God

Saturday

/ Bob

“Waiting for the other shoe to drop.” You’re dozing off to sleep when you are jolted back to alertness with a reverberating thud coming from the apartment above you. In your grogginess you determine that it was nothing more than a shoe dropping on the floor. You are now fully awake – and you wait anxiously for the other shoe to drop. You don’t let yourself fall asleep because you don’t want to be in that never-never land between sleep and wakefulness when the next boulder falls.

On Saturday, following the crucifixion, the followers of Christ were waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had met Jesus, traveled with Him, listened to His teaching, believed His teaching, and believed in Him. Now their world was filled with silence and solicitude. They were in hiding behind locked doors waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jesus had told them He would rise again, but His death seemed like the final act of the play. What now?

In a sense, our lives parallel those of the earliest disciples of Jesus. We have met Him, traveled with Him, listened to His teaching, believed His teaching, and believed in Him. However, we often come to those times when all we hear is silence – when something has happened in our life that jerks us to full alert and we wait in silence and solicitude for the next blow. We question our faith and our very relationship with the One Who, even in silence, is with us every step of the way. It’s Saturday. Thursday started with a celebration of faith and ended in confusion. Friday began in confusion which devolved into pain and profound sadness. Now it’s Saturday. Silence. Solicitude. What’s next? You dare not say, “Could it get any worse?” because you fear it could.

It’s Saturday, but Sunday will soon be here. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5b) And the truly good news is that, just as Jesus rose on Sunday in victory over death and the grave, He will come again in victory – victory over the long “Saturday” that we call “life.” And, in the meantime, He has given us His Spirit so that in those temporary Saturdays of life – those days when all seems lost – we will not be alone. And that same Spirit guides us through the long Saturday of life on earth. We may not feel Him, but He is here and He is waiting for us to call out to Him from the silence and solicitude. He says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15)

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:15-21)

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:25-27)

It’s Saturday, a day of silence and solicitude, but He is with you through all of your Saturdays . . .

and Sunday is coming. Hallelujah!

Because God IS, We Can BE!

/ Bob

In 2 Peter we find Peter’s “last words” as indicated in 2 Peter 1:13-15: “As long as I live I will continue to awaken you with this reminder, since our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has clearly revealed that my departure is near. Indeed, I’m passionate to share these things with you so that you will always remember them after my exodus from this life.” So what did Peter, as inspired by the Lord, say to these people who were being persecuted and facing even more tortuous treatment in the future?

He said this – Because God IS you can BE. Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by his divine power. (2 Peter 1:3) Because of what Christ has done and because the Holy Spirit works in us in the process of sanctification and simply because God IS God, we can be an overall better person (v.5) and be more knowledgeable about God (v.5). Because God IS, we can be more disciplined (v.6) and be patiently determined to endure hardships (v.6) and be more godly (v.6). Because God IS, we can be kinder to the people around us (v.7) and we can be more loving with everyone (v.7). Because God IS we can BE.

The process of sanctification is ongoing throughout the life of the Christian. Spiritual growth is the sign of “zoe” life in the Christian. If we’re not growing in Christ – if we are not allowing the Spirit to sanctify us – there isn’t much point in calling ourselves Christians, because we have cut ourselves off from the vine and are useless. If you ain’t growin’ or producin’ what are you doin’ callin’ yourself a Christian?

Because God IS, we can BE.

Because God IS, we ARE.

Because HE IS, we can be sure of who WE ARE in Him, and we can confidently live and grow spiritually and share that assurance with those who need Him.


This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, April 10, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

class-notes-the-pursuit-of-godlinessDownload

The Decline of the Church

/ Bob
Photos by Roman Robroek

The link below will take you on an emotional journey through a reflective essay by Roman Robroek, a Netherlands-based urban exploration photographer. I found both the photos and Roberoek’s written reflections to be both disturbing and melancholic; interesting and depressing; beautiful and yet gut-wrenching.

