Author: Greg Fee

Recently as I read the scripture, I again happened upon the children of Israel poised on the brink of the promised land. They came through the wilderness, had seen miracles, heard the voice of God, seen the cloud by day and the fire by night all as part of the preparation for their future.

As I read these words, I was offended by the continual backsliding of the children of Israel. How could a person, let alone an entire people be plagued by such an unwarranted lack of faith? God had shown more love and outpouring of blessings upon this people, and they kept looking backward.

At every bobble or pebble in the road, it seemed that they would attempt to return to Eygpt. They would complain that God, or Moses or God and Moses had brought them to the desert to starve or die at the hand of their enemy. Such a profound lack of faith from a people that had seen so much. How could this be?

But as usually happens when I’m pointing my boney finger at someone else, I realize that I have a bunch pointing back at me. I started thinking about how God has always been faithful to bring me, again and again to the brink of revival. I’m given the opportunity to see the Promised Land from just across the river. I have the tools at my disposal to defeat what stands in my way and enter into God’s promises. But then, like Peter and so often the Children of Isreal, I take my eyes off of God and start looking at the obstacles in my path. I hesitate and end up convincing myself that I don’t have what it takes.

The truth is I don’t have what it takes, NONE of us do! Our only hope is in Jesus, in the Name that is above every name. God has brought us out, delivered us from evil, placed our boot-heel on the neck of the enemy and shown us revival, but we hesitate, we doubt, we fear, we fail.

The Children of Isreal were plagued with failures, bondage, defeat, more bondage, wondering, scattering, and near annihilation. I believe they were obligated to serve Him and never, as a nation developed a True Love for God, only a sense of obligation.

Our walk, our Salvation is based on Love. What He did to purchase it, what we must do to receive it, really receive it was and is initiated by True Love. Loving God is the most satisfying thing that a person can do. Loving God will change your heart, will change your mind, will change the way you pray and change the way you want to live.

Had the Israelites been head over heels in love with God they would have followed Him anywhere, never hesitating. I believe that Christians have got to learn to Love God. Often I believe that we try to instill all the obligation parts of Christianity into new converts before we help them develop the profound Love that will guide them better and further than rules and obligations.

I need to spend some time working on that, and I recommend that we all take a little time away from the normal. Just for a little bit, lay aside everything that you think you know about God. Lay aside every idea about what it takes to be saved, every idea and thought about doctrine, every ritual, and tradition and Focus on LOVING the Creator, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him. Don’t ask for anything, just LOVE Him. Love Him until your Heart Melts, until the tears flow like rivers until everything that holds you back and restricts you fall away.

When I read about the Children of Israel, I’m really reading about me. When I’m angry at their continual backsliding, it’s actually the shame of my true self being exposed to light. But if I can learn to Love Him that first Loved me, then I can learn to please Him, I can learn to Love You and learn to be a better man.

The old saying goes “If you live for God hard, it’ll be easy, but if you try to live for Him easy, it’ll be hard.” I still believe the premise of that is true, but I believe, that at least for me that if I Love God, really learn to Love God first that He’ll guide me through the hard parts, hold me close to Him and show me how to live and how to die. Loving God Hard will show you that there is no other life but Life in Him.

I hope this makes sense and blesses someone as much as I’ve been blessed by it.
Greg

I was honored to be asked to speak at the life celebration service for a dear cousin and quiet man, Guitar Man, Brandon Claude Smith.  Words cannot make the hurt go away and can’t really bring an understanding of why things happen the way they do. But I have learned that trusting God, trusting that God understands and has a purpose, at least for me, helps me to cope.  My heart breaks for our family, time will help us move forward, carrying his memory with us and as one of his nephews said eventually, our tears will be replaced smiles when we remember, when we share the stories of the Guitar Man.

Brando

Hero, noun

1. a) a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities

I am drawn to the heroes of my youth, when sizing up or testing the metal of an acquaintance or when meeting someone for the first time.
My daddy, John Wayne, Davey Crocket, and Tarzan were the heroes of my childhood, the ones I wanted to emulate and probably unfairly their characteristics make up the gauge I use to measure all others.
They shared attributes that I see as the mark of a man and so to this day I use them to determine the quality of character in myself and others.

I realize that two of the four listed were fictional or fictionalized characters from history and one was an actor that played the same basic person in every movie he was in. But they, along with several other real people from my life share strength and quietness that I look for when looking for guidance or advice. They were not perfect, far from it, they had flaws that were visible to anyone intent on finding them and unfortunately, faults tend to be more visible to those closest to us. These men or characters held a place in the shaping and molding of my perception of how a man should talk, act and what he should stand for and even how they walk or carry themselves.

