Everyone is surely aware of the national advertising campaign on television and radio that encourages the use of a “designated driver” and even advocates taking car keys away from a drunk person so that he won’t get behind the wheel. It features the catchy phrase – “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.”

As a spin-off of that idea, you’ve probably also seen the bumper stickers that say, Friends don’t let friends drive Fords (or Chevys or Toyotas or whatever). Unless you work at one of those companies, it is likely that you smile when you see one of those bumper stickers.

One phrase is serious; one is intended to be humorous. Here’s an even more serious thought. A true friend would not even consider letting a close friend go to hell for eternity. Or would he?

Do you have friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, or fellow students that you have never talked to about their souls? These are people who will be lost if they don’t learn about Jesus and obey the gospel. You might be the only New Testament Christian with an opportunity to say something that could change their eternal destiny. Why haven’t you said something to them?

I realize that fear is a natural factor and that many of us are afraid of doing something that would make a friend mad at us. We like to avoid conflict and don’t want to hurt another person’s feelings.

But what is more important, staying comfortable and allowing your friend to go to hell forever or taking a chance and maybe seeing your friend eternally in heaven? Which option would be more important to a true friend? Which would God have you to do?

I know this isn’t easy for most of us. But isn’t it important enough to make it an urgent priority? Courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination to do what is right in spite of our fear.

Be a true friend to the lost people in your life. Friends don’t let friends go to hell.

--Roger Hillis

That’s kind of an odd title, isn’t it? I hope it makes more sense as you read through the article.

By being intentional, I simply mean planning your own life and not letting others decide everything for you. I am talking about making your own decisions, based on what you know God wants you to do. Do you live your life that way?

Now, I understand that there are unexpected things that can occur, many of them undesirable and beyond our control. There are illnesses, deaths, problems and trials that no one would personally choose. But even how we react to those sorts of things can be under our control.

When you are younger, you have little control over your own life. Your parents or others who are caring for you make all of your decisions for you. As you grow up, part of the maturing process is learning how to make appropriate decisions for yourself. Part of being a godly parent is training our children to make right decisions.

As an adult, we have much more control over things we do and where we go and who our friends are and what kinds of activities we participate in. We decide what to study in school, where we are going to live, who we will marry and many other important decisions of life. What kind of car will we drive, what kind of job or career will we pursue? There are many examples.

The question is, where does God fit into all of those decisions? What part does our relationship with Him play in the big things we decide about our lives? Do we make intentional decisions about what He would have us to do and then act on those things?

Or are we just existing, taking whatever comes our way and having little or nothing to say about our own future?

As a Christian, a disciple of Christ, do you think about the morality of things you do? Do you “Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)? Do you resist the Devil so he will flee from you (James 4:7)? Do you deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23)?

It doesn’t matter if you call this idea – plans, hopes, dreams, vision, goals. It all amounts to the same thing, controlling your life under the influence of God’s will to really make your life matter. I am talking about being proactive to live your life God’s way, not merely reactive to forces around you that are out of your control.

It is said there are three types of people in the world, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who say, “What happened?” You need to make things happen with your life. Don’t waste your days on the earth. Be a surrendered, faithful, godly servant of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:58).

--Roger Hillis

“Accountability” is talked about frequently in churches of all types. We recognize the need for it when we think about overcoming sin in our lives in view of passages like Hebrews 10:24 (“let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works”), Galatians 6:1 (“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness”), or Eccl. 4:9-10 (“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow”).

But we have a bit of trouble understanding what accountability truly should be.

Our brother Edwin Crozier points out that it’s not supposed to be just over-the-shoulder monitoring, which is how we most often think of it. He says:

“We most commonly say, ‘I’ve got to find someone to hold me accountable. They’re gonna look over my shoulder.’ And so we go to that person and we say, ‘Look, here’s my problem. I would like for you to just call me every once in awhile and ask me how I’m doing with that.’

This is a plan for failure. Not only is it a plan for failure; it’s a plan for failure that plans to allow you blame someone else. Because who have you given ownership of your spiritual growth to? That person who’s supposed to be looking over my shoulder. And so, when they get busy and they don’t call you and you stumble and fall, then we think, ‘That’s not my fault; that’s your fault, y’know? You were supposed to call me. What can I do? We all know I can’t do this on my own, but you didn’t call me.’”

There’s a major difference between thinking, “I need someone to keep me accountable” and thinking, “I’m going to find someone to whom I will be accountable.” I do encourage you to seek some accountability if you’re looking for help overcoming sin. You can’t do it alone, and you need to admit that and find some help, especially when you are willing to admit that your sin is controlling you. But make sure you find someone to offer you the right kind of accountability. Not that you turn your pursuit of God solely into their responsibility, but that you have determined to seek God, and you want someone that can help you win the battle which you are already ardently fighting.

- Dan Lankford, minister

A bit of advice for Christian parents (self included): let's read the Bible to our kids and with our kids.

