-year-old sister wandered off into those woods and Granny didn't know quite what to do. So she let Snuffy out of the yard and said, "find Nancy".   

 

Now if I had been there to advise her, I could have told her that letting that dog out of the yard was a big mistake. But I wasn't and that turned out to be a good thing because that dog immediately went off into the woods and came back shortly with my sister. And though at the time I might not have appreciated as much as Granny and Mom and Dad, I can assure you that they were overjoyed - Granny first when they came out of those woods together, and then Mom and Dad when they learned of the wonderful thing their hero pet had done.

 

And I'm sure Snuffy heard something that day that he didn't hear often enough: Good dog!

 

Who but God would have thought to invent pets when He was creating the universe? I for on am glad He did!

 

 

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them...

Psalms 127:4-5, KJV

 

About ten years ago, the congregation I worship at in this small town had a very typical small-town problem - we were getting older! We were averaging about 80 or so in attendance, but for a town with less than 700 people that was still pretty good. What was not "pretty good" was that we had no babies, no toddlers and only two or three preschoolers. Probably a full quarter of the church was over 75 years in age. Now that was not a problem, because so many were active and it presented us with a tremendous amount of wisdom and experience from which to draw from, but the fact remained that we were looking a lot like so many of the small churches that were just beginning to pass their prime on their way to dying out completely.

 

But about five years ago, something started to change. We had one or two young couples move into our area, and they had been raised to be faithful. Now, most church leaders can tell you how hard it is to attract youth to a traditional congregation that does not offer entertainment for worship or coffee and donuts for Bible classes but, again, there was just something about the raising of these young people that was done well. In a year or two, we had several more young couples attending - and singles to boot! I was nearing retirement age, and we hired a young preacher with young wife and a baby and a toddler to replace the old gray-haired guy. Then more babies were born and now we are blessed with the problem of trying to get enough classrooms and teachers for our nursery and preschool classes which number over a dozen kids on some Sundays.

 

The congregation is so different now that a person who had visited ten years ago would be wonder if they were at the same place today. I want to emphasize the fact that we were very blessed ten years ago with an active church in which most people participated in some way, but today it is so much more vibrant and alive than it has been for many years. What happened? How does a church go from looking like it might die out in a few decades to experiencing a youth-movement that is experiencing a full-blown baby boom?

 

The first and most obvious answer is this: God has blessed us. The Second was we had a church full of people who recognized the symptoms of an aging church and who were active in the work of the church and in prayer. Third, we had elders who were not looking for gimmicks to "grow the membership", but who were looking for spiritual growth. And fourth, we had one of the most friendly and encouraging groups of Christians I have ever seen. But most important (except for the blessings of God) we had the fortunate circumstance of young people who were looking for a church family with which to serve rather than on that would entertain them and give them snacks. Admittedly, this is a most unusual characteristic for many people who are searching for a place to worship whether they are young or old, but it seemed to be the defining trait of these young people.

 

So, we have grown! We cannot take the credit, so please don't feel like I am boasting about the situation - it is a gift of God! And, I might add, it is a gift that we are trying very hard not to take for granted, nor is it an opportunity that we want to waste. The fact is that many churches are dying out in our modern times and people are often at a loss as to what to do about it. May I offer one small piece of advice to those who have been confronting this very problem? I assure you that it is not offered from a perspective of pride, for I realize all too well that it is not any doing of mine for it has always been God who offers the increase.

 

So here is the advice for what it is worth: Don't try and lure people to the worship with entertainment, for the people who are looking to be entertained are hard to hang onto. There are just too many places that are doing the same thing, and this type of person is often easily pulled away by the next shining attraction. Instead, just do what the church is commanded to do. Don't compromise with the truth but preach that truth in love! Speaking of love, love these people and look for ways that you can help them feel welcome and needed. And pray to God to help all people - whether young or old - to come and join you if they will be blessed by doing so. By doing these simple things, churches will begin to attract people who want to worship and serve. And such people cannot but help a congregation to grow.

 

 

 

 

 

  

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8, NASB

 

Have you ever seen the YouTube channel "Bushradical"? It was started by Dave Whipple and his wife, and it began shortly after they got married and decided that they really didn't want to join the rat race. They were newly married and lived in Alaska at the time. Both had jobs in the city, but they had no desire to go into a lot of debt by buying a house with a large mortgage. So they bought a small acreage a few miles from Anchorage and began to build. Both had day jobs, but after that, they would go to their site and work on a little cabin that would become there home.

 

They didn't have electricity, so everything had to be done with hand tools or equipment they could run from a small generator. They had an outhouse and a tent and zero experience at building a cabin. What they did have was the energy and determination of youth and though they would be the first to admit they made a lot of mistakes; they somehow got that cabin built. But it wasn't just a cabin that was constructed, for they slowly began to realize that they were building a life that would be hallmarked by simplicity and deep satisfaction. And the thing that is incredibly appealing to me is the pace and beauty of the life they have built together. If you like this kind of thing, I would highly recommend your looking up Bushradical on YouTube - you will be glad you did.

 

I have come to love shows like this. They are clean and wholesome, and they emphasize a life that I am beginning to find more and more appealing: One of simplicity!

 

I like simplicity. Ask my wife and she will likely tell you that I am the simplest person she has ever met. She probably means that in a different way, but I will take it as a compliment. I'm not really big on change or new things, so simplicity suits my life view very nicely. I get up about the same time each morning, I read from the same Bible. I eat the same breakfast. I get out and work for a bit and then I come home and eat lunch. It probably sounds boring to a lot of people, but it is a good life and one that I enjoy. Add that to the fact that I have a beautiful wife of 42 years, seven grandchildren (and the people who keep them) and I realize that there are very few people who have it better than do I. I am not bragging mind you, just pointing out that God has richly blessed me.

 

Which brings me to the best part. The simple life that I have come to love is centered around Christ. It hasn't always been that way. Even though I was raised by Christian parents who tried to steer me on that straight and narrow path, I have to admit that I used to stray from it far too often. I ended up chasing things that were of little consequence and this complicated my life far more than I care to admit. It wasn't until I got back to my roots that I discovered the beauty of God's plan. He has made things pretty simple, when you think about it. Just look at the verse we started with: What does God require? Justice, kindness, and a humble life of walking with Him. 

 

I realize that this seems too simple, but God's ways have always been so. Did you know that you could change your life by embracing His way? If you just took about a month to read through the New Testament, you would have a new outlook on life. If you took a few more months to go back and study that same New Testament, you would likely know more about the simple life that God has called you to than do most "pastors" who have spent years at seminary. And if you went beyond that and started applying what you learned - always continuing to read a little each day from both the Old and New Testaments, then you would have a life of joy and peace and... simplicity!

 

And the simple life that God has designed is pretty good - in fact there is nothing better. And after this deeply satisfying life of simplicity? Why then, there will be Heaven!