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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!

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

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 4:20:

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God”

Sometimes we need to ask the question, “How well do we take care of our faith?” Think about it — we take care of our hair, our nails, and our pets. We are meticulous about our cars, electronic toys, and our golf clubs. But really, how well do any of us take care of our faith?

If faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, it makes sense that we would care for the substance and the evidence that will carry us toward the things we hope for. The New English Version translates, “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The truth of the matter is, that kind of faith does not just happen; it has to be nurtured.

The fact is that faith is nothing more than belief in a promise. Folk in biblical times were certain of that promise. They were confident that God would do exactly what He promised. That is the essence of faith.

The concept of Christianity is really quite simple. The concept of Christianity is faith. We faithfully believe there is a God who sits high and looks low. We live by faith in His promise to be our provider, our sustainer, our healer, our direction and our light in darkness. When we are faithful, we live as if God will keep His promise. When we apply our faith, we conduct our lives as if God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do! Living by faith is taking God at His Word. The question for us is, “How firm is our faith?”

The Bible is filled with promises for believers. So, then, living by faith requires that we become familiar with those promises. It would be encouraging and even nourishing to our faith if we would take time to review God’s promises. We could begin by taking time to scan the list of promises from forgiveness, to protection, to our relationship with God, and the promise of Eternal Life. Reviewing God’s promises can help bolster our faith.

Consider this, the circumstances surrounding us right now have nothing to do with whether or not God loves us. The extent to which God loves us was settled over 2,000 years ago with the sacrifice of His Son on the cross of Calvary.

The truth is we have to learn to take care of our faith. Why, because if we want blessings from God, nothing can fetch them down but faith. Our prayer will not be answered unless it is the earnest prayer of a man or woman who believes. Faith is the invisible wire that links earth and heaven. If that wire is not connected how can we receive the promises of God?

“How firm is our faith?” Firm faith is believing God when it looks bleak and even when we are in trouble. Firm faith trusts God when we are surrounded by the enemy. The truth is, firm faith believes and trusts God even when all the conditions around us say that we should be frightened, or scared, or disappointed.

We can keep our faith firm by feeding it a daily diet of healthy scripture. We can keep our faith firmed up by remaining faithful to the worship experience and applying our bible knowledge to our daily living. This is the way we feed our faith! “How firm is our faith?”

The Truth is the Light!

June 4, 2016 by Rev. Dr. Charles R. Watkins, Jr. Leave a Comment

Based on Biblical Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”

There comes a time when we should long for the chance to fix what we believe has gone wrong in our lives. We wish for the opportunity to start over seeking the reassurance that no matter how much we may have messed up things from now on might be different. Given another opportunity somehow this time we’re going to get it right.

One thing for sure, we all need correction. Truth be told some of us need more correction than others, for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Starting fresh is a good idea for all of us. We all could use a time of reflection, when we can take a good look at ourselves in the mirror and ask the Lord to fix our flaws. The truth of matter is that what one person thinks is a flaw another person flaunts. That could be because we are not very good at judging ourselves. We tend to see ourselves through rose-colored glasses.

I’m wondering if there are some among us who are not afraid to stand before God and let Him do the judging. Do we desire to let the Lord purge our soul of all that is displeasing and unrighteous?

I wonder if anyone of us have given any thought at all to our traits and habits. For example, what if God made a list of the character traits and habits He desired to correct in us? What would God want to remove from us? The truth is that deep inside of all of us are the suppressed sins of a Christian trying hard to get it right every day. That may surprise some folk. However, just because we are all avid church goers and committee members does not mean that we are perfect. We would probably not want to share our list with everyone. However, we are all sinners saved by grace. We are all striving to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. There are times when we find ourselves frustrated and angry. We get impatient, intolerant, selfish, and a bit self-seeking.

Thank God there is something we can do about all that. That’s right — we can work to keep ourselves pure and undefiled. The truth is, we can stay connected to our Savior. We can keep checking our mirror’s reflection to make sure that we are looking more like Him than ourselves.

Our text warns that we must “be in Christ.” We must understand that to be “in Christ” is to be completely enveloped and surrounded by the glory and power of Christ. When we are “in Christ,” we are new creatures. What that means is the “old self” of ours no longer has power. That old attitude, old way of thinking, and old way of dealing with our concerns won’t have a chance to drag us down. Please know that Satan may try! But Christ has promised that no weapon formed against us shall prosper because we are new creatures in Christ. The preacher in me can’t help but say, Hallelujah!

Maybe an agricultural reference would be helpful. Imagine with me that our lives are like a strawberry field. Our intent is to produce huge, sweet strawberries, but for some reason, all we seem to be able to do is keep the weeds cut low. Fruit doesn’t appear all that often, and when it does, it’s not very good. The reason is that strawberries need good soil. The only way to produce good strawberries is to plow up the whole field and start over with perfect soil and new plants.

That is how it is with us and sin. The truth of the matter is, we have so much difficulty living right because there is bad soil of temptation all around us. Try as we might, we seem only able to keep our sins down low, hidden from sight. The problem is, living like that we will never bear fruit. We must let Christ “plow our field” and let Him replace it with good soil. Christ in us, (our soil) and He can make all things new. We will be absolutely amazed at the fruit we will bear.

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:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: Romans 4:20:

The Truth is the Light!

Based on Biblical Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17:

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