Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Refiner and Purifier

J.J. Stark
September 10-11, 2016
Field Time
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
Refiner and Purifier
2 “But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.  3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.” – Malachi 3:2-3 (NKJV)

The words spoken in these verses come as a part of a prophecy the Lord has given to Malachi about the coming Savior.  Verse one tells of John the Baptist coming as the messenger before Christ, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord…” (Isa. 40:3)  What strikes me though is the statement made in verse two regarding Christ: “For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap.”  This is a powerful analogy describing the cleansing Jesus does in those who follow Him.  Looking back at my life in recent weeks, incredible evidence of this can be seen taking place in my life deeper than I have ever experienced. 
It is interesting the two items used to describe this, and what their functions are.  A refiner’s fire firstly produces heat.  Although I have never actually witnessed the actual refining process of gold and silver, I have had experience with some farrier (horseshoeing) forge work, as well as some jewelry metalsmithing.  One of the coolest things ever is to apply intense heat to metal.  For different metals it takes different temperatures, but the primary goal of heating is to make the metal moldable.  Be it a steel horseshoe or a brick of gold, it is almost always more difficult to shape when hard and unyielding, and a piece of metal is nearly useless unless it able to be shaped.  The same is true with my heart: if I do not yield and soften to the will of the Lord, then He cannot shape me in to who He wants me to be, and thus I am worthless for furthering His plan.  Speaking specifically of gold and silver, heat plays an even greater role in the process of refinement.  High heat turns these precious metals from solid to liquid, and it is in this state that the most crucial stage takes place.  Only in the liquid form is refiner able to purify the metal, because without intense heat impurities that may be settled on the bottom will not surface.  It is also only from a molten piece of metal that a jeweler can take and pour it into a beautiful form.
Launderers’ soap is a cleaning agent.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of laundry soap is the removing of stains and brightening of colors.  Why soap works the way it does, is because its molecular makeup is capable of bonding to foreign objects and, as an abrasive, cause them to loosen from the what they are attached to.  It is just like how Christ’s blood washes over us as believers and removes all stains, as written in Hebrews 9:13-14, 13 “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
These are the conditions in which Malachi 3:3 continues to define our King of Kings: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.”  I am able to take hope in this, and that despite the valleys to come, I can 2…count it all joy when ‘I’ fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of ‘my’ faith produces patience.”  God has, is, and will continue to purge, purify, and refine me more into His likeness so that I, just as a son of Levi, can offer my life as a living sacrifice of righteousness to Him.


Application:  I will share this IBS with my roommates, and discuss with them the things God has refined in me.

Friday, August 5, 2016

The Power of the Tongue

J.J. Stark
August 5, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
The Power of the Tongue
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
– Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

So many thoughts and scriptures are running through my head as I write this. I don’t have much to say on the tongue itself in this IBS, but instead let scripture be a testament to the truth of this verse. In recent weeks the power of the tongue has been a hard lesson, and one that I am still struggling to learn. The hypocritical and double-sidedness of my heart shames and disgusts me, and how it manifests itself in my actions and speech. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) James dedicates chapter 3 in his book almost entirely to the topic of the tongue, expounding on its power of both life and death.
2For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body…5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things…6the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity…so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell…8no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men…10Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
Rightly does he say “we stumble in many things”…and so often out my mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. I want to look at this though from the point of growing a tree. Proverbs 18:21 states that the tongue is capable of two options, but one will take precedence. “…Those who love it will eat its fruit.” This is implying that whichever side is more nourished is the one that will grow. I find myself asking again, despite already knowing the answer, what and where the root is? In Matthew 12:33-35 Jesus addresses this with the religious leaders:
33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  34 Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”
His Word is so vibrantly alive, splitting me open through His Spirit. Jesus is referring to the same options brought up in Proverbs: life and death. He takes it a step further, however. Though there are two options, there is only one choice, just as in Joshua 24:15, “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” To put it another way, I must choose what fruit I am going to produce.  That choice is made in the heart, the soil in which the roots are sunk. And just as tree farmer daily waters and fertilizes his trees, so I must daily choose to drink with my heart the Living Water and nourish myself in communion with Him.