Somewhere along the line, many Christian parents got the idea that the best way to share the word of God with our children was to change it. So we eliminated details, we added artist renderings of the stories which are very often historically inaccurate, we inserted punchlines and jokes all along the way, and we only told them the Bible stories that have happy endings.

Let me be clear: I'm not necessarily opposed to all the things in that list individually. And I'm not necessarily opposed to the use of all children's Bibles.

But as Christian parents who value the words of God himself, let's be sure we are sharing the words of God himself with our children. When God commanded the Israelites to teach their children, he said, "these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deut. 6:6-7)  He intended them to share his very words with their children.

Islamic parents understand this as a crucial part of sharing their faith. Their children are taught the Quran from the time they can talk. Most devout parents read passages to them multiple times daily. And as a result, they have one of the highest retention rates of all faiths. In other words, children from devout Muslim households very often grow up to be devout Muslims. And when asked why, they frequently cite a strong attachment to their holy book and the god (Allah) it describes.

We must do the same. If our holy book truly is the words of God (and I believe it is), and if the God in it truly is the author and perfecter of our faith (and I believe he is), then we must share THAT with our children—even when it challenges them, when it seems to bore them, and when they don't seem to appreciate it. Certainly, a simplified version of God's word will be easier and more entertaining for a child. But it won't have the same life-shaping power as the Gospel itself. Let's not neglect to share the God-breated word with them. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Christians often talk about the 'storms of life' when we read Jesus' admonition that:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." (Matt. 7:24-25)

As Hurricane Matthew is making landfall in Haiti this morning, weather experts and social aid volunteers are already calling the storm a worst-case scenario for the people of that country. A large number of homes there are built on loose mud surfaces. Many of them—simply because many families are too impoverished to afford anything more—are built of mud and sticks or just stacked cinderblocks. With that being the case, their houses are in great danger from the category 4 storm.

The destruction in Haiti ought to give us a clear picture of how bad the loss of a soul really is—how bad the situation is which Jesus describes in Matthew 7. We'll be seeing people lose the little bit that this life has to offer. Many will be homeless. Many will flounder not knowing their next steps or plans for moving forward. Many will weep for themselves and their families.

Is it not the same when we think of souls lost without God? Let's continually be sure that our own lives are founded on the rock—living the Gospel. And let's continually be reaching out to others in effort to save them—sharing the Gospel.

- Dan Lankford, minister

I love African American spirituals from the pre-Civil-War era of this country. They are an important American cultural artifact. They demonstrate a very Biblical mindset of a people who had been displaced from their homes and who were longing to be freed. And yet, they clung tenaciously to their hope in God and their desire to serve him even in the hardest stations of life. One song, written in the old style of those spirituals, holds my attention for its sentiment:

“Lord, I keep so busy praising my Jesus... Lord, I keep so busy serving my Master... Lord, I keep so busy working for the Kingdom... I ain’t got time to die! Because it takes all of my time! If I don’t praise him, the rocks gon’ cry out, ‘Glory and honor!’ I ain’t got time to die!”

That was the same attitude as the apostle Paul when he wrote, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:23-26).

The reality was that there was a GREAT work to do for the Lord! And Paul knew it so deeply—and he was committed to it so fully—that even while he knew death would bring him to the presence of the God he loved more than anything, he also knew that there was much he could do for the Lord still in this life!
How many of us have ever come close to exhibiting this level of devotion? How many of us would be willing to say that even Heaven itself could wait because we are so committed to our service to God—to our work in his kingdom?

May God give us the strength to work so diligently for him in this life. May our love for him be so strong that we just “ain’t got time to die” because we are just so busy working for our Master!

- Dan Lankford, minister

In Jesus’ story of the lost and found son, the younger son demands his inheritance from his still-living father, he goes to a far country, and he wastes his fortune. And Jesus says, “when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15:14-16).

It took a fall to the depths to make him realize the true heights he had enjoyed while still with his father. And the young man’s story of deprivation and degradation must surely remind us of our own lives.

Unfortunately, our best perspective on the heights of good comes when we fallen to the depths of evil. For us, the depths may come in the form of infidelity, financial hardship, physical sickness or disability, or any number of other strains which life places upon us.

It’s there that our minds become intuitively aware of not only the possibility but the absolute certainty that there must be something better. Our sense of the divine allows us to perceive a benevolent God’s presence through the created world and even hard-wired into our own consciousness (see Rom. 1:20, Eccl. 3:10). 
When the darkness is so thick that it can almost be felt, we long inexpressibly for light. When the emotions are so heavy we can barely stand them, we want support the most. When we are so hungry as to genuinely be starving, we need food all the more urgently.

As the son in Jesus’ story realized his dire need for his father when he bottomed out in life, we often realize the true extent of our need for God the Father when we are at our lowest points.

