A cursory glance over several New Testament passages which emphasize our speech will reveal that God intends for us to choose our words deliberately.

• In the opening verses of 1 Corinthians, the apostle gives thanks that God's grace enriched their knowledge and their speech. (1 Cor. 1:4-5ff)
• In 1 Corinthians 2:4, the apostle reminds that his words were intended to convey the words of the Holy Spirit—the kind of speech with true power.
• In 2 Corinthians 8, as the Spirit pleads for those Christians to excel in generosity to needy brothers, he commends their excellence in speech, among other things (2 Cor. 8:7ff).
• In 1 Timothy 4:12, one of the antidotes for being despised for one's youth is to set an excellent example in the quality of his speech.
• To Titus, the apostle said, "Show yourself in all respects to be a model of... sound speech that cannot be condemned..." (Titus 2:7-8)
• And in Colossians 4:6, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

It becomes very apparent that this matter matters to God. And it matters in a couple of ways.

Firstly and obviously, it is important that Christians do not speak in ungodly ways. We are not to be blasphemous nor hateful nor untrue. We are not to be judgmental or unnecessarily harsh with our words. We are not to speak curses toward other people. These regulations are evident.

Secondly, and perhaps less obviously, the New Testament perspective on our speech means that we must speak with great thoughtfulness. From the above passages, we are given the impression of someone who speaks slowly and intentionally in order to get just the right words across. This intentional nature of our speech is what leads to excellence in it (2 Cor. 8:7). It gives us the carefully filter our own ideas out of the way and speak the words of the Spirit clearly (1 Cor. 2:4). And it sets us up to speak graciously in high-pressure, high-stakes, or high-intensity circumstances because we have made it a practice to speak graciously in every circumstance (Col. 4:6).

One specific application of this idea: we must work to communicate God's will clearly. It is natural to think of this as a preacher's goal, and it absolutely must be. But it is only his responsibility because he is a Christian and ALL Christians are commissioned to communicate the will of God perfectly as we can. When we flail our way through conversations about the cosmic concepts of redemption, grace, sanctification, holiness, and theology with careless words and haphazard statements of judgment on others... we are not helping anyone see the things of God more clearly. Mark Twain famously said, "The difference between any word and the right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." It takes diligence and humility to speak the oracles of God with a clear mind and a clear conscience.

The way we talk about God matters. It matters to our fellow saints, to the lost world, and to God himself. As Christians, it's time we put in the mental work that is required to communicate God and godliness clearly.

- Dan Lankford, minister

The gospel calls for our obedience with a broad range of emotional and intellectual appeals. It calls us to obey out of fear (Rom. 11:22), out of love (John 14:15), out of feelings guilt (Rom. 5:6-8), and out of a sense of duty (Rom. 13:11-14, discussed below). I believe this broad appeal is partly due to God's unsurpassed understanding of the human mind and his desire to call everyone to repentance. But I believe the main reason we find so many varied types of appeals is that the gospel fulfills all of our deepest needs, and consequently, it can call to us on all of our deepest emotional and psychological levels.

In Romans 13:11-14, the Holy Spirit calls us to get up and get ready. It is His "bugle call" rousing us from our lazy oversleeping in our tents. He calls us to put on our armor and get into the battle against the evil one! Our spiritual battle is happening now, and we must charge into the fray!

Notice the phrases he uses throughout to paint this picture:

"the hour has come for you to wake from sleep" (v. 11)
• Every soldier and every emergency responder understands that intense situations do not come at our conveniences, and so we must wake up—take action in the present—to fight for the Lord's glory and overcome.

"the night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness... Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy." (vv. 12, 13)
• When it comes time to fight the enemy (in the present), don't go AWOL and be carousing and drunk with the pleasures & ease of life or caught up in brawls caused by your own arrogance so that you can't respond to the enemy. A good soldier can enjoy himself, but he stays sober-minded & dressed for battle.

"and put on the armor of light" (v. 12)
• Again, a godly soldier is dressed for battle. Ready to defend himself against the enemy and ready to make offensive advances for the cause of his God.

"put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (v. 14)
• Our enemy is the temptations of the flesh. And while we must make some battle provisions before marching in, it simply does no good to provide the enemy an opportunity to overcome us. So we dress ourselves with the armor of light—put on the Lord Jesus Christ—and we carry the necessary tools to fight against the devil. But we carry nothing that might slow us down or give our enemy the upper hand over us.

The fight for the gospel is an urgent one. The bugle call is sounding now. Are you going to sleep lazily in your tent? Or are you going to get moving right away and do what needs to be done?!