Application in Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach me to abide in Thy joy, that what may come forth from my mouth is an overflow.
Instill deep within mine heart Thy peace, that my tongue may speak life, and shun death.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

Psalm 51:10-12 (KJV)

Friday, July 29, 2016

An Increasing Decrease

J.J. Stark
July 29, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
An Increasing Decrease
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” – John 3:30 (NKJV)

Often times the word decrease rings uneasily in the mind, especially when it is accompanied with the words I and must.  I find this true in myself even though I am saved.  It is because I still wrestle with the fleshly mindset of greedily striving to gain more material things so as to achieve a status, or a sense of security.  Because of the Fall, the human instinct is to try and fill our separation from God with worldly substitutes.  This nature causes many to interpret this verse it incorrectly, believing that a life serving Christ becomes a depressing, non-possessive, non-opinionated, and ho-hum cloud, purely miserable.  However, scripture says otherwise.
John 3:30 actually arose out of the midst of “25a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.  26 And they came to John and said to him, ‘“Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified – behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”’” (John 3:25b-26) Yet in the face of this, John the Baptist shows the mark of a true man of God.  He gave all the glory to the Father above because of Jesus.  He uses the analogy of how a groomsman at a wedding rejoices in the bridegroom’s taking of his bride.  In that light, John the Baptist says in reference to Christ being glorified, “This joy of mine is fulfilled,” (verse 29b).  That being said, verse 30 becomes a statement of a grateful and privileged joy: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  This is an attitude joyfully willing to give all glory to Christ, with an understanding gratitude that we are only able to honor His majesty in our humbleness.
The apostle Paul talks of this same joy in his letter to the Philippians.  He opens the third chapter with “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…”  Contrary to human thinking, Paul shows by giving an example of his own life resume how the things we may have gained in the world are really of no eternal value.  He says in verses 7-8, “7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”  Paul states again in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Jesus Himself spoke in Mark 8:34-35 that, “34…Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”  Our own Savior did this very thing also.  He humbly decreased and gave Himself in order to glorify His Father in heaven, and did so willingly because He knew that eternal joy would be rewarded to Him in it all.  This is example that I strive to follow: learning more every day that “He must increase, but I must decrease,” so that, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.


Application:  I will write on a sheet of paper “HE > I” and hang it a place that it will constantly remind me of this.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Put on Christ, the Son and Heir

J.J. Stark
July 24, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
Put on Christ, the Son and Heir
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” – Galatians 3:27 (NKJV)

Galatians 3:27 comes at the tail end of chapter 3 after Paul has been discussing how justification comes by faith and not the law, how the law was put into place to teach us our desperate need for Christ.  He builds off a series of questions in verses 2-4:

2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  3 Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?  4 Have you suffered so many things in vain – if indeed it was in vain?

I had to stop and question myself on these.  Is the way I operate in my walk based on doing “good acts” to earn me brownie points with God, or am I doing them because I have faith in the promise of His Holy Spirit?  Definitely a reminder from the Lord to keep Him first in all things, and to speak of the gift of His life-giving sacrifice to all. 
Paul transitions into how we then, through faith, are free from the curse of the law because Christ became the curse to fulfill it.  It brings us into the promised adoption of becoming God’s sons and heirs like that of Abraham, verse 6: ““just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.””  The explanation is given in verses 22-26:

22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.  24Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Verses 27-29 become then the crux of it: 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus.  29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I can rest in the assurance of this promise every day.  There is nothing indicating that my walk with Him will be easy, but I know that I am safe in my Father’s hand, and because He is my true Father I can sit as His son in the glory of His majesty.  It is when I choose daily to put on Christ, coming to humbly before the Throne, that God takes and fashions me after His ever-loving heart.  Through that it becomes the life and words of Christ in John 12:27-28, one of empowerment in the Holy Spirit:
““27 Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.  28 Father, glorify Your name.”  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.””


Application:  Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

“Step in time!”

