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The Truth is the Light!

August 24, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Matthew 10:31:

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

We are reminded constantly about Grace, God’s unmerited favor. Grace comes from God, through Jesus Christ, and we need Grace in order to inherit eternal life. However, we seldom talk about God’s careful attention to every detail of our lives through His Grace. God’s grace is everywhere. It is impossible to miss, reject, or even hide from Grace. The Bible says, God’s Grace is sufficient for everything! He cares about every detail of our life and covers our lives with His Grace.

We can be sure that God really cares! He numbers our hairs. Jesus says, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” If God cares that much about our body, how much more He must care about our soul. There is nothing about our physical being that God is not keenly aware of.

God counts our steps. Job said, “Doth not [God] see my ways, and count all my steps?” God knows every step we take, and He knows where those steps take us. God knows when we break His laws, but He also knows when we stay on the straight and narrow path!

God books our thoughts. Malachi 3:16 says, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” We cannot hide a single thought from God! We are admonished that God knows the thoughts that come from our carnal mind but, He also knows our thoughts that come from our heart. God knows the conflict raging inside us. Thus His solution, “Think upon His name.”

God bottles our tears. David wrote, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.” God knows every tear we shed and counts every tear precious. God knows when we are in pain, frightened or disappointed. He sees our sorrow, and He harvests our tears and mixes them with the ones Jesus shed. Yes, Jesus wept!

God takes our hands. When Israel feared that God had abandoned them, He told Isaiah to tell them, “For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” There is never a time when God withdraws His hand of protection from those who belong to Him. There is no enemy He cannot conquer. When God takes our hand we are completely outfitted with the armor of God, thoroughly filled with the spirit of God and properly anointed with the power of God. In other words, when God takes our hand, “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper!”

Finally, God supplies our needs. When Paul wrote to the struggling church in Philippi, he said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” What more assurance do we need that God really cares? If we trust Him, no worry will weaken us, no trial will destroy us, and no challenge will frighten us.

The Truth is the Light!

July 11, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Hebrews 11:1:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

We recognize faith as the genesis of our spiritual understanding. The truth of the matter is void of faith, the Bible becomes merely another book of words. Without faith, the holy writ, though interesting and thought provoking, has little or no impact. However, when we apply faith, the Bible then becomes a valuable resource fulfilling all of our needs. All that the God we serve can and will do for us begins with faith.

Our text is evidence of the writer’s faith. He testifies that faith is so strong that he calls faith evidence. Faith for him is living proof on which we can place all of our hope. We find in another translation that faith is assurance. In this context faith is our assurance, our guarantee, if you will, upon which all else is built. In other words faith, gives us the unquestionable assurance that we belong to God, and He belongs to us.

Faith in its simplest form is merely belief. In other words, God says it, and we believe it. We believe, however, only when we let go of what we know, and apply our faith in God who knows everything. The truth of the matter is though it sounds so simple, folk continue to stumble over the idea.

You see, we listen willingly and accept what God says because we believe that God would never lie to us. Believe me, getting to that point of belief in God can often be complicated! True, for some folk, the journey from unbelief to belief is short. Some folk hear and believe immediately. Lamentably, we find for most folk believing becomes problematic as it is clouded by worldly philosophies and self-righteousness. Not as many people find faith simply by reading the Bible as do people reading other Christians. There are many around us who are watching how we behave, what we say, and, especially, how we interact with others. People around us observe our demeanor, our emotions, and our temperament. And when people see our faith in action, they want what we have.

When we begin to put our faith to work, it then takes on a new confidence. The more we use our faith, the more confident we become in our faith’s ability to sustain us. God knows we need practice to build our confidence. God strengthens us through His permissive will, allowing trials and pitfalls along the way to bolster our confidence in Him. And the more we experience with God, the more confidence we have that God is right there with us through all of life’s challenges.

The question for each of us is simply what is our faith level? Are we limping along and mumbling our miseries? Well, beloved, it is high time to put our faith to the test. If we put on our “glasses of faith,” we will see our Savior listening to every word we pray, watching every choice we make. If we are attentive, we will feel our Savior monitoring the places we go. We will understand that Jesus knows every thought we have and witnesses every moment we live. Jesus is petitioning His Father for mercy.

We are challenged to grab hold of the Solid Rock! If we would only ask, Jesus will help us deal with our temptations and our circumstances. If we would be so bold as to reach out to Him, Jesus will help us handle our fears and frustrations, our troubles, and our torments.

