My Final Christmas List

 Dr. Mike Murphy

December 24, 2021

As a child, I started making my Christmas list before the leaves even began to turn. And as the days to Christmas became shorter, my list grew longer.  With each commercial came another toy I just had to have.  My list read each year like a novel, far more resembling Tolstoy than cliff notes.  With each Batman and Superman episode, my list grew.  As I watched the Saturday morning cartoons, I sat with pencil and paper in hand.  From Erector sets that I quickly lost the pieces of, to electronic football games that vibrated the players all over the field, each were toys that Santa just had to find a way to make fit in his bag.

As I grew, my list greatly changed.  Although my list became much shorter, the toys I added to the list became much more expensive.  Televisions, stereos, and video gaming systems soon replaced Legos and Battleship. I wanted Santa’s bag no less full, just filled with items that required a lot more space.

It took me years to figure out what was really important enough to add to my list. Years to realize that what I wanted the most could not fit in Santa's bag, but could easily fit in my heart and in my soul.  That true happiness could not be found in the presents left for me under the tree, but could only be seen in the eyes of the One who gave me the only present I will ever need.

Although the words and the purpose of my list has changed, I still make the time to fill out my list each year.  As I sit here today, I find myself again with pencil and paper, ready to make out my list.  But as I pick up my pencil, I realize this will probably be the last time I do so.  The reality and current state of my health, tells me that I am close to permanently placing my pencil down and no longer being able to reach for the paper.  The cancer that attacks my body has spread to the point that I realize my time is greater measured in terms of months, than it is by years.

But as I make out my final Christmas list, I find myself today just as eager to pick up my pencil as I was when I was a child so many years ago.  Just as anxious for the items I place on my list, as I was watching the commercials of those Saturday morning cartoons that filled my childhood.  A list this year that is more a prayer than a request.  A list that can not be filled by Santa, but only be seen in the prayers that I offer to the Lord above.  Prayers that my eyes long to see for this Church.  Prayers that I long to hear in the words of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  And prayers that my heart desires for each of you that are reading this today. 

I pray for this Church, that we will remember again what it means to be the Church. A Church that is not defined by what this world sees as our calling, but will again become what the Lord has always been calling us to be.  I pray the Lord will open our doors to hear His words being taught.  Not hearing words from our pulpits that make excuses for us, but words that bring growth and maturity to us.  Words that echo the voice of Paul as he told us, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”(Ephesians 4:14).  

I pray that He will again find this Church as a place of fellowship.  A fellowship that encourages us.  A fellowship that instructs us.  A fellowship that commits us.  A fellowship that brings out every ounce of true compassion that is in us.  A fellowship that is seen in the reflection of love that Christ has placed in each of us.

I pray the Lord will again be able to describe this Church by the blessings that flow out of us, not by the elaborate structures that so often holds us.  A place where God’s glory is honored, and a place where the Cross stands tall.  A place where bread is not just broke, but shared.  A place so filled with the Spirit that it forces us out of the doors, and into the communities that surround us.

I pray the Lord will not find this Church cowering in a corner, but proudly and powerfully on our knees before the only One who can ever lead us.  Fully armored, and ready for battle.  Realizing this battle cannot be won through appeasement to this world, but can only be fought and won with our heads bowed, and His Word in hand.  A place where prayer is not just taught, but practiced.  Where our battle cries are proclaimed with our eyes closed, and our hands raised in praise. 

I pray the Lord will find this Church again giving a clear message of salvation, not heard in us repeating the whispers of this world’s desires.  A place where faith is not just heard in our voice, but seen in our deeds.  A place that shines in the darkness as bright as the light that Christ has placed in all of us.  A place that again is not just Christ-like, but a place where the hinges of the doors are removed so we can be Christ following.

I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  That Christ will not just be heard in our needs, but will heard in every word of our wants and in each syllable of our desires.  I pray that our words will not just speak of Christ, but that each word will call us into action for Christ.  For too long, the Lord has seen us as the observers, not as the doers.  We have becomes those that slow down when they see a wreck on the side of the road.  Starring from a distance at what we see, eyes wide and mouth opened in shock.  But never finding it in our hearts to stop our cars, rushing out to help in the tragedy we see.  So sadly, we have become more attracted to the dramatic than to the need.  A need Christ has called us to.

I pray that we will again understand what it means to be the Body of Christ.  A Body that never forgets that Christ is our Head.  A Body that follows the lead of the Head, and is enjoined in His glory.  A Body that reflects Christ, and allows the world to see Christ.  A Body that is always Spirit filled, and is always Spirit driven.  And a Body that knows the importance of each part, knowing that if each part works as it was created, the Body as a whole is capable of astonishing this world.  A Body that does not just speak, hear, see, and feel His love, but would never think to let a day go by when we do not demonstrate that love.