J.J. Stark
July 20, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
“Step in time!”
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25 (NKJV)

Keep in step…”  It’s funny how sometimes when you read or hear some phrase on one topic it reminds you of another topic that seems totally unrelated!  After reading the verse, my mind immediately jumped from it to the song “Step in Time” from the movie Mary Poppins.  “Kick your knees up! Over the roof tops! Step in time lads,” I vividly hear the character Burt say.  But all humor aside, that scene suddenly took a new light upon thinking about the meaning of the song title.
            The saying “Step in time” has been used in the past to rally and synchronize a group, be it a marching army or a dancing team.  There is almost always a rhythm or something keeping time in either case, the heartbeat of the organism.
            That being said, let’s take another look at Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”  If we live in the Spirit, we are making a proclamation of what we are loyal to.  But what does that entail in the Christian walk?  2 Timothy 2:3-4 say, “3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  4 No one engages himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”  Endure the hardship?  Why is there hardship?  Ephesians 6:12 states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.”  Alright then, we are in a constant spiritual battle…how are we to combat it?  The apostle Paul states earlier Galatians 5:16, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” How then do we walk in the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit, so that we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh?  Paul answers that question in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on the things on the earth.”  What are these things above?  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”  In living these by seeking the Lord, He will begin to grow us into the tree of life that He wants us to become – “…in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:52) “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17)
            To keep in step with the Spirit is to make a choice.  We are either keeping in step with Him, or we are fulfilling the lust of the flesh – there is no in between, despite what the world may think.  We are in hypocrisy if we are trying to live a double life and please both sides, which is the most detrimental thing we can do as a Christian.  I am ever so guilty of trying to fulfill both, so this is something that is as hard for me as any.  This causes me to ask myself, “Who is my master?”  But I am reminded of the words in Joshua 24:15b, “…But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  I will march as good soldier in step with the heartbeat of the Spirit.


Application:  I will write on my wrist the phrase, “Step in time.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Rejoice!

J.J. Stark
July 13&17, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
Rejoice!
“And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” – Romans 5:11 (NKJV)

So often I forget to take joy in the Lord.  It seems like it would be such an easy thing to do though, and yet I take for granted the miraculous price Jesus Christ paid.  I forget that God bestowed the gift of eternal life on me, undeserving and wretched man that I am, and that I “have now received the reconciliation.
            God is so good; He patiently waits for me to remember that I am nothing without Him, can do nothing without Him, and have received everything from Him.  The Lord lovingly receives me after I stubbornly fight and ignore the gentle chastening and instructing in His statutes.  To quote the Christian musician/singer/songwriter Rich Mullins: “Sometimes, God ain’t going talk real loud to you, and you have to shut up in order to hear Him.  I don’t know why He’s like that.  Sometimes it makes me mad.  But it don’t do to fight with God cause He always wins.”  It is an attitude of humble acceptance, acknowledging He is Ruler of All and being willing to let Him work.  I think of what David said in repentance after his affair with Bathsheba: “10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.  12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”  (Psalm 51:10-12, KJV)
            The Holy Spirit continues to teach me the joy of salvation.  Recently though, He revealed how I was being legalistic and hypocritical in my walk, much like the religious leaders that constantly debated, antagonized, and accused Jesus Christ during His ministry.  They enforced laws, rules, and irrevelent ordinances upon others while they themselves did not obey, thus the reason for Jesus calling them “hypocrites!”  They were so focused on the law and technicalities that they missed the freedom and joy the Lawgiver Himself offered them.
            In my conviction I finally see how the things the Holy Spirit leads and instructs me to do, whatever it may be, are for me and me alone to follow.  So often I hold others so rigidly to a standard, be it one set for myself or of something else, that I neglect to abide by it myself.  But the reality is that God has not even asked or instructed me to do such a thing, let alone given me the authority to.  All He has asked of me is to follow Him.  Then, and only then, does Christ bring me into the joy of my salvation, cleansing me in His precious blood and pouring me into new and abundant Life.  From there (my yielding to His will), that life joy begins to spill out to those around me.  Yes, the Great Commission says to “19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all the things that I have commanded you…,” (Matt. 28:19-20a), but how can I lead the blind to see and take joy in His commandments if I myself am not rejoicing in them?

