Lessons I Have Learned from the Death of Jerry My Hero

I have waited some time following my brother’s death to write this article. While I have given it a lot of consideration, I am not sure that even now I have my thoughts together. I’m not sure I will ever be able to express all of my emotions.

I understand the importance of expressions of concern and love more than I have ever understood. From the depths of my heart I want to express the most profound gratitude for what each of you has done for me and my family over the past few weeks. I am overwhelmed at the number of cards you have sent, the number of hugs I have received, the many phone calls and the countless emails which have been so much part of my life. I have received so many facebook messages that it has been all I could do to find time to read each of them—I have a renewed appreciation for the positive ways the internet can be used for God.

I believe more in the power of prayer than ever before. God’s throne was surrounded by the incense of prayers which went upward in our behalf. We all wanted Jerry to live, but not as a helpless body in a nursing home. He never would have wanted it, nor would we. Knowing the nature of God and the fact that you were praying brought a sense of confidence and peace which filled my heart. God answered our prayers! There is a serenity which comes at times like this and protects us with a peace that no mortal can understand.

I have a renewed appreciation for His words regarding those who are blessed by dying in the Lord. “Their works do follow after them” (Rev. 14:13). In the days since his passing, the events of my life have brought to my mind what Jerry would have said or done. Evidently he lives in the hearts and lives of so many others. Thank each of you for the “Jerry stories” you have shared with me. He lives!

I am more mindful of our mortal nature than I have ever been. His devotion to physical fitness had enabled him to live a life free from sickness and medication. Yet he died. We are all mortals.

I have greater hope for all that lies before than I have ever had. Heaven is more real and the absolute assurance of seeing him again is certain. God, help my faith to be like his and let me die the death of this righteous man! It is not a wish, nor simply a longing to be with him. I will see him again! This is the nature of hope.

Jerry led thousands to heaven, but there is one, above all others, who will be in heaven because of him. Thank you, big brother, for showing me the way!

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Chaos in Worship in Corinth

Worship in the church at Corinth had to be an unforgettable experience. A careful reading of 1 Corinthians reveals such an abuse of the Lord’s Supper and a vying for showing one’s superiority with spiritual gifts given to the members there.

The Lord’s Supper had lost its original intent and had become a “church social function,” with the rich displaying their sumptuous food while others who were hungry were ignored. It had ceased to be His supper. Read the following verses and note the possessive words I have highlighted. “When you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating each one takes his own supper ahead of others …” (1 Cor. 11:20-21). Imagine assembling to remember His death and suffering and being faced with such horrendous blasphemy. It was not the Lord’s Supper; it was theirs!

Their assemblies would have been equally frustrating. There was no church which had more spiritual gifts than Corinth (1 Cor. 1:7), nor was there any church which abused the usage of them more. Read 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, where you will discover that because each of them had miraculously given gifts, they were competing for worship time to use them (v. 26). Those who could speak with tongues thought their gifts were so great that they were all speaking at the same time. Paul rebuked them and told them that there should never be more than three speaking in tongues in a service and they should do it one at a time (v. 27). If there was no one present with the miraculous power to translate these languages, Paul said that they should never have anyone to speak in tongues (v. 28). Evidently, there were some women who were actively speaking up and he told them to be quiet, for it was shameful for women to speak in the church (v. 35).

While those speaking in tongues in the Bible were speaking real languages, which they had never studied (Acts 2:4-6), those in charismatic churches today do not speak in languages any man understands. What a contrast! Many are not aware that the Hindu religion has similar tongue speakers who duplicate what the charismatics do.

Yet, why would the Holy Spirit give such directions? Was there something better than the Holy Spirit actually empowering individuals to speak in foreign languages? These God given languages were designed for the unbelievers (v. 22), yet God limited the usage of them among believers. Why? What could be more profitable than this manifestation of God and His power? Read the text again.

God wanted prophets, not tongue speaking! Think!

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Preaching is So Boring

A study of 1 Corinthians 14 shows that God wanted prophets, not tongue speakers, in the assembly of the church. It also shows that the church at Corinth wanted tongue speaking more than they wanted prophets. When there was no interpreter present, those in the assembly knew that God was in their midst, but they did not have a clue what God was saying through those speaking foreign languages. It was exciting, but Paul said it was not beneficial. On the other hand, when God gave His message in a language everyone understood by using His prophets, the Corinthians had little interest in this matter.

Was this disdain for prophecy only found in Corinth? Consider the words of Paul to the church in Thessalonica. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies” (1 Thess. 5:16-20). Evidently the church in Thessalonica had some who wanted to hinder the work of the Spirit because they did not want prophecies to impact their lives.