And I pray for each of you.  I pray that each of you will realize what Paul meant when he told us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13).  I pray these words will not be limited to the pages you read, but will be words that leap from the pages, calling you to action each and every day.  Christ told us that nothing is impossible with God(Matthew 19:26), and a part of that nothing includes each of you.  Place no limitations on God, and expect no limitations on what the Lord can do through a willing heart.  Never wait until tomorrow, what He is calling you to do today.  Each day, He lays so many opportunities at our feet.  Opportunities that allow His hands to use each of you in the most incredible of ways.  Opportunities to change the lives of those around you. Opportunities to bring endless glory to His name.  Never feel these opportunities are to great for you to handle, nothing is too big when you have God by your side.  And never feel each opportunity He gives you is too small to really matter.  With the smallest of sparks can come the greatest of fires. That single spark you start today, may be the flames He calls others to fan tomorrow. That single spark you set, my create a fire so bright all the world can see the Light from it.  Never let these opportunities pass you by.  I have so often said, the opportunity you let slip by today, may be the blessing you will never know tomorrow.

As I finish my final Christmas list, I do so not with a tear, but with a smile. A smile of hope,  Hope that I hear in the voices, and see on the faces of so many of you.  God has incredible plans for so many of your lives.  Plans that will lead you in the most amazing of directions, touching the lives of the most remarkable people, bringing glory to His name in the most wondrous of ways.  There is no item I could write on my list that I wish I could see more. No words I could place on the paper than would ever mean more.  Items on my list that I know the Lord is going to fulfill through so many of you.  Although I may not be here to see my list delivered, I have faith that each prayer on my list will be answered.  Answered by God through each of you in the most amazing of ways.  

I pray that my final Christmas list will serve as the smallest of sparks, a spark that the Lord will use so many of you to turn into a flame.  A flame that will burn so bright that I will see it in the heavens.  A flame that will fill your life with the most amazing stories of what God is doing through you each day..  Stories that will have me awaiting your arrival, so I can hear for an eternity all the amazing things the Lord has accomplished through each of you.

Praying each of you will be a part of my final Christmas list.

Identity Crisis

Dr. Mike Murphy

September 6, 2021

As he woke, he began to gather his bearings.  He found himself in a hospital room not knowing why.  He was connected to monitors and his head was bandaged.  For the life of him, he could not remember why, or how he had got there.  He began to realize that he could not remember anything, that his life was a complete blank.  He could not recall what he had done, what he did, or even who he was.

After several weeks of recovery, his body healed but his mind had not improved.  At his release from the hospital, he decided he was given a second chance, and that he would spend his life to make the most of it.  He spent the next several years involved in a charity to help those in need.

One day, he noticed a man that continued to stare at him.  The man looked at him so often it gave him a very uneasy feeling.  Soon he saw the man approach with two policemen by his side.  The policemen immediately placed him under arrest, and he was brought to the station and he was fingerprinted.  He soon learned he was being charged with a series of robberies in a town several miles away.  He had committed a slew of crimes that he could not even remember.  Who was this man who had done such things?  And how could this man possibly be him?

We have all watched as movies and television shows have been created on this very premise.  The plots and twist of these shows pull us in, and connect us with the characters of the story.  But what few of us know, many of us today are witnessing similar events to this story.  We are a part of a real life case of amnesia.  Those of us in this country who believe in Christ, are watching as the plotline of this story plays out around us.  We are caught in the middle of this thriller, not even realizing we are the lead character.  We, the Church, go about our daily lives without knowledge of who we are, or of the Word that directs us. Our history and our purpose have become a blur, tucked away in the depths of the conscience in our mind.  We walk around aimlessly, not knowing where we are going or where we have been.  The Church today suffers from amnesia, we find ourselves caught in a dangerous identity crisis.

A famous man once said, “In this hour I would ask of the Lord God only this: that He would give His blessing to our work, and that He may ever give us the courage to do the right. I am convinced that men who are created by God should live in accordance with the will of the Almighty. No man can fashion world history unless upon his purpose and his powers there rests the blessings of this Providence."  He went on to say, “As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice.”

So who made these comments?  What man of history am I quoting?  A worthy world figure, or a Church leader?  Would you believe neither.  The man who said the two above quotes was none other than Adolf Hitler!