Philippians 4:4-7(NKJV) best states this: “4Rejoice in the Lord always.  And I will say, rejoice5Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

No Fear

J.J. Stark
July 4-5, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
No Fear
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
– 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
Fear…
That ominous, formidable, ever-lurking, and unseen wall that is immobilizes the human race so easily.  It brings to mind how a male lion patrols his territory, protecting it and his pride, using his size and strength to intimidate and challenge anyone or anything that may dare to cross.  This is why the Devil, our enemy, is referred to as a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8, because fear is one of his favorite tactics as he prowls “seeking whom he may devour.”
I personally struggle with fear more than I realize.  As much as I hate to admit it, I struggle with security.  It isn’t as though I have come from a background of abuse or family instability; in fact, I have been very blessed to have grown up in a very healthy environment.  Something that has become strong in my character and train of thought, however, it the need to plan.  In other words, I like to know what happens next, and how it involves me.  Through a series of events and trials God has recently brought to my attention several things about this.  The first is that, because I selfishly get caught up in wanting to know what is coming I miss what is happening.  This stems from my fear of being caught off guard and ill-prepared.  I focus on preparing so much I miss what is happing now.  Preparing and getting things in order in themselves are not bad, God Himself is a God of order, but not to the point that it takes top priority.  For the longest time I have battled this, striving in a fleshly performance (no matter what it was) to “get it right”.  Why? And what? Even as of a few weeks ago, I mostly likely couldn’t have said; I’d buried it so deep I didn’t even know.   But God… “For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” (Hebrews 4:12).  He revealed that I am afraid of vulnerability and consequences.  My toughness, bravery, and even “chivalry” so to speak, are all a fortification hiding my fears of getting hurt.
            2 Timothy 1:7 was the Lord chastening me, and strong exhortation reminding, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”   It is seen throughout history: in the Old Testament, God the Father is the spirit of power to those who walk with Him; the New Testament, God the Son, who is Jesus Christ, is the spirit of love manifested on earth; since the ascension of Christ, God the Holy Spirit is the spirit of a sound mind that guides us throughout our lives.  It is a three to one ratio…one enemy who can only cause of fear, trying to fight against a Triune God who overcomes all in glorious and holy threefold arsenal.  To those that call upon His name and earnestly seek His will it is bestowed to combat the devil.  Several verses affirm this promise:

Fear: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for
the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
Power: “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness.”” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Love: 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sins…18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  19 We love Him because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:10, 18-19
Sound Mind: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace
that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 1:13

Who then am I to doubt the Eternal Redeemer, to selfishly fight against His will and deny that I am capable on my own?  This is the truth He broke me on, and it is also the truth He will purify and shape me through.
The message from the apostle Paul to Timothy in the passage directly after 2 Timothy 1:7 sums it up.

8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”


Application:  I will write on my wrists the four points: No Fear, Power, Love, Sound Mind

Monday, June 27, 2016

Obedient Witness

J.J. Stark
June 27, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
Obedient Witness
“And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” – Acts 5:32 (NKJV)

