Author: Hardman Road

Isaiah 66:14 And when you see this, your hearts shall rejoice and your bones shall flourish like an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants and His indignation to His enemies.

Isaiah 66:16 For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh; and the slain of the Lord will be many.

We must teach and preach some fire if the fear of the Lord is to be instilled into our children. We live in a “politically correct” world. A world in which an off-colored word will get you fired and dismissed from your livelihood. Yet we tolerate mass-media productions (television series, movies, and news) that promotes sorcery, demeans God and are in-your-face to those that love the Lord. A movie can be cancelled because there is a scene where a dog is tossed into raging water, but we openly tolerate, even invite, promotion of violence, war, mass murder through abortion, and life styles that are an abomination to God. Mass hypocrisy! We will not tolerate animal cruelty but have no problem with mass-media programs that destroy the souls of our children? Where are the watchmen?

From the pulpit we preach the blessings of the Lord, the mercy and grace of God; all of which are true for the repentant believer. But, we do not preach with fire the wrath of God that should and will strike fear and respect in our children and even ourselves. They need to hear “For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord will be many (Isaiah 66:16) and they (the believers) shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh (Isaiah 66:24). The Truth is, there is an eternal Heaven but there is an eternal Hell as well. Hear O children and fear the Lord.

Phil Dougherty

What is our authority in issues of doctrine, morals, and daily living? We live in unstable and contentious time. Should we believe what our parents or pastors taught us? How do we respond to contemporary debates over moral issues with political forces pressing us on all sides? What do we do with doctrines that are unpopular? God has provided an answer. His revelation in the Bible is His resource on deciding these issues (Acts 17:11). It is the only inspired and infallible authority for all matters of doctrine and practice. It is the only source that is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16-17) and inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Everything that a person must believe in order to be a genuine Christian is found in the Bible. Tradition in the form of confessions and creeds, teaching from family and pastors, etc. is useful, but it is always subordinate to Scripture (Mark 7:9). In all matters of faith and practice, God’s revelation in the Bible is the final arbiter. Human opinions, societies, and governments come and go, but God’s words will always remain (Is. 40:8).

For a more detailed explanation read these blog posts.

Henry Middleton

 

What can you resolve to do in 2017 that will make it a great year? What would impact your life so much that on December 31, 2017 you would look back and say, “Wow! 2017 was truly an amazing year?  You could resolve to exercise, and actually do it, dropping weight and building some muscle mass.  You could commit to doing what it takes to get the next promotion at work, and actually do it, and get it.  You could resolve to be a better husband and father, and then actually show up and encourage your wife and support, encourage, and discipline your children.  The list of meaningful and impactful things is really not that long, nor a huge mystery, but it does require two things: 1) identifying the high priority needs, and 2) actually doing what it takes to make a difference.  How about your Christian walk or ministry? You could make goals of reaching out to more people, doing more hands on service, praying more, reading your bible all the way through, and so on.

All good things.  But here, greatness is really simplified.  Here, identifying the true need gets so much simpler. In fact, getting one focus right literally solves everything.  In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  Can’t be that simple?  Think of it as a natural law, but spiritual.  Like gravity. You drop an object on this earth and it falls, literally, every time.  Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and He will care for you, literally, every time.  He made you. He knows you. He knows what is best for you. He cares for you.  He desires a first-priority relationship with you personally.  Literally.

The second part of the action, the seeking, the part where we actually have to do something and stick to it, is a little tougher.  Thank God that he actually pursues us!  Want your ministry or the ministry of your collective group of men to be impactful in 2017?  Pursue God first, with excellence, this year.   Don’t chase good goals of service where we build our ego and look at the things we have done with pride; rather humbly pursue Jehovah God first, the truly excellent One, and give Him the glory for the things he has done.

Another winter has arrived. It is a gift from God.  With it, Christmas Day is pending and the Christmas Season is here.  Who is it for?  The truth is that Christmas (the celebration of the coming of God’s son to earth) is only for Christians.

Christmas is for giving and rejoicing in love gifts received from the Father.  “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” ( 1 Corinthians 2:12).  The gift of the spirit which is of God allows Christians to see all the great gifts (all things) that He has freely given us.  All things are the gifts of every promise that is revealed to us by His word through the Holy Spirit.  All things includes the ‘horizon-gifts’ that are freely given, but still out of sight, like coming into His presence, seeing His beauty, inquiring of His wisdom, living forever with Him in His Kingdom.

A Christian Christmas is a re-reflection on the gifts from God revealed to us this year by His Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit’s revelations there is no Christmas.  With it, there is much rejoicing, praising, thanking and eternal Peace.  Christmas is for sharing.  Share our revealed gifts from God.  Tell others of His Wonderful works!

Know Him and have a warm, merry Christmas.

“Be a man.”

How many times have we heard that in our lives?  What does it mean? Work. Be strong. Face your fears. Be tough. Work and play through the emotional and physical pain.  And we do have to do all those things.  The level is ratcheted up some when someone says to, “Be a GOOD man”.  That means show up not only for work but for your kid’s life; it means to support your wife; coach the ball team or mentor the kid without a father; be a leader at church and in the community; it means to stand up for truth and confront evil wherever it rises up; and it means to do it not just for a few days but for decades if the Lord allocates us the years.  That one word ‘good’ raises the stakes and expectations a lot.

