Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder

Here are 7 (incorrect) EXCUSES to  holiness: Holiness is not for ME . Except it is for you and everybody. It is universal Holiness is IMPOSSIBLE . Yet, He has clearly given us this task.  I'll grant you that without association and exposure to Him, it is impossible. Holiness is UNKNOWABLE . Unless you get a taste of understanding Him first. Holiness is for LATER . If not now, when? He's...

Forgive me as I am SURPRISED by God's call for me to be H-O-L-Y. And you are not off the hook either.  He's calling YOU to Holinesss too. We are called to be holy: not in a vacuum but in COMPARISON not alone but in ASSOCIATION not in theory but in PRACTICE not in secret but on DISPLAY not uniquely but UNIVERSALLY not proudly but as OBEDIENT CHILDREN. Listen for 7 minutes. You'll be...

We have a treasure with the Biblical message from God.  It is so precious, that even those involved in its' writing wanted to know how it all turned out.  They searched and inquired carefully to try to understand it. But for most of them, they only understood their "chapter" and not the whole epic story. Even ANGELS longed for the story.  Heavenly dwelling, faithful in service, yet...

We are to ATTACH our AFFECTIONS to Jesus. Let our HEART KNOW it. DECISIONS to Jesus. Let our HEAD know it. JOY to Jesus. Let our HAPPY(face) know it OUTCOME to Jesus. Let our HOPE know it. Let's not leave any one of these behind.  We are a strange people, we the people of God.  These are all unique, human access point that we get to an amazing God. These are access points.  Join me for 7 minu...

If your life is HARD , have I got a God for you! You gotta love 1 Peter, as it gets real , right off the bat. Join me for 7 minutes as we look at the resume of God regarding the PAST and the FUTURE . Why do we recall all that activity? So we can get to the good stuff of 1st Peter which is TRIALS, specifically GRIEVOUS trials. If you have a grievous trial on your plate, then this is definitely for...

Welcome to the book of 1st Peter.  Please join me each day for a walk through this book by subscribing at bewithme.us if the Lord gives us the days. Peter's audience has TROUBLE. That's the bad news.  The good news is : it's not God's first day He's given His attention and favor and faithfulness to this people group He's done the hard work of Salvation, that is, HE is...

Here's 7 words to summarize the book of Titus: PASSION : Paul calls Titus my "spiritual child" ORDER : the church is a mess, leaders are a mess, teaching is a mess and followers are a mess. DYNAMITE : Paul charges Titus that the leaders are able to teach powerfully.  They need to have strength in ability, in attachment, in action and in aim. ADORNing the gospel.  Everybody is going...

People leave Christian fellowship for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes they choose themselves to leave; sometimes they are kicked out for ongoing disobedience; and sometimes they are SENT OUT to minister elsewhere.  In this case, FELLOWSHIP with that person is not broken.  In fact, it is FACILITATED. Of these, we ask: what can I do to SPEED YOU ON YOUR WAY? what can I do so that you LACK NOTHING?...

It seems to me that Titus is a lot about 3 things: the right LEADERS the right DOCTRINE the right ACTIONS We want good leaders as they are charged with teaching sound doctrine.  We want good doctrine because it produces good actions. We should BE READY, Be CAREFUL, Be concerned, be INTENT to be committed to the right LEADERS, DOCTRINE and ACTIONS. Bewithme.us Spotify Google Podcasts

What happens when our treachery encounters the goodness, the kindness, and the rescue of God?  It is called HESED in the Old Testament.  It is when those who have no right to expect anything , are given everything .   This character of God doesn't change from the Old to the New Testament.  The language of the Bible changes from Hebrew to Greek, but the character of God is the same.  Listen 7...

Man Overboard! We've got people in the water!  This is no time to be wondering what the authority structure on a ship looks like.  You need to BE READY and have that issue not be the main thing over and over.  The last thing you want when you have people in the water is some sailor debating, "You're not the boss of me". We are part of a rescue team to a bunch of knuckleheads in...

God has gone to great lengths to make a people for His own possession.  He came and basically gave everything to make it happen.  He  l oves this group of people .  He has a special place for this chosen, peculiar, " privately owned " people. It is Sunday morning...and SO SHOULD WE.  I hope this very day you are drinking your coffee and getting ready to gather with a group of people-poss...