If that’s where you are, you should know that there is something better. There is a Father who will welcome you with open arms. And there is a whole family of His children at this place who will do the same! In the depths, look to the heights, and know that God can—and will—save!

- Dan Lankford, minister

A psychology professor did a series of experiments in efforts to better understand typical human behavior in matters requiring integrity.

He began by conducting a non-scientific experiment in several dorms on a college campus. In the communal refrigerators of some of the dorms, he placed a six-pack of Coke. In other dorm fridges, he left a plate with six $1 bills on it. The Cokes and dollars were nearly equivalent in value, yet within 72 hours, all of the sodas had disappeared but none of the dollar bills had been touched. The students could have easily grabbed a buck and then used it to get a Coke at a nearby machine. But they didn’t. Why? Because taking a dollar – money in its raw form – feels like stealing, while taking a Coke – a step removed from the money – feels more okay. The professor, in his conclusions drawn from the experiment, compared this to the way many people wouldn’t think twice about taking a ream of paper from work, but wouldn’t dream of grabbing $3.50 from the office’s petty cash box.

He followed this informal trial with a whole series of more scientific trials (which you can read about in this article) which led him to determine that we are more likely to do something which is against our values (in Christians' cases, the truth of God's word) if there are more steps involved in the process between the commission of the act/sin and the consequences we believe we'll receive for it.

Does that land close to home for you? Are there things in your life that you know, "I shouldn't do that," but you find yourself doing it again and again because it seems the consequences are so far removed from the sin?

Solomon noted that this is common human tendency: "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil." (Eccl. 8:11)  We have a real tendency to sacrifice our integrity when it seems it will cost us nothing to do so.

And yet, as disciples of Jesus, we must overcome this tendency. Because we understand that every sin does have immediate consequences—it breaks the heart of God and rejects the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:29ff). He is aware of our every move and thought (Heb. 13:5), and he feels the sting of every sin. And as his children, we would do especially well to remember that there is an immediate reason to resist sin every time we possibly can. We would do well to remember that every decision—no matter how insignificant the theft of a soda may seem—matters before God our Maker and Judge.

Every decision is an opportunity to either hurt him and then justify ourselves... or to live for his glory, even when he alone will see it!

- Dan Lankford, minister

(A note of special thanks is due to my own father, Jarell Lankford, for his absolute integrity shown to us in all matters like this. For a long time, I couldn't understand why he NEVER used company vehicles for personal purposes, NEVER printed personal documents on the church copier, and NEVER kept someone's tools more than one day past its usefulness to him. I understand now. And I appreciate your example, dad.)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” 

(Rom. 8:31)

That question, all by itself, may be one of the most reassuring sentences in the whole New Testament. It reminds us of God’s protection, of the value he’s placed on us, and of the eternal hope we have against the devil and the world.

But the reality is… anyone can still be against us as Christians.

ISIS is a radical Islamic group who are especially against Christians. Our culture’s naturalistic, secularized values system is set against Christians in many quadrants. And closer to home, many believers throughout the history of the faith have had family or fellow church members against them. And those even overlook the biggest threat which is “against us.” The devil himself is against us to destroy us (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).

Yet, even while there are many who can still be against us, the question is really asking: “If God is for us, who can be against us that actually matters?” And the answer to that: NOBODY. God’s promise to be with us absolutely trumps the power of anything else that would attempt to take us down. 

Let secular agendas come. Let persecution come. Let famine come. Let betrayals come. Let threats come. Let suffering come. Let the future come. Let death come. Let the devil himself be against us. In all of it, the Lord is with us. And no level of opposition matters against him.

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” 
(Eccl. 4:9-10)

We tend to think of relationships as a sort of recovery system for life. We frequently think about a husband who can be there to lift up his wife when she is down or of a great friend who can help balance out one’s own negative character traits. And based on the text above, that is a perfectly valid way to think of relationships—especially godly ones.

But let’s not forget the other side of the coin which is also talked about in this passage—“they have a good reward for their toil.”

Great relationships do not only help us when we are at a low ebb; they share the good with us when we are at a high point. Marriage is not only good because one spouse is strong while the other is weak; it is meant to be built on shared strength and shared joy. Truly great friendships do not only bring us up from our darkness; they celebrate and enjoy the light together. A church should not only be important to help me when I am weak; it is a relationship that is meant to be built on shared strength and shared joy.

Solomon continued his thought by saying, “if two lie together, they keep warm… though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him.” (Eccl. 4:11-12)  He saw the rewards of good relationships.

This little shift in our thinking can and should make some big changes in our relationships. When we are only thinking, “I need this relationship to fix me when I’m broken,” we will be much more likely to be selfish and demanding in the relationship. But when we think about making the other person’s life better whether they are “up” or “down,” then we will be able to give more to the relationship. And that is the best way to do it. That is the way Jesus did and does relationships. When both parties are working to give to the other, “they have a good reward for their toil.”

- Dan Lankford, minister