At the time Hitler rose to power, ninety percent of all Germans professed to be Christian.  But when we look at the society of Germany in that day, we soon discover that although ninety percent claimed to know who Christ was, few believed in what Christ did or taught.  Most considered themselves a Christian is they had received infant baptism or occasionally attend a worship service.  A belief in Christ was not a prerequisite for being called a Christian.  Hitler, himself, was baptized as a child in the Catholic Church.  He served as an altar boy, and at one time in his life wanted to become a priest.  Hitler’s life and history would show us that one who attends church, and one who professes Christ as their Savior are two completely different things.

In the early 1930’s, Hitler saw the Church as a tool in which he could use and control the people.  In 1933, Hitler signed the Nazi-Vatican Concordat with the Catholic Church.  This pact announced the Catholic Church’s support and acceptance of Hitler and Nazism, and in return Hitler would guarantee many religious freedoms for the Catholic Church.  At this time, Hitler proclaimed the praises of a Christian faith and went on to say how he wanted to rid Germany of all atheism.

So why would Hitler go to such trouble to gain the support of the Church? Hitler knew that if he did not first trick and deceive Christians into following him, they would interfere in what he had planned in the future.  His eventual goal was not just to rid the nation and the world of Jews, but to change the very beliefs of the Christian faith into one that followed his own sadistic views.  One of Hitler’s closest followers said at the Nuremberg Congress in 1936, “I am absolutely clear in my own mind, and I think I can speak for the Fuhrer as well, that both the Catholic and Protestant churches must vanish from the life of our people.”

Few realized in that day, but Hitler’s goal was to replace Christ with himself in the views of the Church.  Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Propaganda Minister, once said, “Our Fuhrer is the intermediary between the people and the throne of God.  Everything the Fuhrer utters is religion in the highest sense.”  He even went a step farther. teaching that every house of worship needed a standard to follow. In 1942, the New York Times published Hitler’s plan called the “National Reich Church”.  This was Hitler’s plan to raise himself up in the place of Christ.  A few of the rules stated.

--The National Reich Church has no scribes, pastors, chaplains or priests but National Reich orators are to speak in them.

--The National Reich Church demands immediate cessation of the publishing and dissemination of the Bible in Germany as well as the publication of Sunday papers, pamphlets, publications and books of a religious nature.

--The National Reich Church has to take severe measures in order to prevent the Bible and other Christian publications being imported into Germany.

--The National Reich Church has made it its sacred duty to use all its energy to popularize the coeternal "Mein Kampf" and to let every German live and complete his life according to this book.

-- The National Reich Church will clear away from its altars all crucifixes, Bibles and pictures of Saints.

--On the altars there must be nothing but "Mein Kampf", which is to the German nation and therefore to God the most sacred book, and to the left of the altar a sword.

-- The National Reich Church does not acknowledge forgiveness of sins. It represents the standpoint which it will always proclaim that a sin once committed will be ruthlessly punished by the honorable and indestructible laws of nature and punishment will follow during the sinner's lifetime.

These are but a few of the thirty rules that Hitler looked to replace the Church with.  Although during his early political years Hitler often quoted the Bible, he later claimed the Bible was a fairytale invented by Jews, thus banning the Bible in all of Germany.  He would then print his own bible, removing all Hebrew words and replacing the Ten Commandments with twelve of his own.  He also rewrote the Lord’s Prayer, making it mandatory to recite to the youth on a daily bases.  “Adolf Hitler, you are our great Fuhrer. Thy name makes the enemy tremble. Thy Third Reich comes; thy will alone is law upon the earth. Let us hear daily thy voice, and order us by thy leadership, for we will obey to the end, even with our lives We praise thee; hail Hitler Fuhrer my Fuhrer, given me by God. Protect and preserve my life for long. You saved Germany in time of need; I thank you for my daily bread; be with me for a long time, do not leave me, Fuhrer my Fuhrer, my faith, my light – hail, my Fuhrer.”

Hitler even used one of the most loved and renown German figures of history to sell his false doctrines to the German people.  Martin Luther had been a founding father of the Reformation Movement, and his work forever changed the Church as we know it.  Luther taught that salvation and the heavenly eternity that springs from it, was not earned by our good deeds, but could only be received as a free gift of God’s Grace through our belief and faith in Jesus Christ.  He taught that the Bible was the sole source of Divine knowledge, and God could only be understood through the Bible itself.  He also taught that sin could not and did not need to be forgiven by a priest(Sacerdotalism), it could only be given to man by God Himself.