Maybe it’s because of how I perceive a strong leader that I associate some of the Qualities of my childhood heroes to Jesus Christ as well.  And certainly, as a minister and a man of faith, He is my ultimate Hero. As I understand scripture, He was also strong, both physically and mentally, He spoke when he needed to and remained silent otherwise, often it was his actions that spoke louder than his words.  He wasn’t afraid of work and met challenges head-on further solidifying the perception of what I consider a mans, man or what defines a true Hero to me.  However, in the example of Jesus, He did it all with no character flaws, no failures, no sin. All to pay the Ultimate Price for our sins, that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

It’s with these memories and ideas that I measure men and women, my Hero Test if you will.  Now, I’m not saying it’s a scientific test, completely accurate or that it would even satisfy your idea of a Hero, but, to me, a Hero is one that stands for right,
stands for family, and lives according to a code, the code. Does what they were put here to do, what they were called to do it, not necessarily according to societies rules or ideas.
Not perfect, but perfectly fitting into the space that God placed them in.

When I think of a hero, I don’t think of a man with a cape or a suit armor.  I think of men and women that selflessly give themselves for their family.  Doing the right thing when no one is looking, being kind to the weakest among us.
Men and women that sell their time, working to feed and clothe that gives themselves for the good of their family.  That teaches and lives right, in front of their family and peers.  The real heroes are not the ones that always get the credit, the notoriety, or their names up in lights.  They work, and struggle and give, expecting little in return
They bring a quiet calm into our lives, They have walked some hard roads, and can show others where to walk and where not to.  They are the strength of their families,

The backbone of communities, Friends of us all, but not afraid to take a stand regardless of whether they have to stand alone.
When we have these kinds of people in our lives, it’s important that we pay attention,
That we cherish our time with them, that we capture the lessons that often they don’t even realize they’re teaching us.
This is the sum, at least in my mind, of the Heroes of this world.
I am for Sure and for Certain that I’m not the only one that Feels this way.
Their often unspoken message to the rest of us would be to hug more, smile more, to talk to God more and to each other more, forgive more, forget more, live more, Love more!

He was a singer,
A natural-born guitar ringer.
Kind of a clinger,
To sad old songs.
Not a walk-behinder
a new note finder
And his name will forever be a reminder,
Of a guitar man that’s too soon gone

God Bless You Richly,
Greg

Today is basically just a journal entry, what follows is my heart or at least part of it.  These thoughts and others like them have flooded my consciousness for months.  I write a lot more than I post here and often have four, five or more things on the burner, some of which never move on to a blog post and are just that, my journal.  This is a journal entry that I felt like I needed to share.

Evolution

I have a very narrow view of world history, I don’t really consider myself close-minded or unwilling to listen to someone else’s view, but what I believe is literally what the Bible says.
Science believes it has disproven the Bible and that God has no part in the modern world. Science can be subjective, and usually, the conclusions lean the direction of the tester’s thoughts and ideas.  Much of what is called science and taught as fact is actually Theory.
Miriam Webster says that a Theory is (A) a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation. Or (B) an unproved assumption: CONJECTURE.  I had a coach in High School, Coach Laird that very eloquently taught me about assuming things and I’ll never forget that lesson. The lesson was given after a few bad decisions were made by some of the starting 5 basketball players and me, I will elaborate no further.  The Lesson was that to ASSUME makes the first 3 letters of that word out of the 4th letter and the 5th and 6th letters together. I hope I’ve explained that well enough.

So the bottom line, for me is that I’d rather believe in an All Powerful, All Knowing Creator and not always understand His ways than to accept the opinion or theory of any man or scientist as to why God’s Word is not true.  Honestly, they’ve come too late to tell me differently, my mind is made up. 

As a Christian of 31+ years and a minister for just a little less than that, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the church, some for the better, some…I’ll just leave that there.  There is a Biblical requirement for leadership, correction, and reproof.  But Love must be the foundation for, the initiator of and the completion of Leadership, Correction, and Reproof.  If Love is not our motivation then what is?