In 2 Samuel 23:8-39, we are shown a whole other level when we see what a Mighty Man looks like, specifically King David’s Mighty Men.  This is a group of men who show up, bow up, believe, stand their ground and win the day, over and over.  These are mature men that are either drawn to, mentored by, or produced from the leadership of a great individual man himself.  David was called “a man after God’s own heart” (an elite description over the centuries).  He was a man of great faith and great grace, a man of strict beliefs and associated integrity, who had big actions and plans, and who faced big opponents and faced his fears.  Who runs with a guy like that?

The author of 2 Samuel says there were 37 mighty men of David.  Not many makes this status.  Greatest among these was Abishai the brother of Joab who raised his spear against 300.  Josheb-Basshebeth similarly raised his spear against 800 whom he killed in one encounter. And how about Eleazar, who stood his ground when the army of Israel retreated around him? He killed the enemy until his hand froze to his sword.  It says the rest of the army returned, but only to strip the dead.   Now that is a Mighty Man. A man who stands in the gap, alone, and delivers victory when all others around you retreat.  “Mighty” is another level beyond good.  Where do you set your goal today?  Do you value “being a man”? Do you work at being a “good” man?  Most of us do.  What would happen if we set our goals on being a Mighty Man of God?

In today’s world, most of us don’t take up a spear or sword and physically face the enemy by the hundreds, although some in our military may still confront evil and stand for freedom in legendary ways.  But we can stand in the gap, and not retreat when others so easily do now, and stand up for truth, for the orphan or widow, and for the Lord’s Kingdom.  We can set a goal of doing this not just for a good day or good week, but for all the decades the Lord gives us on this earth.  This is a mighty goal, but today’s Truth is, that just like David’s men had a mighty King, we have a mighty God who inspires greatness. Psalms 113:5 says it well, “Who is like the Lord our God?”   Will you join us today in his mighty pursuits?

For men, the word battle brings up images of Civil War, WWII, Vietnam, or Gulf War battle scenes.  In this sense the word battle is a noun, referring to a hostile encounter between enemy forces.  For the warrior engaged in the battle itself, the word battle is an action verb, meaning to fight or forcefully accomplish.  We all see the physical battles and the warriors, but we so often miss, are naïve about, or do not even recognize the spiritual battle for our souls or the souls of those around us.  Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  We are bombarded with thoughts and spiritual attack daily.  Our forceful response determines our actions and the consequences.  A thought permeates the mind, the soul is stirred, a personal response emerges, the physical body moves, and the actions have consequences.  A good thought, one of hope or love or faith, that is responded to positively, yields positive actions and fruitful consequences.  A negative or evil thought, when yielded to has consequences negatively affecting us and those around us.  What evil thought will you yield to today that will elicit a negative consequence? Anger, pornography, jealousy, or selfishness? And what will be the consequence? A relationship severed, an exploitive industry and culture perpetuated, a heart hardened, a person made bitter, truth not defended, or perhaps a great God not served?  The alternative is a stark contrast.  The writer of Philippians encourages men to stand firm (to forcefully accomplish) in the Lord and “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things”.   What consequences come from this purposeful focus?  Loving relationships are forged, evil industries are starved or defeated, friends are supported, great visions of good are cast, and a great God is honored.  Today’s truth is, that there are really only two sides in the spiritual battle for men’s souls.  In Matthew 12:30, Jesus says, “You are either for me or against me.”    In Joshua 24:15, Joshua puts is so clear and so direct for men when he says, “…choose for yourself today whom you will serve”.   Joshua’s response was clear and forceful, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.   Will your stance be as strong and purposeful today?

Merriam-Webster provides a simple definition of truth as, “The real facts about something : the things that are true; also, the quality or state of being true; or, a statement or idea that is true or accepted as true.”   This is a solid definition of our concept of truth.  But all that Truth encompasses or exist as is actually embodied in or derived from its source. The truth is that God Jehovah is the creator (or the Father) of all things through his Son Jesus.  The truth is that there is no one good, nor good in this world, other than God or what came from God.  In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father but by me”.  Jesus is the Way to heaven, the Truth of God, and the one who gives Life (abundant and fruitful now and eternal) from God.

Alternatively, Satan sought and desired to be equal to God.  God threw this lost angel from Heaven and gave him the earth as his territory for a time.  At present, Satan is the prince of this earth and as such he seeks those on earth whom he can physically, mentally, and spiritually deceive and destroy.  In stark contrast, Jesus did not seek equality with the Father but rather honored and served him.  His relationship with the Father is so strong that they are like One.  John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”   His service to the Father was such that in John 3:16 we are told that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever would believe on him would have eternal life”.  Jesus came to earth through the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, brought hope and salvation, revealed the mysteries of heaven, died a painful death on the cross, and won victory over sin and the grave.

While on earth, Satan again tried to tempt Jesus with the desires and the power of this world, but Jesus again chose the Father’s love.  In return, the Father gave him authority over all.  The Truth is that Jesus is coming again, this time with power and authority.  And the great Truth is that because Jesus came to earth and became a Son of Man, we now can become Children of God. Do you know him today?  Romans 10:9 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Believe this Truth today.