Photographer Captures the Decline of the Church in Italy

However, the eye-opening moment came when I realized that this is a picture of our life in Christ and our bodies as a living temple in which dwells His very Spirit. In his conclusion Robroek writes:

“Today, abandoned churches in Italy and elsewhere offer a unique glimpse into the past. A source of reflection, perhaps, as they prompt us to think about the future. If a church, once the most important haven in the community, can become a pile of ruins, what does that say about what we hold certain today? These are the traces of the past of many communities, and if we follow them, we can see where we all came from and perhaps where we’re going.” ~ Roman Robroek

Many, if not most, of the churches were abandoned due to the influence of socioeconomic influences as well geopolitical forces. However, no matter the cause, these buildings did not suddenly decay – it took years of lack of use and neglect for them to devolve to this state. And so it could be with the temple of the Lord. “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

When we fail to glorify God in all we do and when we neglect our relationship with God, deterioration begins. It may not seem like much at first, but over time our lives can become spiritually empty and the worship of God a thing of the past. As we neglect the things that once brought us closer to God – things like Bible study, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers – our spiritual lives become empty shells left to fall to the natural forces of the world. What was once a person who was a shining beacon of the Truth of Jesus Christ in the community becomes a monument to the ineffectiveness of the gospel to stand up against the ravages of the society in which the Christian dwells.

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” 2 Peter 1:3-7.

“Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises” and we must “make every effort to respond to God’s promises.” We do these things not to gain salvation nor to gain favor with God, but rather because of the life we have in Jesus. We do these things, not in our own power, but by the power of the Spirit Who dwells within us. We do these things in response to His great love. We do these things so that others will see Jesus in us. We do these things so that God’s Temple – the body of the believer – will be a walking and talking testament to the Truth of the Gospel. And that testimony is not of what once was, but for what is and what ever more shall be – the living and vibrant love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

This World Is Not My Home

/ Bob

When the world is caving in around us and all seems lost, it is easy for us to lose our perspective. We begin to think that life is hopeless. No matter which way we turn we hit a dead end. Just when we seem to get our feet on the ground something comes along to undercut us and leave us writhing in pain or wallowing in self-pity. Our perspective is limited. We see only the problem, only the bleakness of our situation. In his first letter, Peter addresses the situations which can tear us apart and reminds us of where our focus should be. In other words, he brings things into proper perspective for proper living in an improper world.

This letter was written at a time when Christians were held in contempt by both Jews and Romans. And if this wasn’t bad enough, Nero – Emperor of Rome, blamed the Christians for burning down Rome which led to some 250 years of tortuous persecution of Christians all across the Roman Empire. 1 Peter was written in this time when Satan was doing all he could to snuff out the young church. 1 Peter offers excellent, practical advice on how to deal with such persecution but it also goes to the heart of the matter.

The fact is that we, as Christians, are aliens in this world. This world is not our home – heaven is. And since this world is not our home, we shouldn’t expect anyone to treat us as though we are one of them. Jesus said that in this world we would have tribulation. (John 16:33) That’s what we should expect. We have a different way of looking at things – a different perspective. And when we dare to express our perspective, we can expect people to laugh at us, look at us side-eyed, avoid us, ignore us, and treat us like the creepy neighbor who makes you shudder every time you see them. If we aren’t being treated differently, perhaps it is because we look and act so much like the rest of the world that they can’t tell we’re Christians. Ouch!

What we learn from 1 Peter is that our hope is held fast in heaven and our trials here on earth are but momentary interruptions on our way to glory. And those trials and tribulations actually make us stronger for the next trial. We keep looking ahead to Jesus and every step of the way on the bumpy road called life brings us one step closer to an eternity with Him. With that perspective we can endure the junk that Satan throws in our way and do so with joy – even laughing in his face. And it’s all because this world is not our home; we’re just a passing through. As we learn from 1 Peter 1:9 we are filled with joy in this world because we are receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls in the real world.

Next week we will look at 2 Peter 1 as we study the Pursuit of Godliness.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, April 3, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Empowered by the Spirit

/ Bob

In Acts, Chapter 3, we find Peter and John going to the temple to pray. As they arrive at the temple they are met by a man who has been paraplegic since he was born. This man was carried to the temple each day to beg for alms – his only known source of income. As Peter and John approached, this man asked them to help him with the financial assistance he urgently needed. Peter’s response was simple and direct. “Silver and gold have I none, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6) Peter helped him up and immediately he could walk and even leap for joy.

In this encounter there is an encouraging lesson for those who are struggling – for those who are paralyzed by some physical issue as well as those who have been immobilized by stress, fear, anxiety, and the often overwhelming cares of everyday living. The lesson is that there is hope, there is healing, and there is unfathomable help in the Name of Jesus. And moreover there is salvation in that same Name – the Name above every name – the Name of Jesus.