"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." (James 4:17)

- Dan Lankford, minister

In Jesus' illustration using the house built on sand and the house built on solid rock (Matt. 7:24-27), both houses looked the same... until the storm came.

In his parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-8), the plants from three of the environments—the thorny soil, the rocky soil, and the good soil—looked the same... until it came time to bear fruit.

In his parable of the good seed and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30), both types of plant looked like they were going to be just fine... until the harvest.

The reality for us is that the Christian and the church-goer-only may look identical to the outside observer. Both may look morally solid. Both may look spiritually healthy. Both may look like they're going to be just fine in the long run. Until...

Until the storms of life come. Then you'll see a difference.
Until it comes time to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Then you'll see a difference.
Until the harvest—the judgment day—comes. Then you'll see a difference.

Are you going to be the church-goer-only and pray for ease and for no trials, no reckoning, and no harvest? Or are you going to be the Christian and pray for strength to endure, the faith to bear fruit, and the grace to be in His harvest?

- Dan Lankford, minister

As we talk about often as a church family, Christians need to be aware of our own need for balance. Today, I'd like to suggest a balance to our perspective on the recent moral changes taking place in our country.

It's very easy to get caught off guard when people (and organizations) of the world make morally bankrupt decisions. With the recent policy changes for large companies & government organizations regarding "gender association," many Christians are shocked (rightly so) and appalled (rightly so).

The balance I would like to offer to that perspective is this: be shocked & appalled AND be confident that God remains unchanged. It is right for us to express outrage and shock at the world's immorality. My Facebook thread is full of correctly judged assessments of the moral decay happening around us. Believers of all ages are saying things like, "I can't believe this is where our country is headed. I'm just worried for what it's going to be like for my children," and I believe their concerns are valid.

But let's make sure that in our outrage at sin and our thoughts about the country's moral future, we still speak as kingdom citizens. We belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb. 12:28). God's kingdom will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). It is ruled by a king who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). And the gates of Hell will never overtake the gates of God's kingdom (Matt. 16:18).

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Cor. 15:58)

Be sure to keep your perspective balanced in God's favor. In how you think, be sure to keep your faith in him. And in how you speak, what you teach, and what you post online; show the world your faith and hope in him!

- Dan Lankford, minister

When we complain, we talk about what we lack. We complain because we lack comfort—our income level isn't high enough, the work environment isn't pleasant enough, the kids don't behave well enough, the person near us in church doesn't sing well enough. We complain because we lack control—the weather ruins our plans, the homeowner's association changes the rules against our votes, our spouse simply refuses to meet our needs. And we complain because we lack what we want, which is the umbrella concept for everything else that we complain about.

On the other hand, when we give thanks, we think about what we have. Especially as Christians, we ponder what God gives and what God is. God gives comfort—the kind of comfort that motivated those who died for their faith and expected greater rewards after it was over. God is in control—the Scriptures are replete with reminders that no king, no disaster, & no lesser law can keep God from accomplishing what he has promised to do. God is what we need, and if our hearts are right, he becomes more and more what we want.

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."  (Col. 2:6-7)

- Dan Lankford, minister

Early this morning, terrorists attacked the city of Brussels, Belgium. At least two bombs were detonated—one in Belgium's largest airport and another at a subway station in downtown Brussels. The death toll is still uncertain, though it appears to be at least 30. ISIS (the radical Islamic splinter government of Iraq & Syria) has claimed responsibility for the attacks. It is yet another example of radical Islamic violence and needless loss of precious human life.

When terrorist attacks happen, I think most Christians' first thought is something like, "We need to pray for Belgium." This is evidenced by the fast-trending hashtag #prayforBrussels on Twitter today. And this, I believe, is healthy. Christians should pray when parts of the world fall victim to evil & violence. We should pray for Brussels today.

But.... what should we be praying?

Here are some thoughts to give your mind a little direction amid the emotional turmoil that inevitably comes with events like these:

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." (Rom. 10:1)

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:44-45)

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!" (Psa. 61:1-4)

"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 — it's worth remembering that our "normal," daily prayers are powerful and do not need to be put on hold in times of distress; in fact, many of those prayers become even more needed in times like these!)

"I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (1 Tim. 2:1-2)

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." (Rom. 10:1)

- Dan Lankford, minister

When he came home from the war zone due to combat injuries, US naval officer LtCdr. Eric Greitens started talking to other wounded troops in the military hospital where he was recovering. He asked his fellow wounded soldiers, "What do you want to do next?"

The answer was always the same: "I want to go back to my unit." Despite some of them having suffered truly debilitating injuries that prevented them from ever serving in the armed forces again, their determination to serve their country remained undaunted. All these men had volunteered, and their love for country permeated their attitudes so deeply that they wanted to continue to serve.