Paul reminds Titus, and old men, old women, young men, young women and even bondservants to WATCH THEIR BEHAVIOR. Everybody needs to be " reputationally aware." We have received a beautiful gospel.  It's even called the GOOD NEWS. It is a beautiful thing...don't sully it.  Keep it free from REPROACH by watching your actions, your teachings, your words and your life. Don't...

I'm likening the fruit of SELF-CONTROL to that of Spiritual EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. It is to defer immediate gratification for the benefit of future gain .  It is to give up what you want NOW to make possible LATER that which you cannot live without . It is a part of the Christian walk for everybody, but especially for the young.  Older folks are to teach and to train the young in it.  They&a...

If you think Older Men and Women in the church are "put out to pasture" and sidelined, then join me for 7 minutes as we disabuse you of that notion.  It couldn't be further from the truth.  In Scripture, we find older men and women dynamically involved, engaged and critically positioned.  It is as if they are desperately needed in their roles and established character. If this doesn...

Sound doctrine begets sound faith Healthy doctrine develops healthy fruit Sound teaching protects sound Christians Good teaching is inseparable from good practice You cannot have a healthy church without healthy teaching. You cannot have a healthy podcast without healthy Biblical teaching. Listen 7 minutes and see if we got it right. bewithme.us to subscribe 

Or, maybe FIREWORKS. Happy 4th of July! The word used for the quality of teaching in our elders is the same root as our word DYNAMITE.  He should be POWERFULLY able to teach. He should be mighty in it. He should be able to teach, not "in a pinch", but in POWER. Then he should have a strength of ATTACHMENT to the Word. He should be devoted to it to the point that it would be difficult to...

We are asking that our pastor/teacher/overseer bear the marks of exposure to a holy God that he live in THIS world, yet carry the imprint from another world that he BRING BACK essential elements needed HERE from visits THERE that he be characterized by exposure to this Holy Person of God in a way that is noticeable, identifiable and desirable. In short, we are asking him to be HOLY.  Listen 7 minu...

Titus is putting to order the church in Crete by attention to its' leaders.  They are supposed to be people whose lives demonstrate an exposure to another world.  This exposure then, is seen in this world by their character.  Join me as we look at some of the characteristics that make for a good leader in the church.  We'll look at his marriage, his home, his habits, his tongue, his fuse...

When one goes to a funeral we console those who are the children and the grandchildren of the person who dies. Similarly, there are spiritual children and grandchildren that could be consoled when their spiritual parents die. Paul calls Titus such a person: my spiritual CHILD. Paul writes a letter to his spiritual son and of course includes all the  good stuff. We have that letter! It is here for...

Paul charges the younger Timothy to: GUARD the treasures you have Don't make a SHIPWRECK of your faith Don't SWERVE from the truth Don't WANDER away Don't PIERCE yourself with any self-inflicted harm Don't Depart from the faith You have received a TREASURE.  Your job is to KEEP IT. GUARD the good deposit entrusted to you. Review chapters 4-6 of 1 Timothy with me. bewithme....

Join me for a 7 minute romp through my FAVORITE THINGS in chapters 1-3 of 1 Timothy.  Here's just one: The church uniquely, and most clearly manifests Him, for it is the assemblage of the indwelt of God . Because He has given us the household of the living God (3:15), to rip yourself out of the hands of fellowship is to rip yourself out of the hands of God .  Another early favorite: We want p...

Paul gives Timothy a final CHARGE but it is with a HEART. O Timothy... GUARD what you have been entrusted. Value it. Protect it. Guard the DEPOSIT. It has been imparted to you. You have been trusted with it. Don't SWERVE. Stay on the path. Don't turn. This is serious business. Guard the treasure you have and don't turn from it. Too, entrust this with others who later will entrust th...

Riches are: temporary . There will be none as we know it in the next life. uncertain . Moth, rust, theft and unknown returns on investment. haughty - factories . Riches can separate us from people because they can cause us to say " I am above you ". Christianity is all about serving . competitive . For our HOPE that is. The Truth about rich people is they should: be RICH, but  in good wo...

You are 100% immortal.  You will live forever.  How did you get to be that way? Well, the God who created you had to have the  capability   to make you that way.  He had to  be immortal. You are immortal because the Immortal One gave  it to you. I know that death and funerals and decay are a part of this world we live in.  We weren't created that way, but it came with the curse.  But, that st...