When we walk and talk with Jesus, He will develop in us a visible faith. The world around us will be witness to the fact that the Lord has become our anchor through any adversity and our deliverer in times of despair. Our visible faith will be all the evidence we need to prove that the Lord is real!

The Truth is the Light!

July 11, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 10:10-11:

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

Becoming a Christian can be similar in some ways to starting a new job. Similarly, there are new rules to follow and new schedules to adopt. Like on the new job, there are new people to meet and, quite possibly, a new mindset to accept. Embracing the changes can be a bit overwhelming, maybe on some level even a little scary.

Becoming a Christian could be a problem especially if not everyone in our household is saved. It could be stressful if the folk where we used to hang out are teasing us and laughing at the fact that we chose to follow Jesus Christ.

Think about it, Beloved; we chose to follow a leader who was essentially homeless, broke, and alone in His hour of need. We were not promised financial security, comfort, or stability. The truth of the matter is, what we were promised was persecution. However, in spite of everything we read and heard, we said yes to the offer of salvation. We put our name on the role and vowed to wear this new garment of servanthood.

The question is, what does all this mean? In other words, what does it mean to be a Christian? In becoming a Christian, how is it that we change our entire existence, put on a completely new image and become a whole new human being? How can we be sure it is even possible?

To help us understand this new job, this new life, this new commitment, and these new requirements, we can look at it from a life in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ perspective.

Life in Christ is the starting point. This is where we begin. Sign up day, and we have just landed the job of Christian. We are excited, enthusiastic, and on fire with new possibilities. We have come to this point with high expectations and even higher hopes.

What should we be feeling, relief, liberation, or exoneration? I contend we should feel all of that and more! Think about it; we have just started over. We have just exchanged our old life for a new one. In fact, this is our fresh start. 2 Corinthians says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” This new life means that we have been released from condemnation, set free from sentencing and banished from blame. All that stuff that weighed heavy on our heart has been lifted. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” It is as if our sin sentence has been converted to time served.

How did all this happen? How could all that guilt we have been lugging around suddenly disappear? Maybe we are not quite sure; however, we do know for sure it feels good and we owe it all to Jesus! Romans 8:2 says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

We are brand new living life in Christ; next comes life with Christ. Our heart has been sanitized, but now it needs to be sanctified. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) There is a new resident in our earthly house. His name is Jesus Christ.

Our old friends will start to wonder why we are not present at some of the places we used to go and why we don’t talk like we used to talk. In fact, folk may think we are missing in action. The Bible says, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3). That old self was buried with Christ, and we are resurrected with Christ to a new way of life our old friends won’t recognize.

Living with Christ, He helps us develop new relationships, new goals, new habits, new attitudes, and new responsibilities. Christ sets a new standard of living that begins with our heart. He teaches us how to be holy and how to follow His example. Suddenly, we find ourselves hungering and thirsting for His righteousness. We don’t worry about the past or the future anymore because God’s got us in the palm of His hands.

We are a work in progress. We are being molded and shaped for our new assignment, life for Christ! Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24). We find out that there is work to be done. We must share our testimony with the ones who have yet to hear about Christ. In the Parable of the Great Supper, Jesus tells us to “go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

Christ’s love motivates us, and His Spirit anoints us. Christ’s hand guides us, and His Grace energizes us. By His wisdom and through His power, God directs us to accomplish what we could never do by ourselves. We are becoming obedient soldiers because Christ is in us and with us. We are laborers, but we are laborers together with God. We no longer live for ourselves. Christ “died for all, that [we] which live should not henceforth live unto [ourselves], but unto Him which died for [us], and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15).

Living for Christ God’s love is our motivation, and His Word is our inspiration. The Blood of Christ is our justification. Living for Christ we will grieve over the sin in our life instead of trying to justify it and earnestly pursue holiness as our new way of life.

The Truth is the Light!

July 2, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 10:8:

The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.

I would like to use this text to take a close look at our faith. Let’s focus on the faith Paul says we ought to preach. Let us consider the faith that should be in our mouth, and in our heart, where it comes from, and how it gets deposited into our spirit.

Faith is God’s provision for us made available by His mercy and His grace. It is drawn from the unseen realm of the spirit to this natural earthly realm. The amount of faith we take out of the storehouse depends exclusively on how much we hope for. The Bible reminds us that, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1).