For most of his life, Martin Luther taught a kindness toward the Jewish people, with an aim of converting them to Christianity.  But in his latter years as his health faltered, something in Martin Luther snapped, and his kindness toward Jews turned to hatred.  He became angry that many did not convert, and his words became venom.  Shortly before his death he said, “Such a desperate, thoroughly evil, poisonous and devilish lot are these Jews, who for these fourteen hundred years have been and still are our plague, our pestilence, and our misfortune.”

In his publication, On the Jews and Their Lies, he stated seven actions that all Christians should carry out against the Jewish people.

--First, to set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn.

--Second, I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed.

--Third, I advise that all their prayer books and Talmudic writings, in which such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught, be taken from them.

--Fourth, I advise that their rabbis be forbidden to teach henceforth on pain of loss of life and limb.

--Fifth, I advise that safe-conduct on the highways be abolished completely for the Jews.

--Sixth, I advise that usury be prohibited to them, and that all cash and treasure of silver and gold be taken from them and be put aside for safekeeping

--Seventh, I commend putting a flail, an ax, a hoe, a spade, a distaff, or a spindle into the hands of young, strong Jews and Jewesses and letting them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow.

Sound familiar?  These were the very practices that Hitler implemented against the Jewish people.  The very practices that led the world to devastation and brought the deaths of countless millions.  And much of the German population followed blindly.  Many, if not most in the Church, did nothing until it was way too late.  The Church in Germany bought into the lie, often without question they followed the ravings of a lunatic, marching to the edge then following him over the cliff.  

You may ask yourself, why would the Church in Germany allow and then follow this?  Because they did not know the truth!  They were not based in God’s Word, so anything could be presented and sold to them as the Word of God. Many of the pastors, priest, and churchgoers of that day in Germany, knew the name of Christ, but did not know who Christ was or for what purpose He had come.  They knew there was a Bible, but they could not tell you the Words of God that filled it!  Their own ignorance and apathy had been used against them, thinking themselves secure, they had become lost.

When you look at the Church of Germany in the early thirties, and you look at the Church in our nation today, it is not hard to see a few parallels.  We see how many within the Church and this nation as so easily deceived because they no longer have a bases in God’s Word.  We watch today as God’s Word is twisted and misquoted to make fit the circumstances of the day, and the personal beliefs of men.  We are often told what the Bible says, without knowing or seeking out exactly what God’s Word does actually say.  Truth has become circumstantial, relative to the situation we find ourselves in.  God’s Word is twisted to justify our own actions. We watch as many lessen the purpose and the life of Christ, placing other religious leaders on equal footing.  And we see many replace the promises made to God’s chosen people with the Church itself, often spouting hatred and venom at the nation of Israel as they do this.  The scariest part about this is, we do not just see this in the pew, we often hear this from the pulpit.  If we actually knew and spent time in God’s Word, we would have read Paul’s warning, “and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them”(Acts 20:30).

We must find ourselves again following another quote from Paul.  2 Corinthians 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?”  When we find Christ in us, we find ourselves grounded and based in the Truth of God’s Word.  The ways of the world become just that, the world’s ways!.  Only then can we begin to see, the failed logic of man can never stand against the wisdom we can only find in God. The Church in this nation must once again find itself proclaiming, “man does not have all the answers, but we know One who does!”  But for us to make this proclamation, the Church must once again find itself.

It is not always easy for us to face our faults.  It can be very difficult for us to admit our mistakes.  But it is time the Church took a long hard look at itself, and began to heed the words of Paul.  We need to test ourselves, and examine just where we stand.  With a long, hard look in the mirror we may not like what we see.  The imagine that shows back to us may not be one we recognize.  We may no longer remember the face that stares back.  But we must once again go back in the recesses of our mind, and begin to recall the face we once saw and knew. We must overcome this amnesia we find ourselves confused and dazed by, and remember the One who brought us here, and the Truth that should keep us here every day!

“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”  1 John 4:2-3

Praying each of you do not face an identity crisis, knowing the Name Above All Names!

With A Little(What Is Faith?)

 Dr. Mike Murphy

August 8, 2021

A young boy was invited to spend some time with Albert Einstein. Although very intelligent, the young boy was more than a little arrogant.  After spending time with Dr. Einstein, they walked out onto his porch to continue their talk.  As they sat on the porch, the young boy smiled, thinking of a way he could possibly trip up Dr. Einstein.  As they began to sit, the young boy pointed to a tree, and asked, “How do we even know that tree is there?” Calmly Albert Einstein looked over at the young boy and replied, “Only by faith.”