In our modern American culture, it is very common and polite for us to tell a soldier or a Marine, "Thank you for your service." LtCdr. Greitens would tell the men, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you." He told them this because their countrymen DO still need them. We need these soldiers as leaders in the workforce, in our schools, in our local governments, in our neighborhoods, in our big government, and in their own families.

If you've been wounded by unbelievers in the service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"? If you've grown older and become tired in your service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"? If you've been wounded by friendly fire—fellow Christians' bad choices—in the service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"?

The church needs the leadership, the example, the teaching, and the fellowship of those who are tired and yet continue to press on... of those who are wounded and yet continue to press on... of those who are discouraged and yet continue to press on. Your brothers and sisters still need you to fight against the devil alongside us. And in fact, sometimes you are the ones whom we need most because you have the most direct and long-term experience with our great enemy.

That's why we need you to teach us in our Bible classes, to mentor us in our family lives, to encourage us in our battles with temptation, to love us in our weakness and show us God's grace to overcome, to be our leaders in our churches, and to share the lessons you've learned from walking the path of the faithful. 

You can be the ones who show us that God always wins! You can be the ones who show us not to grow weary in doing good (2 Thess. 3:13)! You can be the ones to show us what it means for God to be "all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28).

Thank you for your service, beloved brothers and sisters... and we still need you.

- Dan Lankford, minister

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The Mission Continues is an organization developed by officer Greitens to help soldiers continue serving their country in powerful ways as civilians when they retire from the military. The organization's efforts have helped a great many soldiers overcome the struggles of PTSD by focusing their skills on the greater good of serving others.

Tuesday's news was mainly given to campaign quotes and Super Tuesday hopes & results. Regardless of how you feel about the candidates in this year's presidential election, and regardless of what you anticipate the future will be for this country, remember a couple of these things above all those things:

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." (Rom. 13:1-2)

"[The king of Babylon] was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will." (Daniel 5:21)

"My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." (John 18:36)

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." (1 Timothy 2:1-5)

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

"Rejoice with those who rejoice..." (Rom. 12:15a)

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." (Eph. 4:31)

When good things happen in our brethren's lives, it can be exceedingly easy to slip into jealousy or bitterness toward their good things. When we see fellow Christians who are blessed with a beautiful family, instead of rejoicing with them in the blessings of God, we envy them for their happiness. When we see other churches that are teaching the gospel and growing, instead of rejoicing for the lost souls being brought to God, we envy them for their growth. As a preacher, I fight the temptation to look at the good work of preachers who are far more wise and more skilled than myself and to be threatened by them, rather than rejoicing that God has given someone the ability to share his word so powerfully!

The two verses you see above are simple commands, but putting them into practice will force us to wrestle with the complexities of our emotions and our attitudes toward others. Are we harboring bitterness toward others' good blessings? Even if it isn't the primary emotion we have toward them, is it there? If so, it must be removed from our hearts. If left alone, it will poison our view of others, our view of God, and our view of self. That's why we must put "all bitterness..." out of our hearts.

How do we do that? Well, at the very least, it begins with truly rejoicing with others who are rejoicing. Simply—and only—enjoying the good things they are enjoying without any thought given to self.

- Dan Lankford, minister

After Sunday night's Super Bowl win, I wasn't that surprised to hear Peyton Manning's comment that he was planning to talk to "the man upstairs" later that night. That's a definite misunderstanding of who God really is, and a lot of people have that same philosophy of Him. That because He once became and man and dwelt among us, He really is, after all, just like us: a man. Maybe He's different because He lives in Heaven and has some extra powers, but He's essentially still just a man upstairs.

The problem with that way of thinking is that in Psalm 50, God is getting ready to come on his people in judgment for their sins. His people are shocked by this, but God says they shouldn’t be surprised. He essentially tells them, ‘Your problem is that’ “you thought that I was one like yourself” (Psa. 50:21). But God is NOT just a man, and we should not think of Him as just a man.

In the midst of all of his suffering and agony, Job understood the fact that God is not just a man. He even said as much in Job 9:32. “For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together.”

In Numbers 23, as Balaam is compelled to prophesy in favor of God’s people rather than against them as he intended, he says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Num. 23:19)

And in Isaiah 55, God simply states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8-9)

Let us remember the simple truth that although he condescended to become a man and be like us, he also ascended back to his rightful place—high and lifted up! He is not just a man upstairs—he is the great God of the universe! Grander and more glorious than we can imagine him. And rather than passing references to him as “the man upstairs,” let us instead “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” (Psa. 29:2)

- Dan Lankford, minister