It may be a little difficult for some folk to understand just how God’s storehouse of faith could be full of everything we need. When we try to comprehend God’s provision, our programmed minds quickly turn to the material things of life. This is true most times because we think of God’s provision as tangible sustenance. Sustenance, for the most part, we think is bread, water, shelter, finances, and other material comforts. However, God’s storehouse does not operate quite like that. The faith plan operates more like, when we desire food and shelter, God provides opportunity. When our desire is healing, God provides strength.

Hearing deposits faith into our spirit. Our hearing is God’s transport system. The Bible says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The truth of the matter is no one can build a faith foundation without first hearing the Word of God. Yes, the God who can do anything could have chosen other ways to send His Word to us. However, He wanted us to be more than mere puppets without choice. Thus, God requires us to hear His Word and make a personal decision. The grand design of salvation simply says, if we hear the Word and confess that Christ is our Savior, and we believe in our heart that Christ was raised from the dead, we shall be saved. The formula for salvation simply requires that we hear and then believe.

I believe the difficulty for some folk to truly grasp the real meaning of the Word lies in its simplicity. It may sound oversimplified; however, the reality of our relationship with God is that we merely have to hear and accept God’s deposit of faith in our spirit. There is no need for us to prove our value to God. The truth is God wants us, sins and all.

So, faith is God’s provision for us, and our hearing is God’s transport system. Then, there needs to be a storage place for all that we hear. That storage place is our heart. It is the place where faith is stored. The Bible says, “for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.” Our heart holds all the deposited promises of God, waiting for us to make a withdrawal. To withdraw, we need but to speak the Word of faith.

Seasoned Christians make small faith withdrawals from the heart all day long without hesitation. In many little ways, we allow God’s provision of faith to take up residence in our hearts. But that heart storage is not just for the little things. It’s for the big things also.

The faith stored in our heart is good for a withdrawal when our back is up against the wall and we don’t know which way to turn. The faith stored in our heart is good for a withdrawal when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and when we have been kicked, ruined, weakened, or shackled by circumstance beyond our control.

When Satan has kicked us, we can make a faith withdrawal, and God will lift us up. When we have been blindsided with sin, we can make a faith withdrawal, and God will forgive us.

The Truth is the Light!

June 25, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Joshua 7:1 NIV

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

Let me provide a little background before moving forward.

God gave Joshua specific instructions before the Israelites invaded Jericho. God told the Israelites that every living thing was to be put to death, and all the “stuff” belonging to the people of Jericho was to be dedicated to the Lord’s treasury. He was absolutely clear that none of the Israelite soldiers were to keep any of the spoils. Joshua, the leader, knew it would not be a good idea to question God and His plans. Therefore, he gave the specific instructions to everybody. However, everyone obeyed God but Achan. Achan sinned and took some of the wealth for himself.

The truth is many of us might even sympathize with Achan. After all, he risked his life fighting hard like everyone else. This was Achan’s chance to get ahead. He could pocket a little “change.” Finally, something tangible for his devotion to Joshua. Why not get something out of the deal, right?

Well, the problem with Achan taking some of Jericho’s wealth is that it was an act of disobedience. God’s strict requirement was obedience, and what He got from Brother Achan was clearly disobedience. Lamentably, disobedience is a sin we are all too familiar with.

Far too often we allow the pursuit of something tangible to cloud our judgment. The truth of the matter is we often let our pursuit of “stuff” keep us from being obedient. In many instances, it is our desire to accumulate “stuff” that causes us to take our focus off God. We hear God say, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house.” However, we squander our tithes gathering more “stuff” at the mall, and we short-change God on Sunday. My point is, it is like Achan’s sin of disobediently keeping the spoils of battle when our “stuff” becomes our god.

I’ve learned over the course of my ministry folk do not like when the pastor talks about money. Believe you me, I don’t make it a habit. So, then, let me make it clear that our “stuff” does not have to be money or even a pile of tangible objects. No, Beloved, our “stuff” can be a frat or lodge meeting, a social gathering, a football, baseball or basketball game, or even a chance to get in some more hours at work so we can buy some more “stuff.” In other words, our “stuff” is anything that takes our eyes, our minds, our focus, and our heart off of God.

Our God is everywhere, knows everything, and sees everything. This one soldier did not escape God’s notice. God saw Achan’s sin when he took some of the ‘devoted things’ that belonged to God, and God’s anger was kindled, not just against Achan, but against all Israel. We need to understand that it only takes one!

