My All

I give You my plans and dreams, God. My life. My vocation. It is all Yours. God, be everything You will in me. Totally control my every thought – word – or deed. All. May the law of the Spirit of Life of Jesus free me totally from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2 paraphrased). Jesus, declare Yourself through me. Make Yourself known through my life. Take it all.

Flesh doesn’t submit to God’s Law – indeed it cannot. God wrote the score  but flesh refuses to play the tune.  Godliness won’t derive from your attempts to fulfill the Law or imitate God.  God never expects anything from us but unremitting failure. Nothing is good about your flesh.  Call your own bluff – you did mean to do it

“Far too many people have shares in the Old Adam Improvement Society … it has been a bankrupt concern ever since the company was floated, and when the Lord comes, it will go into final liquidation.” – Captain Reginald Wallis

 

Perfection in Vocation

Learning from Ian Thomas continues. Jesus was Perfect in His person. But the Bible says it was necessary for God the Father to make Him, God the Son, perfect through suffering.  If He was perfect already, why did He need to be made perfect, and why through suffering?

In Hebrews 5:8-9, it says, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”  It appears that ‘becoming’ the author of our eternal salvation was dependent upon the successful conclusion of a process whereby He was ‘made’ perfect.

Does that sound strange?  Although He was perfect in person, He had to be made perfect in vocation – He could only be made perfect in vocation by the fulfillment of that purpose for which He had been incarnate, in an attitude of total dependence upon the Father, expressed in total obedience to the Father. Being perfect in His person, He was made perfect in His vocation.

Had He bypassed the Cross would He have been perfect in the vocation for which He was incarnate?  No indeed. We would be lost and men most miserable – there would be no ground established for our redemption. But He set His face like a flint – obedient unto death – on a Cross.

He was completely submissive to that purpose to which the Father was committed in Him. He endured to the end and said, “It is finished.”  In that moment He was made perfect in His vocation as He had always been perfect in His person. He ‘became’ the author of salvation to them that obey Him. The positive fulfillment of the divine end through a man, wholly available to God.

The Lord Jesus did not live a victorious life just because He did not commit sin. If that had been the nature of His victory and that the criterion of His righteousness, He could have stayed in heaven and been all that!

Present your whole body as an offering to God – and be made perfect in your vocation. Let the Father do His work through the Spirit that Indeells you.

It is for you to be – it is for Him to do. Restfully available to the Saving Life of Christ , enjoying “the richest measure of the divine Presence, a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself,” instantly obedient to the heavenly impulse – this is your vocation, and this is your victory!

Amplified John 14:12-13. “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do – I Myself will grant – whatever you may ask in My name [presenting all I AM] so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in [through] the Son.”

In Love, Darwin

Church Location

At Trinity Baptist Church in Marianna, FL, we are continuing to seek God’s direction regarding our long term future. By next month we plan to make (another) offer on a piece of land with due diligence/contingencies aimed at aligning our future with the intersection of God/Church/Community!  We want to be a conservative voice with traditional values set in a dynamic suite of ministries and services which God can use to bring many sons and daughters to Himself. Our great Senior Pastor Roland Rabon, Awaken Band, Sunday School outreach, Trinity Sportsmen, loving and down home congregation family – is working together to reach youth and children along with men and women with the unfailing gospel / changing lives and transforming futures through The Saving Life of Christ! (My current read by Major W. Ian Thomas). 

If life has done a number on you – come and see the Man who took your suffering and shame on Himself to bring you real life and hope in Jesus!  Be freed to experience and serve Him!  Read the love letter from the God of the Universe and be redeemed, restored, renewed, uplifted, sanctified, and on-mission with the purposes of the One Who Hung the Sun, Moon and Stars! 

Www.trinitymarianna.com

2016 Start

God is working behind the scenes in our lives – every category – and we are holding on tight as we are counting on Him to come through for our family, our church and all those we would reach for Him. We will keep you posted regarding how these things turn out. Praying hard for a productive and blessed 2016. God bless – Darwin

Zeal for God

We are studying through Awaken series by Ronnie Floyd in Bible Studies for Life during Sunday School – and Counter Culture by David Platt for discipleship training Sunday evenings. Also, I had the honor of sharing in both Sunday morning worship services  Aug 2. To think I would be able to be involved in the greatest enterprise ever launched – how humbling and awe-inspiring this past Sunday. 

Some people brag that they don’t have to go to service on Sunday nights at their church –  and I just love that I get to go and worship and study our great King again on the Lord’s Day. The Family of God. The Brotherhood.  Many will go to a 3 hr ballgame and relish the OT – and then pretend they stay home from church Sunday nights to put the kids down early. Doesn’t it really just speak to how much we value the Lord Jesus Christ?  

Johnny Hunt says we can bring the following sacrifices to God:

1)  Our bodies.  Rom. 12:1-2

2)  My offering.  Phil. 4:18

3)  Our praise.  Heb. 13:15

4)  Our good works.  Heb. 13:16

5)  Souls won to Jesus Christ.  Rom. 15:16

The holy service to God is not boring or drudgery. It’s as if we are saying after coming to church 1 hour – “God, you are cutting in on my time.”  Our world is coming apart. Church, let’s come together and show them the way. 

Agape is Appalled

People are saying LoveWins. I don’t sense that at all. So why did millions of people vote to uphold the Biblical definition of marriage and then a court overrules the will of the people?  So why are people calling me a bigot for disagreeing – that doesn’t seem loving. 