1 John 4: 7 & 8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Everything that God has ever done was for Love, chiefly to the salvation of mankind.  The Purpose of the Church is outreach, winning souls by His Love through us.
I see a world groping in the darkness, rejecting the Light and in many cases a religious world so fractured, so focused on the trivial and trying to be so politically correct that sometimes I’m afraid we may be shining our little light in the wrong directions.  We have to share unyielding, unchanging, Bible salvation straight from the Heart of God to a lost and dying world. Not adding to or taking away from the Literal Word of God Almighty that says Jesus is the Way, the Truth and The Light! That through His Death, Burial and Resurrection Salvation was purchased and made available to us.

Christians should cherish and appreciate the opportunity to be in God’s presence.  To enter into His presence with Thanksgiving and Praise and also with Fear and Reverence.
How we dress, at all times, not just when we are at church is important, especially from a modesty standpoint.  I don’t believe we should come to church dressed like we are going to a club or the gym.  As the Church though, we have to be careful that pride is not our motivation for the way we dress and that we are not so overdressed that it becomes some sort of stumblingblock to sinners and new converts.  Kind of a Fine Line there I guess, but is God’s first impression really what we have on or if our clothes are nice or in style? Should ours be?

1 Samual 16:7 “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

The Bible speaks more negatively about the putting on of Costly Array than it does about dressing any particular way, other than in modestly and to your own gender.  Like I said earlier, I’ve been a preacher for 30+ years, but I’ve never really been a real suit guy.  I have suits, and I wear suits, but I’d much rather wear jeans with a nice shirt than an ill-fitting, overpriced suit.
The tie debacle always gets me as well, the buying new ties every year or so because they had to be skinny, now they need to be wide or vice versa.

But before you burn me at the stake for being a heretic, consider this. God had a religious organization set up according to His direct instruction, a Ministry, if you will, dressed according to the explicit plan of God Almighty, but that was not fulfilling God’s purpose.  When God got ready for a revival that would change everything who did he send? One of those sharp-dressed men from the established church? No, He sent one clothed in Camel skin, eating locusts and wild honey and The One that was born in a barn and that had “not where to lay his head.” And they shook things up for certain!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Church is wrong, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go to church, do our best, give our best, by all means, we should, we must. I’m not saying that God is not using the Ministry or the Church or that revival isn’t happening within the church today, I know that it is.
But speaking for me, I  feel led to take my eyes off the appearance of people and look to the needs of their Heart and their stomachs.  I want to be a fisher of men and a feeder of men and let God be the changer of men.  I feel compelled to try to see Mankind through the eyes of the Master not the eyes of my flesh.  As I’ve seen the hand of God at work in my life, in a different way than ever before and I’ve also seen Him working in the lives of people around me.  I’ve noticed Him working in people that I’ve not always seen eye to eye with. I’ve realized that there’s a lot about God that I don’t completely understand.  I still believe what I’ve always believed, but I’ve also asked God to give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding beyond anything I’ve ever known, to show me where He wants me, what He wants me to do when I get there, and who He wants me to minister to.  As I pray these prayers and try to listen for God’s voice, I find myself craving His presence more than ever before. I feel almost compelled to go places I’ve never been, to do things I’ve never done and to try and find commonalities where I’ve only seen differences before.  I’ve also realized that pleasing Him is way more important to me than fitting in, being popular or even being comfortable.  I feel like the most blessed man alive and hungry for all that God has in store.

Just like my view of History, my view of the Future is wrapped up in believing the whole word of God.  Allowing God to take the wheel and knowing that His Word is Literally the road map to Heaven.

I hope that this has somehow blessed and encouraged.
Greg

Please follow, comment and share

Some of what follows has been discussed here before, but I believe needs to be said.

Paul told the Corinthian Church to follow him, even as he follows Christ.

2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

and then Philippians 2:12 says to “….work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I’m not asking anyone to take my word for anything.  I hope that the messages posted here and this Blog for that matter encourage you to dig, to study to prove or disprove.  To have a revelation of your own and not to be satisfied with anything less.

The Journey
For years, I lived a life, my Christian Life anyway, that was pretty bland, comfortable.  As a man, I’ve done some pretty cool, or maybe exciting things would be a better way to put it, but as a Christian, I’ve always played it safe.  I’ve never pushed the boundaries or really gotten too far out of “The Box” in my thinking.  Taking peoples word for what the scripture “means” even when I didn’t understand it that way or necessarily agree with them.  I tried really hard not to rock the boat, make waves or cause confusion.  It was very important to me not to be labeled as a rebel as well.
One of the worst things, in my opinion, that I’ve ever been told was that I was very politically correct.  I was and am very offended by that, not that someone said it, but that it was true.  I believe the whole Political Correctness Movement and whatever they are calling it now is a ploy to shame the church into silence.

