“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

The title above is the definition of the word specious. It is a word which can be used to describe several common philosophies on life:

• A specious philosophy: “If you want to be happy in your marriage, you’re going to have to train—and usually demand—your spouse to give you what you need. You’ll have to be the boss.”
  • The Spirit says: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord… Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:22, 25)
• A specious philosophy: “If you don’t hold onto every penny that you get, you’ll be broke and unhappy. Hoard all forms of wealth, and keep them all to yourself.”
  • The Spirit says (in a passage where he wasn’t only talking about church contributions): “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6-7)
• A specious philosophy: “People will know you’re a person of strong faith by the ways you mostly point out others’ mistakes in their attempts to live rightly before God.”
  • The Spirit says: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father,” and “by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Matt. 5:16 and John 13:35)

There could obviously many more of these contrasts. One of Satan's best tools is to make that which is obviously harmful appear to be a good idea. One of the many great blessings available to those who love God with the whole mind (Matt. 22:37) is the ability to understand the real problems of Satan's specious arguments and the real blessings of God's perfect plan!

- 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

Our blind spots are almost always in places that are closest to us. When driving, your blind spots are right beside your car—close to you. When you hold a still infant, he’s often too close to your own eyes to determine if he’s asleep or awake without asking someone else. And in fact, you’ve never seen your own face directly. You’ve only seen pictures of yourself in mirrors and on cameras. You are blind to the part of yourself that is closest to your eyes. 

The same often happens in our view of spiritual things. The areas in which we see ourselves the least clearly are often those which are closest to us. Our family relationships—are we truly devoting ourselves to God in those relationships or are we blinded to our own attitudes and actions because we are emotionally close? With our money—are we truly devoting ourselves to God with it or are we blinded because we depend on it so much for happiness? Even with our eating habits—are we truly devoted to self-control for the glory of God or are we blinded to that ourselves because “that’s too personal to let religion meddle with it”?  (An older preacher told me about preaching a sermon on gluttony. Afterward, a congregant approached him and said, "Now you've quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'.")

This principle applies across humanity. We are more likely to be blind to our most dearly beloved assumptions about life. A deeply patriotic man may have difficulty keeping a clear perspective on Christ’s kingdom that is not of this world. A naturalistic man (one who believes nothing supernatural exists) will likely have difficulty seeing what is otherwise clear evidence of a Designer in this God-spoken world. It is these heart-deep assumptions that are the most difficult for us to clearly analyze.

It is my prayer, then, that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened to see ourselves more clearly in view of God’s glory. It should be the prayer of every Christian that we are willing to become vulnerable enough and to trust God enough to let his light into EVERY blind spot of our lives.

- Dan Lankford, minister

While the Lord goes to great pains to emphasize in his Word that all believers are of equally great value in his sight, he does give particular attention in the New Testament to those who propagated the spread of the Gospel message. Those men and women—many of whom we would call “missionaries” today—willingly incurred personal risk and hardship in and effort to take history’s most worthwhile message “to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Christians of their era knew the power of God was at work in these brothers and sisters, and so they prayed for their success.

In Acts 4, after two of the apostles—Peter and John—had been arrested for teaching the gospel, the believers gathered to pray to God. And while they acknowledge the sizable opposition they face (Acts 4:27), they also confidently express their believe that God has been in control the whole time (v. 28). Their prayer, then, is for the boldness necessary to continue to teach the lost openly in spite of the opposition they face. And God answers their prayer with astonishing church growth through the rest of Acts.

Later, in one of his letters to Christians, the apostle Paul would request prayers for himself along much the same vein. “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.” (Col. 4:2-4)  Paul believed in the power of prayer. He knew how important it was to the spread of the gospel and to his ministry to fellow Christians. His prayer is primarily for two things: opportunity and clarity of the message.

Obviously, these prayers ought to be easily echoed by believers today. Our mission has not changed despite how much our world may have seemed to change. And so we would do well to pray for those whose life’s work consists of teaching the gospel to the lost. We would do well to pray for their boldness, to celebrate their successes, and to imitate their examples of faith. The message of the cross is the power of God to those of us who are being saved (1 Cor. 1:18). Let’s pray for many, many more to receive that power!

- Dan Lankford, evangelist

It seems that the best gift in any relationship is fellowship. It’s the gift of sharing something—thoughts, experiences, passions, or just time. It is one of the defining elements of Christian-to-Christians relationships that we share Christ and the Holy Spirit and thereby have fellowship with each other.

Today, remember that this is the best gift you can give to dad too: share something with him. And especially make it a point to share your time with him if there’s any way you can. Dads are often encouraged to share time with their kids (Eph. 6:4—you can’t bring children up to maturity without a serious time commitment), and the same encouragement ought to be heeded in the other direction.

So give some serious consideration to how you could spend some time with your dad in a way that he would appreciate it today. Play a game that he enjoys, watch a game that he enjoys, go somewhere he likes to be, talk about one of his favorite subjects, find one of his old favorite TV shows on YouTube and watch it with him, talk about a great book you’ve read, or ask about his favorite memories from when he was a kid.

If at all possible, do your best today to “honor your father” (Eph. 6:2) in some way. A gift that he can open is definitely a good thing, but give it a little extra thought, and you’ll probably be able to think of a way to share a little more and to instill some fellowship in your relationship.

- Dan Lankford, minister

In some places throughout Scripture the nature of God is explained in-depth. In the opening chapters of Genesis, the fact that God is in control of nature is demonstrated by the fact that He created it. In the book of Exodus, the fact that God can redeem his people is demonstrated His freeing them from the slavery of Egypt. In the book of Leviticus, the fact that God is holy is seen in the holiness He demands from his people.