Wonder if the same attitude exists in our world today? While we do not have “inspired prophets” to deliver His message, we do have godly preachers delivering His message through an inspired book. Biblical preaching in the 21st century is the equivalent of prophecy in the first century. Both groups of speakers are doing exactly the same thing. They are delivering God’s inspired message to the listeners.

Have you seriously considered what our lack of love for Biblical preaching says about us? Preaching is God’s appointed way for changing lives in our assemblies. Do we seriously want God to work in our lives to bring about change? Paul shows that in Bible study we are changed into the image of Jesus by the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). God knew that there was nothing else that had so much power over mankind as preaching, and He ordained it in our worship.

It is obvious that, to the carnally minded, worship would be far more “exciting” with miracles, shouting, uncontrolled emotional outbursts, planned dramatic experiences and tongue speaking, but when all is said and done, it is only in preaching that God speaks to us! He speaks not to the carnal, fleshly part of us, but to our eternal souls. If the design of worship is to make it exciting and entertaining, then push preaching aside. However, if the design is to remove sin and create holiness, then His plan and His place for preaching must be honored.

Think about it. “Despise not preaching!”

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When You are as Old as Methuselah

Can you remember, when as a child, you thought that anyone who was thirty was really old, and anyone over sixty was approaching Methuselah’s age? It’s funny when you turn thirty your whole perception changes. If you are sixty plus, you, unlike those around you, cannot seem to think of yourself as being old.

The Bible has so much to say about getting old, and regardless of our perception of when that is, we would be wise to think about it. God describes the lives of many older people and how aging impacted their physical and spiritual life.

There is that decline of our physical health as we get older. Who has not heard of the failing eyesight of Isaac which allowed him to be deceived by the animal hairs his mother had placed on Jacob’s neck and hands? Later, Jacob himself died as a blind man unable to see because of his old age (Gen. 48:10). When David was seventy, the Bible described him as being “. . . old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm” (1 Kings 1:1). Read Ecclesiastes 12 to see the poetical description of loss of hearing, loss of teeth, trembling hands, fear of heights, inability to sleep and the loss of vision.

The Bible also describes the possibility of the decline of our spiritual health as we get older. I am not sure about the early life of the brother of the prodigal son, but I know that as the older brother he was beset with jealously, bitterness and a total disrespect for his father. Is there any story in the Bible more sad than the description of Solomon? “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1 Kings 11:4).

On the other hand, there are those verses describing the faithfulness of older saints. Think about Moses, who at the end of his life had a spirituality unmatched in the rest of his life. Think of Caleb, who at 85 was still actively trusting in the providence of God. Then there are those inspiring words of aged Paul, who saw death on the horizon and talked of how he had fought the good fight and run the race to the finish line (2 Tim. 4:7). He saw the crown of righteousness awaiting him and all who are faithful until death.

I especially love the way God described the life of Abraham. “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age” (Gen. 15:15)—not at an old age but a good old age. There is a difference. As you age think about this. Will you die at a good old age?

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The Baseball Game Jesus Created

Just suppose someone made a perfect translation of the official rules of baseball and sent them to a distant land. When the people there received that rule book they were fascinated and decided to introduce this sport into their land. The baseball field was laid out according to the rule book with every distance measured accurately. The strike zone was learned and soon everyone knew that “It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ballgame.” They knew balls and strikes. They knew the definition of a balk, the infield fly rule and a double play. Now think about this. Had then invented a new game? Or were they simply playing an old game in a new place?

Now suppose that in our own land everyone lost interest in baseball. There were attempts to make it more exciting with every team making up its own rules. Soon no one had any desire to watch or play the original sport. Suppose that the game stopped being played altogether and five hundred years passed. Then someone found the old rulebook and began encouraging others to get involved in the game. A baseball field was laid out with every distance measured accurately. The strike zone was learned and soon everyone knew that “It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ballgame.” They knew balls and strikes. They knew the definition of a balk, the infield fly rule and a double play. Now think about this. Had then invented a new game? Or were they simply playing an old game at a new time?

In this same way, imagine a world where Jesus introduced a new “game” called Christianity. He gave a “rule book,” which was easily understandable, and soon the “game” was found throughout the first century world. Everyone knew the “rules” about salvation, the Lord’s supper, the works of the flesh, the fruit of the spirit, heaven, the return of Jesus and the daily life of Christians. They knew about His church, purchased with His own blood. That book was translated into many languages and the same “game” was found in many nations.

Imagine people beginning to change the “rules” to make it fit better into their definition of what a “game/church” should be like. Imagine the book being laid aside with every person feeling free to write his own rules. Soon it would be impossible to even recognize how Jesus planned for the “game” to be played.

Do you know what this church is about? We have taken the “rule book” and are doing all we can to play the “old game” in a new time and a new place. This should make the “Rule Writer” so happy! Come, let’s study His book together.

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