A little less than a year ago I had an epiphany (in the “illuminating discovery” sense of the word).  I saw the blah, vague, useless creature that I was, in the light of God’s Word.  My Christian walk had become little more than a title that I hung on to like a security blanket.  Carrying it around like a birthright of peace and comfort.  Never really considering the cost of True Christianity and only calling on the Savior to bail me out of pits that I’d gotten myself into. Not caring or looking to the needs of others, outside of my little circle.  Once I saw me in God’s Light I fell on my face before Him and begged for forgiveness.
God was gracious, and not only forgave but began to restore. He began to build upon the foundation of what was left of my initial experience, as that was about all that was left.  The structure that began to take shape doesn’t look exactly like the old one.  He changed things about me that I didn’t realize were broken. He made me a completely new creature on the inside, my likes are different, my interests are different, my compassion is different, my walk is much different, much more intense and alive.
God is NOT different. He is the Same! His Word is the same, forever settled.
I have confidence in Him that I didn’t know I needed.  I felt compelled to take a Literal approach to the Word of God.  Measuring every aspect of Christianity by the Literal Word of God.  We will be judged by His Word, so it is very important that we understand it.  If the Bible is the Literal Word of God, which I believe it is, then shouldn’t we take it literally?

I’m still a little nervous about being labeled a rebel or a radical, but I also know without a doubt the direction that God is calling me in.  He directed me to start this blog, but as it has progressed, I’ve fallen into a rut of not wanting to rock the boat, not wanting to upset anyone, very cautious not to offend.

This morning, as I went about my morning devotion walk, I felt the reassuring presence of God telling me that He didn’t call me to be normal, to fit in, or to replay Sunday and Wednesday messages. He called me to bridge gaps, to shake things up, to help wake the Giant!  He called me to speak to His Church, whoever that is and regardless of my ideas of who that is.  I am his servant, first and foremost, and want to please Him above all others.
I am simply a minister, a servant of God, and my message is to the Church, to the Pastors, to the Saints, and to the Sinners.  I’m not lifted up above anyone, just speaking to the body, from the body, as the Spirit leads.

Comfortable!
Christianity is not a cake walk, it’s not going to easy.  God never promised that it would be.
They Killed the One it was founded on and that it is Named for.
Eleven of the original twelve members died violent deaths as a direct result of their association with Jesus.
One at his own hand after he betrayed Jesus and ten were tortured and executed for following Him and refusing to deny Him or stop preaching His Message.
Number twelve on that list was John the Beloved, he was tortured, boiled in oil, he just wouldn’t die, but he still suffered greatly and was exiled to Patmos for Name of Jesus.
Many, many more, Millions even, have suffered and died as a result of their relationship with Jesus.
Christianity is Not for the faint of Heart!

Jesus said, “……If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Deny Yourself, Take up your cross. Nothing pleasant in either of those requirements to join up.

Christianity that cost nothing is not Christianity, but a social club.

Until you are willing to die for Jesus can you really say you have lived for Him?

Danger is also part of the experience.  The growth of the Church throughout history has been much greater during times of persecution and trouble, Trials and tribulations.
Also, going into the Highways and Hedges is in many cases, to put oneself in harm’s way, yet we are called to do it.

Regardless of the Price, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. There is a Peace that passes understanding.  There is Joy, which is our Strength. There is Hope. There is Strength.  There is even Comfort.  But most of All there is Love, Love that compels You to stand, Love that strengthens you for the battles, Love that excites and encourages when there is no sensible reason for either.  Love that may cost you everything, BUT will reward you far more than you can ask or think.  And after all this, Heaven awaits the faithful.

It’s when the Church gets comfortable that it loses its edge.  When we are satisfied with the normal three services in a week, our daily personal devotions and then go about the rest of the week living like the world, without reaching into the gutter for a soul or seeking God to lead us to revival.

I don’t believe we have scratched the surface of what God wants for us or from us.  I know I’m not at my full potential for Him.  I also believe the Church is poised for great things, but what will be the catalyst that brings that change? What will be the cost? I do not yet know, but it will be worth whatever the price.
My daily prayer is that God gives me a revelation of Him, a revelation of his people, and gives me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to help me have a clear vision of what is Important. And when it’s over, to hear Him say “Well Done.”

God Bless You
Greg