            The statement in Acts 5:32 is made by the apostle Peter during the second time he and John were arrested and stood trial for preaching and doing mighty works in the name of Jesus Christ.  This was not long after the Pentecost, where the church was birthed through the Holy Spirit and massive amounts of people were coming to the salvation of Christ.  The boldness of the apostles produced by the Holy Spirit is astounding to me, and according to the text was even more so to the religious leaders then.  Throughout the chapters leading up to this, the word obedience keeps surfacing.  Obedience to the will of God is what is seen in the record, how the disciples were immediately obedient to God’s Holy Spirit manifesting Himself in them and revealing truth.  The religious leaders lashed out because of the uprising, but this only was a fulfillment of what Jesus foretold in Matthew 24: 9, 13&14:  9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake…13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and the end will come.”  However, because the of the confidence of the Holy Spirit, they were not only able to endure the trials, but also testify of the gospel in front of authorities as eye witnesses of Christ’s glory.
The Spirit gives us discernment in all things, revealing the truth from lie, and bestowing on those who obediently seek God’s will the freedom to operate in that truth.  This can be seen during the disciples’ first trial in Acts 4:19-20: 19 “But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.  20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  I can identify very much with the disciples in this aspect of talking about things I’ve seen.  I am very visual/audio (sensory in general) oriented, and it is often difficult for me to discuss or think about something outside of what I’ve experienced.  These men also came from a background of hard work, a meek life of simple fishermen; verse 13 mentions that the disciples were “uneducated and untrained men,” but through Christ they were able to preach the gospel better than the “scripturally educated” of the time.  Christ has continually used simple people, “the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise” (1 Cor. 1:27), to spread His word.  It all hinges on obedience to the Holy Spirit though.  Jumping to the second trial in Acts 5:29-32, 29 “…Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘“We ought to obey God rather than men.  30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.  31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”’”
Just as Peter and the other apostles witnessed Jesus personally and couldn’t keep quiet, so is the call to every believer today!  The Holy Spirit not only witnesses the things done in the name of Christ, but He also witnesses when we ignore His prompting.  He is alive and active just as much today as He was then, He is unchanging.  I am to spread the good news of Christ also!  It isn’t going to be easy, as said in Matthew 24, but my response must be like theirs – obey God rather than man.  Maybe I haven’t walked with Jesus in the flesh like them, but I have witnessed numerous things that God has done through the Holy Spirit!  Why do I hesitate to speak of these things, even when I know that He has not given me a spirit of fear?!?!  Even if it isn’t with words, I am to witness in everything: through my actions, attitude, and perspective.  Lord, I ask that You would increase my sensitivity to Your Holy Spirit’s quiet promptings and that I would obey.

Isaiah 43:10-12 gives the command from the Lord:

 10 You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He.  Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.  11 I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.  12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God.”

Application: I will work at not being so task oriented that I neglect witnessing to the ones God puts in front of me. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Blind Faith?

J.J. Stark
June 17-20, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
Blind Faith?
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:29b

Not to make light of other things Jesus taught, but this verse is one that truly portrays the essence of salvation.  In such a skeptical and information/confirmation-needy generation, it packs a very heavy meaning that unfortunately is taken very lightly.  “Seeing is believing,” the old saying goes, and it certainly seems to be the motto the world lives by today, whether anyone admits or not.  In saying that I do not exclude myself, for I am as guilty of falling into this trap as anyone, if not more so.  I am always looking for some type of confirmation on everything regardless the significance.  It is not as if I am the only person who has ever struggled with this; there are innumerable examples throughout scripture.  John chapter 20 has to do with one of these people, Jesus’s disciple Thomas.  Verse 29b is a statement to Thomas from Jesus in a conversation after Jesus’s resurrection.  Verses 24 and 25 of chapter 20 give background to the situation:
24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.  25 The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘“We have seen the Lord.”’ 
So he said to them, ‘“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”’”

            Two thoughts come two mind when reading this.  On one hand, I cannot say as though I blame Thomas; a confusing chain of events had just occurred rapidly, with everything that he had thought was so solid around him seemingly came crashing down.  His mind was also still in the recovery stage of a death of a close One and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Knowing what I do of myself, and then putting myself in Thomas’s sandals, I am pretty certain I would do and say the same: proof.  Let’s examine this from the other side also though.  Twelve chosen disciples had walked with Jesus for over three years, each one of them witnessing Christ perform incredible miracles.  He healed illnesses, gave hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute, and sight to the blind, and even life to the dead!  One of these (Judas Iscariot) would betray the Savior according to God’s plan, and sadly, even though Christ forgave him, Judas still took his own life out of overwhelming guilt.  This obviously left only eleven disciples; Thomas proceeded keep himself isolated during the chaos surrounding Jesus’s death.  Because of self-isolation, he was one of the last to receive the news of Christ’s resurrection.  It is interesting to see how, despite the eye-witness testimonies of the ten gathered disciples, Thomas still refused to believe his Savior was risen.  In a court of law, even two or three of these accounts would have stood, let alone ten of them.  He remained stiff-necked, as many of his ancestors before him, even though the evidence proved otherwise!  How often am I as stubborn and hard hearted as Thomas?  But, Jesus Himself removed all doubt by appearing again when Thomas was present with the rest, further on in John 20:
27 Then He said to Thomas, ‘“Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”’  28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘“My Lord and My God!”’  29 Jesus said to him, ‘“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”’”