Achan did not seem to care that his actions got everybody else in trouble. It did not appear that he gave much thought to the fact that his disobedience was going to cost Joshua his next victory. I make this point to warn us as we are inclined to point the finger of blame at Achan. Let us first take a look at ourselves. It is a fact that we are selfish by nature. We are in fact selfish enough to believe our actions only affect us. Most of us don’t stop to think about the effect our actions have on others. I contend that in many instances we just don’t care. We think, “It’s my life, and I’ll do what I want.” The preacher in me has to say, “I know I’m right about it.”

The truth of the matter is, our disobedient actions don’t just hurt us, they hurt others around us. Our text does not say that only Achan would suffer for his disobedience. It says, “but the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.”

The fact is that God has rules for a reason. God’s rules are meant to help our carnal flesh keep its focus. Can you imagine what the kingdom of God would look like if all of us who profess to be God’s children obeyed His rules! God’s church bank accounts would be full, and God’s houses would be full.

The Truth is the Light!

June 18, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: Acts 5:29:

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Laws established by our elected politicians and appointed judges were patterned after the morality established and demonstrated by God in the Bible. The truth is that, until now, there were not many who would even think to challenge such laws.

It is so very obvious that we live in a different era now. In this time of technological genius, we appear to be so intent on maximizing our freedoms that we now have the audacity to challenge even God. We were led by God to draft a constitution affirming that He is no respecter of persons. We seem to have become no respecter of God.

We find biblical morality is being challenged on every front as the divide between church and state grows wider and wider. No prayer in school, no Ten Commandments posted in the courthouse. We find ourselves in an age of confrontation with the political “right” and “left.” The question is, what is a Christian to do?

The answer is very clear for those of us who are “the called according to God’s purpose.” We, who profess to be “children of the most High God,” are mandated to preserve the Word of God at any cost. It would certainly appear that the battle lines have been drawn. How far will we go to defend our cause for Christ?

In our text, we find that Peter and John have taken a stand for the Lord. They have preached the unadulterated Word of God in city after city despite warnings of imprisonment and even death. Now they find themselves standing before the Jewish high court. All the high priest needed to say was, “We gave you strict orders.” Peter and John boasted boldly, “We must obey God rather than men.”

As Christians, it is important for us to realize that we can sometimes do the right thing and end up guilty before the law and innocent before God. We must understand that it is never a light thing to break the laws of our nation. However, there are times when, as the Apostles did in Jerusalem, “we must obey God rather than man.” It is the way that we show that God is truly in charge. It is also the only way that the Word of God will be preserved for our future generations. Jesus warned that the Word of God would not, could not, and must not be altered.

The question for us now becomes “How much effort are we willing to put forth to preserve the influence of the Word of God in our daily lives?” Peter and John’s ministry did not fail the Lord, will ours? Will we have the courage to face off against the political enemies of God? Christ is seated at the throne of God, waiting for the Church to take a stand. Now is not the time for lukewarm Christianity! Clearly, it is high time for us to reach our boiling point and take a stand for the Lord. The truth of the matter is, it is time to get back to doing things God’s way.

In the same week we observe the anniversary of the senseless murder of the Emmanuel 9, we find ourselves grief-stricken as yet another lunatic has, for whatever reason, opened fire in a crowded night club killing 49 and wounding at least 50 others. Once again, the Church of Jesus Christ should have been overwhelmed with sadness to see our citizens pouring into the streets with lighted candles, searching for answers, and not knowing where to look. Again, too soon, we find folk forced to their knees by overwhelming circumstance, yet we still find that too many did not know how to pray or whom to pray to. Has the Church of Jesus Christ lost its influence and impact on America?

Well, I, for one, believe it is time for the church to clear its vision, re-align its priorities, revive its heart, and remold its attitude. It is time for us to once again submit to God’s authority with unyielding faith. It is time that we “lean not to our own understanding” and trust in God’s Word. It is time we come to grips with the fact that alone we have no strength to deal with evil. We must believe in God’s power and surrender to God’s will.

We are challenged in these critical times to take a stand for the Lord. We must summon the courage of Peter and John to face our adversaries, the wisdom of the Son of God to face our trials, and the assurance of the Word of God to overcome our temptations. Beloved, we need the help of the Spirit of God to restore our power. “Oh come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” (Psalm 95:6-7) and “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15)

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Matthew 10:31:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Hebrews 11:1:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 10:10-11:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 10:8:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Joshua 7:1 NIV

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Acts 5:29:

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