What is faith?  The dictionary defines faith as “strong belief or trust in someone or something, belief in the existence of God, strong religious feelings or beliefs, a system of religious beliefs”.  Although belief and trust are a big part of our faith, to accept this definition would mean that if we believe there is a God or have feelings for God, then we have faith in God.  This is one time Webster and the scholastic world simply got it wrong!  Faith cannot be found through positive thinking.  Faith cannot be defined by intuition or premonition.  Faith is not wishing for the best, and hoping all will turn out okay.  Although many would try to define faith in such terms, it can never be seen or identified in this way.    

The Bible defines faith in an altogether different way.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  When we read this verse, we must ask ourselves, what is the assurance and the conviction that defines our faith?

The word for assurance means “that has foundation and actual existence, a firm substance of real being.”   The word comes from another Greek word that actually means “to stand under”.  Assurance is certainty, the reality of trust we have in things around us.  When we walk up the stairs in our home, we do so with certainty, without second thought.  We have walked up those stairs so many times that we know they will support us, and get us to where we need to be.  Assurance is based in trust, knowing we can rely on something with complete confidence.

Conviction means “that by which a thing is proved or tested”.  This is why we refer to the term when someone has been found guilty of a crime.  The conviction of our faith is the same.  We have been shown the evidence, and have seen all the things that support that evidence.  We have conducted our own personal trial, and been shown all the facts.  We have intelligently looked at this evidence, and have made our ruling.  Jesus Christ is who He claims to be!  He is the Son of the living God, who came to this earth to offer each of us a true and lasting hope!

When we take a close look at these two words, we begin to see the power that Paul placed in this verse.  And when we go back and look at the verse in its’ original language, we see even more power.  The Greek literally translates, “Now faith is the reality of things being hoped for, the proof of things not seen.”  Our faith is both reality and proof, it is based on both our mindful acknowledgement and our certainty.  We cannot know and understand faith without both.  Through our mindful acknowledgement, we have the proof our faith is based on. Through our certainty, we experience the reality of knowing our faith is true.  

The best way this can be explained, is by doing so the way Jesus would have. Through a example or parable. When we see a boat, our mind quickly identifies the object and recognizes it as a boat, not as a car or a plane.  Through our experiences, we have come to know the purpose of a boat.  The boat is designed to keep us afloat on water, and to help us get to the other side.  Our faith is likened to the trust that allows us to step into that boat, knowing what it is designed for and the purpose it is meant to serve.  This is why Paul goes on to tell us that without faith, it is impossible for us to please God(Hebrews 11:6).  For the Lord knows that without faith, we will never find ourselves in that boat!

To truly understand faith, we need to understand where our faith comes from.  Faith is not something we can just learn.  It is not something we can obtain on our own.  And it is not something that we are born with.  Faith is a gift.  It is not a gift we deserve, or a gift we have earned.  Along with His grace and mercy, it is a gift that leads to His glory, a gift to fulfill His plan and purpose for each of us.  A gift that will never be any better than the One we place that faith in.

Faith is vital to the life of every Christian.  We are saved through faith(Ephesians 2:8), we are justified by faith(Romans 5:1),  our hearts are cleansed by faith(Acts 15:9), and through our faith we look forward to the return of Christ(2 Peter 3).  It it because of our faith that we please God, that we show the Lord our trust and dependency on Him, and that we seek to rely on His mercy and His grace.  

Our faith is rational(Hebrews 11:3), showing us that God is the Creator of all.  Our faith is revolutionary(Hebrews 11:4-8), making the invisible visible, and the impossible possible. Our faith is inspiring(Hebrews 11:4-40), leading us to places we would have never gone, and accomplishing things we would have never imagined.  And our faith is discerning(Hebrews 11:26), teaching us the rewards of Heaven over the riches of man. 

Our faith is trusting, our faith is rational, and our faith calls us to action.  As we closely see how the Lord defines faith, let us take a closer look at each of these.

Faith Is Trusting.  

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”, Proverbs 3:5..  A verse many of us have grown up knowing, being taught to us from our earliest years.  Many will often try to separate the words trust and faith, but you actually cannot.  Although they are two different words, you cannot define one of these words without the other.  It is through trust that we can believe in all the promises God has given us.  And it is through faith that we trust those promises will be fulfilled.  Without trust, our faith would rely on hope.  Trust gives us the assurance of those things, and what separates the truth of God’s Word from all the other religions of this would.  We have seen the fulfillment of God’s Word, therefore we can trust His Word.  No other religion can make that claim!  They just hope the false words their ‘god’ has given them will come true.