Jesus has compassion on Thomas and doesn’t rebuke him for not believing, but uses this to teach all to have full trust in Him and His Word.  It is not an ignorant belief in something crafted of this passing world, but a faith in the living, eternal, and holy truth, which is the gift of life.  It is not a blind faith, but one that I can have confidence in.  Hebrews 11:1 says “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  This is a reminder of Jesus’s reference to believing as children, without judgment or skepticism, but also looking forward eagerly in hope.  The apostle Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  This is the beauty of faith: though Jesus Himself is not plainly accessible to verify by any of our physical senses like Thomas, we can through faith see the evidence in His creation, hear His voice and Holy Word speak, and feel His peace when we believe that He is truth.   THIS is confirmed by the apostle John in his “note from the author” (chapter 21:30-31)
30And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”


Application:  I will press into Christ, praying for a stronger, unyielding faith in Him, that I wouldn’t fall short and trust in the things seen, but in Him unseen.

Friday, June 10, 2016

The Heart of it All

J.J. Stark
June 8-10, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
The Heart of it All
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (NKJV)

The heart and the mouth.  Scripture talks extensively about these two, as they are two of the few unique parts of the body that can affect more than just the physical realm.  God created them able to connect and communicate with Him in the spiritual realm.  I particularly think of how, while living on earth, Christ constantly discussed the heart and the mouth.  The comparison in Matthew 12:33-37 comes to mind, of the likeness of a man’s heart to a tree: “33Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things?” Ouch!  How often am I just plain rotten on the inside, yet put on a smile and talk nicely to someone?  “It’s the truth that hurts the worst,” the old saying goes.  God’s word is not just some old, meaningless record, but the living and holy truth, and it slices straight through me. 
Jesus continues: “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  36But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement. 37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Emphasis added) What?  Every idle word I say I will have to give an account or reason for?  Matthew 15:11&18 say, “11Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man…18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.”  If that doesn’t make a man think, I don’t know what will, and boy howdy do I regret some things I have said in the past! 
All things start with the heart, the “heart of the problem” so to speak.  It is where battles and wars are won or lost, and where the decision to fight or become lax is made.  This reality has become very alive to me lately, and found myself viciously fighting the enemy’s attacks in my heart.  Yes, Jesus is my personal Savior, but so often I forget this, and wars are waged.  Yet what does Romans 10:9 say? “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  This comes back to remembering Christ’s sacrifice, and the rekindled belief in my heart leads to God’s holiness conviction and me verbally confessing I sin and can do nothing without Him, and that Christ Jesus is Lord of all.
Romans 10:10-13 closes this out: “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.


Application:  I will practice guarding my heart of evil thoughts, taking every thought captive and evaluate it by God’s word to determine whether it is worthy of speech.

Monday, June 6, 2016

He Gave

J.J. Stark
June 5, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE CLASS 10
Inductive Bible Study (IBS)
He Gave
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (NKJV)

John 3:16 is perhaps one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, and many people today can quote it off-hand, Christians and non-Christians alike.  I wonder though how many people actually realize its weighty meaning.  I for one have known this verse by heart for years, but until now, I haven’t truly taken it to heart.  What strikes me is the phrase “He gave.”  Although I know its general meaning, I have been pondering the word give, and in the Merriam-Webster dictionary one definition says it means, “to make a present of.”  John 3:16 states that God the Father out of pure love did just that, “…He gave His only begotten Son…”, even though we as the human race, who the Lord God gave in His own image, have disobediently sinned and fallen away from Him innumerable times. God gave the present of His very being, manifested in His Son Jesus Christ, even though we are so far lost and undeserving of the bestowment.  John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  Jesus, through divine incarnation, entered the world, lead the perfect fulfilling life that no other could, to lovingly give His life and become the redeeming sacrifice for all of creation; yes, even me.  In John 14:26 after His resurrection while He was still on earth, He gave all believers the Holy Spirit: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”  Today, the Holy Spirt continues to be that help, constantly giving comfort, assurance, and peace to those who diligently seek Christ’s will.  As a servant of Christ, I am called to imitate Him as my Master, obeying His instructions.  In Matthew 16:24-25 the Lord states:  24…If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  25For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  This leads me to ask: Do I give?  He gave His very life in self-denial.  In a heroic mindset I’d like to say I would give my life to save a family member, close friend, or even the children attending Kids Club, but on the flip side would I for some stranger off the street? Or better yet, would I give my life for someone who offended or hurt me?  That is a hard reality, and if I am honest my flesh says no.  However, the truth is this: Christ has already died for the entire world.  What good is it going to do if I die for someone physically, yet I don’t be witness to them of the Savior?  They themselves are already spiritually dying, so instead of a “hero” mindset giving my life, I need keep the perspective of giving everlasting life.  By dying to myself, and giving over to the will that Christ has for my life, I become platform in which He displays to those around me “…God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