The church has both the Truth and the Holy Spirit aligned and is a force to impact the ages. I love people. It is CHRIST in me loving them – it is real and pure like 1 Cor 13 love. Agape love – the God kind of love – wants and does what is best for people. In Jeremiah 19 when God saw the people worshipping Baal and sacrificing their children He said, “I did not command or mention this, it never entered my mind.”  I get the sense that God is horrified over the US court’s redefinition of marriage and now the family. He knows how He created it and His intent to populate the earth, unionize into one flesh, and nurture children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. We have missed it – and now we add a huge stumbling block to our little children and society. I want to just cry. 

But today I will continue what I have been doing the best I can for over 20 years. I will commit to the church and go lead a Sunday School lesson on Israel’s defeat at Ai. I will submit to His prompting – I more desperately than ever want to see souls saved and Christians discipled. My zeal burns hotter even though there has been a cloud over me of the heaviness of this choice of our government. 

May God bless His church to deliver the truth in love clearly and convincingly like never before. A beacon to those who would but seek Him and bow to His perfect ways. We will obey the Word – loving God and loving people more fervently than ever before. 

Open Letter to my Sunday School class

i so love and appreciate each and every one who makes up our class body! thx so much for who you are – your gifts and talents and spirit comprise what i believe is a potential nuclear impact on each other and our community for Christ!

there have been times that if i did not have my Bible Studies for Life and Hobbs Commentary to steady my journey – i would have come apart spiritually. thx for allowing me to study and share the greatest message about the greatest relationship with Our One True God year after year!

i love yall and Merry Christmas!

Hurry Up

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, these are days of crisis, urgency and opportunity. We must increase our pace in all we do. We need our own holy version of a hurry up, no huddle offense in fulfilling the Great Commission,” he said, referencing the coaching strategy of Gus Malzahn, head football coach of the Auburn University Tigers.

God bless Ronnie Floyd. Awaken us, Lord. Enable us. Quicken us. Purify us. Mobilize us. Deploy us. Have mercy on us. Strengthen us. Empower us.

Don’t Be Ignorant

Peter urged his friends to practice a high level of Christian integrity and behavior that would make their opponents seem ignorant and foolish. He challenged the Christians to silence all slander against them by the sterling quality of their piety and the appropriate righteousness of their practice.

Ignorance in this case is more than not knowing. It is ignoring what is known, especially that which opposes God. Foolish is acting without reason, rashly, without reflection. In Scripture, those who set themselves against God and openly defy His Word are often described as foolish.

Honor all men – treat them as valuable because The Lord does. Love the brotherhood – believers relating to each other in the character of God’s love effectively minister the gospel. Fear God. He alone is to be reverenced and we should be in awe of and amazed by His person and grace toward us. Honor the king – if we value all men properly, that is good and right.

– Herschel Hobbs Commentary

Recruited By the Best

Only one team is going all the way.

At a recent @trinitymarianna Wild Game Supper event, the legendary Coach Mike Martin spoke and fellowshipped with our community guests. I began to muse over the breadth of baseball and all the connections and enjoyment over our lifetime with our boys Gray and Seth. Think with me for a few moments – from t-ball opening day jitters to Cheri’s grandmother watching her Beloved Braves nightly – we see how this beautiful sport reaches beyond players, teams and spectators – the national pastime indeed.

Greatness had come near. 29 of his 34 season as FSU head coach, Mike finished in the top 15 nationally. With a fast start – Mike had 12 in a row 50 win seasons. Now he has coached 85 All-Americans. Many would love to associate with his program in some fashion. A player would love to be recruited by and train under this excellency. The likes of JD Drew, Buster Posey, and James Ramsey give personality to this elite program.

Think of all the hard work, family sacrifice, skill development – all that is required to make it to the next level. Now – what if Mike Martin knew you personally? All your abilities in detail. What if you found out he was just so fired up to have you on his team? After hearing from his coaches and scouts, he began to make a personal appeal for you to join the Garnett & Gold powerhouse. Mike begins to tell you about the team history. He sends his son, Mike Jr., to aggressively put things in motion to get you on his team – he takes care of all the red tape and paperwork – how would you respond to being actively recruited to become part of the #1 team?

Remember, there is only 1 team going all the way.

God’s team alone is going the distance. He wants you on it. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. He has come near. He has sent His perfect Son, His only Son, to take care of everything and offer you a full ride. Paid for with the silver of His tears and the gold of his Blood, Jesus has gone to the mat to have you on His forever team. Not just wear a uniform, but plug in to the intense discipling of the Great Team Way – the Holy Spirit in you prompting you moment by moment to be sanctified and conformed to the image of the Greatest Player of All Time.

When you started reading this blog, you may not have known God if you met Him in a 40 acre field. But according to the promise of his Word, He personally has come even closer than Martin to you. He has made a private, very direct, confrontational appeal to your heart. I want you. I want to take you onto my team and take over your life. In purity, love, and hope – I want to lavish you with the benefits of being on my team.

Here is the deal. You have to want to be on His team. You have to slide His hat in front if you on the recruiting table – just like Mike Mader put that Seminole hat in front of him for the photo session. But it is a commitment. In repentance and faith, a turning from sin to Christ. You can become a Christian. Once a Christian always a Christian. It is a translation from death unto life. Rom 10:9-10 is the step toward belief and confession unto righteousness and salvation. You get your robes and gear issued by the Staff. Not something you bought on sale at the local discount store. The real stuff. It’s all here. Be redeemed.

If you are already on the team – but lagging back during sprints and mocking the coach, not really paying attention, missing practice, not studying the play book. Not really into it. You can be reactivated and revived. Don’t waste time. Focus. Play. Excel on this great team. Don’t lolly gag. Yield to God and be ‘all in’ to His gameplan. He will guarantee your success.