Two hundred and forty-five times we see the word faith used in the King James Version of the New Testament.  What may surprise you, it is only used twice in the Old Testament.  But both times the word carries incredible meaning. In Habakkuk 2:4 we read, “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”   The Hebrew word for faith means “firm, secure, trustworthiness”.  It is actually derived from another word that means “craftsman”.  A craftsman was seen as a one who was an expert in his field, whose actions could be trusted.  Someone whose actions had purpose and meaning, and what they made you could be secure in.  It is by no mistake that the words is used here!  It is by faith that we can have security and trust in God’s Word and His work.  This word shows us that there is far more to faith that just knowing God.  It shows us that faith is trusting God, and believing that we should follow His will.  

Trust is a call to our faith.  Trust is why we should follow God with all our heart, committing every part of our life to the Lord with complete confidence. Showing us that our faith does not rest in the logic of men, but in the proven wisdom of God.  Jesus said in Luke 4:4, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”  Trust shows us why our faith in Christ is all we will ever need!

Faith is Rational.

Our faith is not a philosophical theory or even a psychological fact.  Our faith is nothing short of a spiritual force!  Our faith is living, created from a Living Word, that has produced a living proof!  Although our faith is not solely based on evidence, it is supported by every ounce of evidence this world has ever seen.

Despite what many would try to tell us, our faith is not blind.  The very heart of the Christian worldview is based on actual evidence, not on blind faith.  It is only after one is presented with overwhelming evidence that he or she is invited to place their faith in the facts of the Gospel.  Our faith is not about turning off our brains and only following our heart.  It is also not driven by the emotions of the day.  Our faith is about seeking Christ with every character and feature of our body, every cell that makes up our existence being used to follow God.  Our mind shows us the reality of all we hear, and our eyes shows us each day that our faith is not blind.

Throughout the Scriptures we are shown that reason, understanding, and wisdom are traits that are rewarded.  Proverbs 3:13 tells us, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.”  This verse tells us we are blessed when we seek wisdom from, and understanding in God.  We must remember, that God created us with the ability to reason and to think.  And He gave us those abilities for a very specific purpose, so that we might seek and find the truth.  God knows that if we truly seek that truth, we will find Him.  Psalm 14:1 tells us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’.”  The word for fool used here does not refer to a lack of intelligence, but refers to a person without morals.  This verse shows us that when we deny the existence of God, we put ourselves on a path in search of evil.  Reason and understanding that does not focus on God, soon becomes the logic that leads us to the evil of this world. Faith is not only rational, faith is a sign of intelligence in God’s eyes!

Faith Is Action.

An impala is an amazing creature.  This antelope found in the savanna of Africa, has athleticism and grace that few animals can match.  In a single jump it can reach heights of over ten feet, and can leap distances of over thirty feet.  But with all of its’ abilities, you can enclose an impala behind a three foot wall and it will never escape.  An impala will never jump if it cannot first see where its’ feet will land.  Fear, and this world, would have us be like the impala.  Entrapped in fences without knowing what lies beyond.  But our faith allows us to overcome the fear of these fences that Satan would place in front of us.  Our faith draws us into action, causing us to step over those fences.

We must begin to understand, faith is not just believing in the evidence God would have us see, it is putting that wisdom into action.  Faith is not just cheap talk, faith also requires our hard work.  Faith takes us beyond talk, it puts us into action.  Faith is more that just believing in God, faith leads us to behave by the Word of God.

Faith is an action.  Look at the Bible as an example.  Noah built an ark.  Abraham departed his home when he received the call of God.  Moses commanded Pharaoh to let the Israelis go.  Joshua fought for the Lord.  Samuel anointed David.  Each of these were acts of faith.  Faith requires action, without action there cannot be faith.  In Hebrew there is not even a noun form of the word for faith, it can only be found in verb form.  Each of the above patriarchs stand in the presence of the Lord today, because they chose(a verb) to follow the call of God.

Faith is a doctrine that is expressed through our choice, through our action.  Faith leads us from belief toward trust and obedience, and that trust and obedience requires us to act.  We must never forget, faith is our trust, our reasoning, and our understanding in action.  In order to follow God, we must first get up, and put all that God shows us into movement.  Our faith is evident in everything we do.  It is only when we put our faith into action, that the world around us can see Christ reflected in each of us!

Faith!  A word far more powerful that most of us ever imagined.  A word that Christ tells us with the smallest of amounts we could move mountains.  Our faith brought us to the Cross, put us on our knees in front of that Cross, and calls us to show the world the beauty of that Cross. Faith is not just our holding on to God.  It is knowing that God is holding on to us, and that He will never let us go!  It is us knowing that before He even thought to let go, He would move mountains. That He would and will move this very earth because of our faith.