But while these isolated passages exist, it is the entire Bible that reminds us of these truths. More subtle reminders of God’s character are peppered through so many other topics.

Consider a phrase from Hebrews 4:16. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace.” The phrase “throne of grace” is only used here, but the concepts are by no means unique to this verse.

The fact that God sits on a “throne” shows His kingship. He is sovereign. He has sole reign of all that He has created. He gets to make the rules, and not only because He demands to be in charge, but simply because He IS in charge. Simply by pointing out that He is on a throne, the Holy Spirit reminds us that God will always and must always have authority.

And the fact that God’s throne is one of “grace” illustrates one of the balancing aspects of His kingship. He is not just a king who demands to be respected; He is a king who deserves to be respected because he is so gracious and so generous. And while a king can only be approached by certain people—whom he chooses to allow—God the King approaches His people. He came down to our level with all of His infinite blessings. He does not remain aloof from His subjects. He is graciously willing to come for us.

It is in this simple phrase that we are reminded that our God is the perfect kind of ruler for us. A truly benevolent monarch with naught but our best interests in mind. My brethren, let us then with confidence draw near to his throne of grace!

- Dan Lankford, minister

When your job is to make a sale, your success is measured on the standard of the consumer. If the consumer doesn’t buy, you didn’t succeed. Thus, a salesman is dependent upon the perception of his consumer. And so whether by warping a perspective on its positive points, overlooking or downplaying its inevitable disappointments, or by simply changing the product, the sale must be made.

As believers, it is not our job to sell the gospel. Our job is to share the gospel. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy told the Thessalonians they were “ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves.” (1 Thess. 2:8) It is simply not our job to make the gospel appealing by warping people’s perspective on its positive points, overlooking or downplaying its inevitable difficulties, or by simply trying to change the gospel. The reality is that we do not have to make a sale to be successful.

It is every Christian’s job to share the gospel—to simply speak the truth about it and let it make its own appeal to our hearers’ hearts. It is both a simple & complex message based on a compelling story of God & his people. It is a message with the power to change lives and save lives. And it doesn’t need us to infuse it with that power; it just needs to us share it with those who do not yet know it.

This means we do not have to be dependent on the consumer for success. We do not have to “make sales” to validate our efforts in the sight of God. Under this tyranny of desperation for validation, approval, or a sale, all of us have a tendency to jettison the core elements of the original greatness—the true & pure essence of the central idea (in this case, the gospel).

But because we are simply trying to share the gospel, we can do so with the knowledge that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). We must still share the gospel with everyone, but we can do so without a compulsion to change it, improve it, or find more clever ways of selling it. It’s God’s message to man; just share it.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Fasting has always been portrayed in the Scriptures as a method of eliminating distractions present in the physical life in order to focus on the realities of the spiritual life. This is especially important in times when our earthly lives are plagued with distress and fear. Eliminating a concern for food—a major concern for us on any normal day—frees the mind to focus in prayer and to truly seek the Lord’s comfort and strength. There is a powerful demonstration of this as Esther puts her life on the line to save the Jewish nation. Before she enters the king’s presence, she asks the entire nation to forego eating food and to pray for her to have favor in his eyes (Esther 4:16).

And yet, even in times of great calm and peace, fasting has the ability to lend the same sort of spiritual focus. In fact, there are a few times in the New Testament when people just say “no” to something that is, in its own right, a good thing. They reject it, however, for the purpose of devoting themselves to that which is more important at the time.

In Acts 6, a need arose among the widows who were members of the massive Jerusalem church, and the apostles were approached about taking care of it. Their response: “we will devote ourselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer,” and so other men were appointed to solve the problem. They denied themselves the opportunity to do good in order to focus on an even greater good.

In 1 Corinthians 7:15, the Holy Spirit says to married couples, “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again.” Even the blessings of marriage can be foregone on occasion to achieve greater spiritual focus.

What about in your life? What are there some things that you can deny yourself for a time to devote yourself to God? It is truly helpful to occasionally challenge our own senses of self-control (one of the fruits of the spirit) to make sure that our entire lives are under God’s control.

Take a look at your life. Deny yourself some pleasure that you regularly enjoy. And in its place, give your mind and your heart to the word of God and to prayer.

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.’” (Gen. 11:4)

The tower of Babel—“Babylon” in the original language—was the brainchild of a people seeking their own glory. “Come and let us make a name for ourselves.”

In our efforts to Rise Up & Build in this new year, the Lord has already blessed our congregation with success. He has given a growing sense of family as new and old members have all connected more deeply. He has given growth in number through conversions and repeated guests. He has given the increase in our faith as individuals through the study of his word in our lives. And for all of this, we must remember to thank HIM for the growth.

In any effort by God's people to Rise Up & Build, the goal must be to give glory to God. God halted construction of the Tower of Babylon because mankind had already failed—they had already lost sight of whose glory they must live for.
In view of our efforts to Rise Up & Build in 2016, it is difficult to overstate the importance of this mindset. Because if we are building in hopes that Eastland will become a great name among churches, we have the wrong goals. If we are building in hopes that our methods will become noteworthy and be imitated among other groups, we have the wrong goals. Even if we are building in hopes of the excitement of new people and new facilities, we have the wrong goals.

In all of our efforts to live the gospel, share the gospel, and participate in the gospel, the goal must be to bring souls to Christ. To live for God’s glory better in our own lives, to bring others to see his glory and live for that themselves, and to participate together in bringing glory to him. If it is for our own glory, it will fail. Only when we build for God’s glory will we continue to be blessed with growth!

- Dan Lankford, minister