Application:  I will strive to meet with the Lord one on one more regularly, that He may give me direct me in the witnessing appointments He places in my life.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Call on the Name of the Lord

J.J. Stark
May 30, 2016
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE Class 10
Inductive Bible Study
Call on the Name of the Lord
“For ‘“whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”’” – Romans 10:13 (NKJV)

A picture of David comes to mind in studying this verse, and the defeats he experienced in his life.  To me the times he was lowest, hiding in caves or among the Philistines, or his family turmoil, are when David’s life truly embodies calling on the name of the Lord.  The Psalms penned in result capture the very essence of full reliance on God.  Psalm 18:1-6 beautifully elevates Christ as Lord and Savior.  David, surrendering to and adoring Yahweh, says: “1I will love You, O Lord, my strength.  2The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  3I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.  4The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.  5The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.  6In my distress I call upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” 
Even though I have never experienced anything like that of David, these are the kinds of words I cling to, especially when faced with temptations and trials.  He speaks similarly again in Psalm 119:33-40, and in calling upon the Lord this is my prayer: “33Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statues…34 Give me understanding…36Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness.  37Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.  39Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgements are good.  40Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness.”
God the Father is all-powerful, knowing, and discerning, and is His ways are unknown to man.  This is the salvation message: because His continuous desire is creation restored back to Him from sin’s destruction, God the Son, Jesus Christ, came down to this earth to pay the eternal price of sin and become the saving redemption for all who call on His name.  As the Lord’s adopted child through salvation, I, in continual crying out to Him as my All in All, can walk in the assurance the apostle Paul wrote in letters to the church in Corinth: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it,” and, “8We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed – 10always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  11For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”  (1 Cor. 10:13 & 2 Cor. 4:8-11)


Application:  I will write down Romans 10:13 to remind me to continually call on the Lord for everything.

Monday, May 23, 2016

All for the Glory of God

J.J. Stark
(For April 2016)
Field Time: Browning, MT
IGNITE Class 10
Inductive Bible Study

All for the Glory of God
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
– Romans 3:23 (NKJV)

When breaking down this latter passage surrounding Romans 3, I find an amazing amount of depth to it, especially when looking at the passage surrounding it.  In this section of his letter to the believers in Rome, the apostle Paul defines how all believers are now free from the bondage under the Mosaic Law that had been so strictly enforced for thousands of years.  He starts in verses 21 and 22: “21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.”  Putting myself in the Israelites’ shoes at the time when Moses brought forth the law from God, there had to have been some questions in their minds as to why these were put into place.  They didn’t understand that because the Lord is a God of purity and holiness, and because they were His chosen people, He set the law to purify them for Himself.  Paul is showing that through Christ’s death and resurrection that we are now able to see the purification from the Lord is to bring us into His righteousness, to all who believe.  Paul continues on: “For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.”  Because of man’s Fall, we put ourselves under the law: our own guidance, discernment, and strength; in all of that, we are inadequate to come back to the holy unity that was originally established at the beginning of Creation.  But our Father wanted so badly to bring us back to that, that He lovingly sent His One and only Son to die…for the whole world.  Yet to take it one step closer to home, He came to die for each one individually, which means me too…even if I had been the only one on earth, He would have still come.  Jesus Christ, “25whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

I don’t think it gets much clearer than that, and brings me to my knees with the importance of giving my all in humble service and worship to Him, because He demonstrates His own love towards me, in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. (Romans 5:8)


Application:  Today I will set aside at least an hour to just sit in His presence, be it with music or in silence.