Praying each of you will move mountains!

Simple Kind Of Man

Dr. Mike Murphy
June 28, 2021

"It made me greatly ashamed of the vileness of my former life, and confounded me with the sense of mine own ignorance; for there never came thought into mine heart before now that showed me so the beauty of Jesus Christ.  It made me love a holy life, and long to do something for the honour and glory of the name of the Lord Jesus.  Yea, I thought that had I now a thousand gallons of blood in my body, I could spill it all for the sake of the Lord Jesus."

Who do you think wrote these words?  Would you guess one of the Christian writers like C.S. Lewis, Fanny Crosby, or G.K. Chesterton?  Or would you guess one of the great novelist of history like Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, or John Steinbeck?  Or would you guess one of the great ministers like C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Finney, or Billy Graham? Although each would reference him, and most would often quote him, none of these wrote the words above.  These are the words of a man few know the name of, but a man God used in a powerful way.  These are the words of John Bunyan.

Most hear the name Bunyan and immediately think of a giant of a man with a blue ox, but John Bunyan was just as giant of a man in his own right. Countless stories you have read, and endless sermons you have heard, all have their roots in the words of John Bunyan.  He was a man far more quoted than known.  John Bunyan spoke words that would stir you, and wrote words that would move you.  He made the greatest of scholars marvel, and the worthiest of theologians ponder.  But through it all, John Bunyan was never more than a simple man.

Bunyan lived his life in the 1600’s in the town of Bedford, just north of London.  He came from a poor family, and never received much of a formal education.  As he became a young man, he served in the army for a brief time, then returned to work with his father as a tinker(metal worker).  Through it all, he lived his life far from God, but the whole time the Holy Spirit was working on John Bunyan.  Many nights, he would awake from dreams where he saw visions of demons in his sleep.  One Sunday, while playing sports, his mind was suddenly filled with a thought that he could not shake, a thought that startled him.  “Will you leave your sins and go to heaven, or have your sins and go to hell?”  It was a thought that stayed with him.  A short time later, he overheard several godly woman talking while making lace to sell.  He heard them speak of the joys of salvation, and how their own righteousness was unable to save them.  The words would stick with John Bunyan, and he would remember them often.

Many of these thoughts and incidents led John to clean up his life, looking to be seen as a moral man.  But there was still one problem, God had yet to change his heart.  So John still struggled internally as he tried to look moral outwardly.  John remembered the group of women he had heard speak of the joys of salvation, and knew they attended a local Baptist church.  John soon found himself at the church, and soon found himself close with the pastor of the church, who took John under his wing.  John did not find Christ overnight, it took him years to work through the demons that haunted him.  But through it all, Christ found John, and found a permanent place in John’s heart.

As John grew in Christ, his love for God’s Word also grew.  Soon John became a deacon of the church, and soon found himself preaching on Sundays. It did not take the church long to recognize the gift that God had given this man, and the call He had placed on his life.  John began to preach wherever, and whenever he could. It is reported that often thousands would bear the rain and storms to come hear John speak.  He would speak wherever the Holy Spirit moved and led him, often in barns, stables or even in open pastures.  But wherever he was led, John spoke the truth in God’s Word, and he spoke each word with a boldness that was led by that truth.

But with each word John spoke, enemies grew.  At this time in history, the State controlled much of the Church.  They did not agree with the way John conducted his sermons, and they were upset at the fact that he had not been formally trained as a minister.  So John was arrested, and put on trial.  During the trial, those who had captured John came to him.  They told him they would set him free if only he would promise to never preach again.  This was tempting to John, as he had a wife and four children, one daughter who was blind.  He worried what would become of his family without him working and providing for them.  But the Lord spoke to John, and John stood strong.  As John was sent to prison, the magistrate warned him that if he ever got out of prison and preached again, the State would hang him.  John’s reply startled all who heard, “If I were out of prison today, I would preach the Gospel again tomorrow by the help of God.”

For the next twelve years, John would call a prison cell home.  But even from the isolation of a cell, the Lord gave John a voice, and He blessed John in ways he could have never imagined.  From the cell, the Lord spoke to John, and the words He led John to write have blessed the world many times over.  From his cell, John wrote, Pilgrim’s Progress, and Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners, and other incredible writings of God’s mercy and His love.  John once explained that it was in prison that the Lord opened His Word to him in ways He never could have anywhere else.  God had a captured audience in John, and John soon found that his capture was actually a blessing, allowing him endless time to spend with our Lord.  John would later say of prison, “He can make a jail more beautiful than a palace, restraint more sweet by far than liberty, and the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.”