However, in this encounter there is also a sobering lesson for the church. We, as Christians, have available to us the same power that allowed that man to walk. As a church we have the same Spirit of God Who empowered Peter and John. God hasn’t changed since the 1st Century AD. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8) So who has changed?

In showing St. Thomas Aquinas the room in which the money of the church was being counted, Pope Innocent IV proudly said, “The church is no longer in an age when she can say, ‘silver and gold have we none.’” Thomas replied, “It is true, holy father, nor can the church now say to the lame man, ‘Rise up and walk!’” In class Sunday morning, I misattributed the statement to St. Augustine when it was actually St. Thomas Aquinas. Nevertheless, the point remains the same and it raises the following question – “Is the church operating in the power of the Holy Spirit or is the church relying on it’s own power, resources, and programming to accomplish God’s work?”

(Note – The video quality is less than optimum as is the audio quality. It will be back to high definition next week.)

Next week we will be in 1 Peter 1&2 where we will look at how to live as Christians in world that is at times hostile to our Faith.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

In the PDF below you will find the presentation slides for this lesson.

class-notes-03.27.2022-acts-3-empowered-by-the-holy-spiritDownload

Transformed by the Spirit – Part 2

/ Bob

In the second chapter of Acts we are told of the birthday of the church. 120 followers of Jesus were gathered together as Jesus had instructed them to do. Then, with the sound of a violent, rushing wind the fire of the Spirit entered into the room and rested on each of those gathered there. In response to the commotion, people came to find out what was going on. What happened next amazed them. The followers of Jesus began to speaking to them about Christ, but in the languages of those who came to see what was going on. Well over a dozen different languages were heard by the people who spoke those languages. Sometimes the word “awesome” is used almost in a trite way, but this was an AWESOME display of the Spirit’s power.

There were those who scoffed and even accused the disciples of being drunk. I personally have never been around someone who got drunk and then started speaking fluently in a foreign language that they did not previously know, but when you’re trying to explain something away you’ll grasp at anything. Peter responded to them with the first sermon ever preached at church. God’s Spirit spoke through him and moved those who heard. The church grew from 120 to over 3,000 that day. Hallelujah.

Today’s lesson focused on Acts 2:41-47 – the characteristics of that first church. They learned from the teaching of the apostles. They ate together. They prayed. They shared their faith and they shared their money and belongings, helping out any of the group who were in need. We as individual Christians must follow their example by praying and worshiping; reading and studying God’s Word; fellowshiping with other believers and helping them in any way we can; and sharing our faith with those around us. And we as the church must also be worshiping and praying; reading and studying God’s Word; fellowshiping together; and sharing our faith and resources with the community in which we have been planted. This is what the first church did and the Lord added to their number DAILY those who were saved. God gave us the blueprints for the church. The first church followed the plan. So should we.

Next week we will move into Acts 3 to see how the Spirit moved through the apostles as they moved about in the city.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 20, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

To Infinity and Beyond

/ Bob

Take a moment to consider the heavens – the work of God’s fingers; the moon and the stars which He has set set in place. With our most creative imaginations we cannot begin to comprehend the vastness of the universe which God created with nothing but a spoken word.

This NASA image was captured by the Webb telescope during its mirror alignment, known as “fine phasing.” The object of the photo, the bright star in the middle of the photo, is named 2MASS J17554042+6551277. I would have called it something a little more personal . . . like maybe, oh, I don’t know – Bob.

Bob is some 2,000 light years from earth and Bob is gorgeous – which is what we would expect from a star named Bob. However, the most amazing part of this photo is who is photobombing Bob’s glamour shot. Webb’s optics are so sensitive that the galaxies and stars seen in the background show up very clearly even though they are millions, if not billions of light years from the Earth. Look closely and you will see galaxies shaped much like our own Milky Way.

The universe is vast, but no more vast than the love the Creator has for us. He has not only created Bob and the wonders of space, but He has also created you. He has made you and loves you so much that He has made provision, though the death and resurrection of Jesus, for you to live eternally with Him. People often ponder what we will do for all eternity. I plan to wave to Bob as I sail by him on the way to visit all of those galaxies behind him and the ones we can’t see. Now that’s what I call a road trip. To Infinity and Beyond!