After spending twelve years behind bars, John was released and eventually given a license to preach.  With each word John spoke, thousands would flock to hear him speak of Christ.  His words had a power that even the greatest of scholars could not explain.  One of the greatest theologian scholars of the today, John Owen, would often find himself listening to the words of John Bunyan.  One day, King Charles II would ask John Owen what he could possible gain from hearing this tinker preach?  Owen answered the king by saying, “May it please your majesty, if I could possess that tinker’s abilities for preaching, I would most gladly relinquish all my learning.”

John Bunyan never spoke a word of Greek or Hebrew.  Terms that I use today so easily like Tetragrammaton, Theophany, and Soteriology, John Bunyan never knew.  But of this man C.H. Spurgeon would once say, “Prick that man anywhere and his blood is bibline.” There is not a single word of Pilgrim’s Progress that is not supported and immersed in the Word of God.  John Bunyan’s knowledge of God’s truth was not found in a book, but as you read each of his words it is not hard to see that His truth is found.  Bunyan did not find that truth though in the words of others, but in the Word of God.  I could build a library the size of Texas, fill it with the works of every great theological scholar of history, and it would still not compare to the understanding that John Bunyan had through his personal relationship and the conversations he had with our Lord.  Bunyan showed us that knowledge and logic may be found in men, and may be seen in a book, but only wisdom can come from the Lord.  A wisdom that He so longs to share with each of us still today.

By all accounts, John Bunyan was a simple man.  A man who never studied at the feet of the world’s great scholars. A man who most of our seminaries today would scoff at, would reject and never allow to grace their halls. A man who most churches would never hire, and most denominations would never give the time of day.  A man the world would describe as simple.  But a man whose Godly wisdom made him far from simple.

As I talk about the life of John Bunyan, the words of a song from my youth come back to me.  “Be a simple kind of man.  Be something you love and understand.”  With each day I left to spend on this earth, I pray the Lord will make me a simple kind of man.  A man whose heart will simply feel the love that Christ brought to us.  Whose eyes will see the simple truth His Word shows us.  Whose ears will simply hear the grace and mercy His whispers to each of us.  And whose mind will know the simple wisdom only He can give us. 

I wish to follow a truth that is not confined stiffly to the pages of a book, but a Godly truth that flows, moves and breaths as He surrounds me in that truth. A truth that drives me to my knees, and keeps me on my knees.  A truth that quiets me when this world calls me to speak, but emboldens me when the Lord needs me to speak.  A truth that no man can offer me, but a truth that the Lord so graciously gives me.  A simple truth that cannot be found in my own words, but are found in every word that He speaks through me.

More than once, I have spoke of a faith I was blessed to have seen in my grandmother.  One of my most cherished possessions is a Bible that she used every day. As you open each page of her Bible, you can barely read the verses because of all she wrote in the margins.  But each time I look closely, I find those margins far from a distraction, but filled with wisdom.  My grandmother was far from being considered an “educated woman”.  Her formal education ended with the fifth grade.  In the writings of the margin of her Bible, you will not find a single theological word that myself, and most theologians use freely each day.  But in each of her words you will find a wisdom and an understanding that speaks directly to your heart.  A simple truth that no book could have shown her, that only the Lord could have revealed to her.  An understanding that goes far deeper than the sophisticated words I have often spoken and written.  A simple truth that explains God’s Word in a way that every man can comprehend, and that all of His children yearns to understand.

I pray, that the Church, and myself, will return to a faith like the one that once brought children to the knee of Christ.  A faith filled with the innocence of humility and trust, A faith filled with an unbridled joy, that would allow us to rush to His lap, and to feel Him surround us with His arms.  A faith without pride, ambition, and absence of pretentiousness. A faith that forgets our own logic, and seeks the blessings of His wisdom.  A simple faith that is only known in a Father’s love, and only felt in our Father’s presence.

A simple faith that led the psalmist to proclaim, “The unfolding of Your words gives light.  It gives understanding to the simple.”(Psalm  119:130).  A message of faith that took the most sophisticated plan that man would ever know, and brought that plan to this world in the most simple of ways.  A simple truth that came into this world as a Child so many years ago.  A simple wisdom, that Child would grow to give us, and spend each day explaining to us.  A simple mercy that Child would die on a cross for so that we might all know.  A simple grace that Child offers to each of us today.  A simple love, that the Spirit of that Child longs to fill in each of us as you read these words.  A simple message that longs to again be heard throughout this world today.  A simple truth that yearns to be heard again by this simple kind of man.

Praying a simple understanding will soon return to this land and to this Church.