Matthew Gaither – Page 20

The Secret to Peace, Joy and Purpose

May 19, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

There is a wonderful sense of purpose and joy in focusing our mind and heart on Jesus. When He is the object of our affection and the goal in our mind all the cares of this life fall away. There is sweet communion between us and the Lord and our faith grows as we become, day by day, more like Him.

This is not a natural state and does not happen easily. Our inclination is to never seek God and to be completely self-centered. Even for those of us who have been born again and have the Spirit of the Living God within us, we still struggle with quieting our mind enough to hear His still, small voice. Our eyes remain full of the things we see in this life, our ears still hear those who call us away from God and our hands have a hard time letting go of all those things that seem so big but are actually so very small. All of this is in competition for our attention and our focus and can completely stop us from growing in our relationship to the Lord, if we let it.

Using myself as an example of what not to do, I have been a Christian for more than thirty years and yet it is only in the last year that I have really started to get serious about training my mind to seek God to the exclusion of everything else. I can’t help but think about all of the time that I have wasted and all of the blessings I have missed out on because of my lack of discipline. Even so, God is patient and merciful and has never forsaken me. I sit and write today as a testimony that it is never too late to commit all your ways to Him, and that He is utterly worth it.

You might not be in the habit of quieting your mind and turning your spiritual eyes towards Jesus. If you are like many of us, you were saved but not necessarily told exactly how to go about growing and nurturing your salvation. Even when we are encouraged to have a “quiet time” and read our Bible, unless we have first sought the Lord in Spirit and in truth, with our whole heart, our relationship to the Lord is not going to grow like it should. We will very quickly realize that something is missing and that there should be more to this new life in Christ.

I suspect that for many Christians, this is exactly the root of their problem. They know they should be excited about spending time with God but they aren’t and can’t quite figure out why. For them, the relationship is not a real and dynamic thing with a hugely personal God but a series of steps to be performed on a daily basis. And that is a tragedy. God is real and He is with us always. But unless we train ourselves to really seek Him and decide that we want Him over and above everything else, He will only be as big in our life as we let Him be.

What do I mean by “training” ourselves to seek God? I mean that we must focus, by an act of will over and over again, to praise, honor and pour out our hearts to our Savior. The more we do this, the sweeter the relationship grows and the more we want to know God and to put our trust in Him. We find that there isn’t anything that we can’t take before His throne and in place of our weakness, worry and confusion He gives us peace, joy and purpose. This is the secret that every Christian should know.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: joy, peace, purpose

How to Miss a Miracle

May 8, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Last week I posted about our country’s National Day of Prayer and what a privilege it was to be able to stand up in a public place and be involved in the reading of God’s Word. With the cooperation of many churches from all over my county more than a thousand people and hundreds of families were involved. The oldest person to read was in her mid nineties and the youngest was just seven.

There were seven different host sites for this initiative and these host sites were manned round the clock by volunteers from area churches. People gave up their time and their sleep to come and read God’s Word and to make sure others who read were safe and comfortable. In my local site several of the ladies from my church brought biscuits and a variety of treats for those who were reading and water bottles and softdrinks were on hand for all who wished them.

All of that is impressive enough and it was awe inspiring to hear God’s Word read aloud by young and old. But that was just our part. What God did during those days was nothing short of miraculous.

If you were keeping up with the weather last week you might remember that several strong storm systems started in the midwestern part of the US and then came south and eastward. These storm systems spawned many tornadoes which not only caused destruction but also loss of life in more than one area.

In my county, we were warned repeatedly that the chance for strong storms, lightning, hail and tornadoes was very high. We saw from the path of the storm and the projected time of arrival that the strongest and most dangerous storms would be passing through during our reading of the Bible. We prayed that God’s will would be done and that the reading of His Word would go on without interruption.

Two times, on Sunday night and again on Wednesday night we were told to prepare for the worst. On Sunday night, the rains came and although there were several loud crashes of lightning there were no reported power outages, no hail, no damaging wind and most importantly, no tornadoes. The worst of the storm veered north and the reading of God’s Word went on.

Wednesday night was almost a repeat of Sunday night except this time the storm system split and went north and south of my county. The meteorologists were baffled as to why. One prominent meteorologist from Atlanta said that his computer models had no scenarios in which our county would be missed by the storm. He simply could not understand what was happening that would cause such a powerful, fast moving storm system to suddenly split the way that it did.

You see, he missed a miracle even though he saw it taking place. We who were praying and we who were reading, we also saw the miracle and we rejoiced because we knew exactly what was happening. God’s Word was being read en masse, out loud and in public. And God was faithful and did not allow that storm to stop it.

I find that incredibly encouraging and inspiring. There is no storm too big, too fast or too scary for God. He is still in control and His purposes cannot be stopped. He still performs miracles and I am blessed to have been in the midst of His mighty work.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: miracle, National Day of Prayer, storms

A Day of Prayer – Is It Just Today?

April 30, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Thursday, May 1st is our National Day of Prayer. Millions of believers across the USA will join their hearts together in prayer, supplication and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father.

Leading up to the National Day of Prayer, the Baptist Association in my county is hosting many “read through the Bible” events in which God’s Word will be read aloud, publicly, from beginning to end. In 15 minute time slots, we were given the opportunity to sign up and read the Bible as part of this event, which started on Monday morning and will conclude on Thursday morning. That’s 72 straight hours of Bible reading, out loud and in public!

For my slot on Tuesday morning, I picked up in the 19th Chapter of the book of II Samuel. While it was a little bit intimidating to stand and read out loud in a public place I consider it a privilege to live in a country where religious expression is still protected by the Constitution. While many in our great country just want Christians to “shut up and go away” this event provides us an excellent opportunity for us to stand up and be publicly seen and heard.

Throughout this week the USA has been on my mind as a subject of prayer and contemplation. As children of the Most High God it is our duty and responsibility to pray for our nation and our leaders. From the greatest to the smallest, we all need God’s presence in our life and a personal relationship with Him. So many in our land (and in our world) still don’t know the redeeming power of salvation or the hope that God offers all who would come to Him.

This week is an opportunity for us to really seek God’s face and pray for healing, for wisdom, and for a fresh movement of the Spirit of God in our country. But we don’t need to stop with the National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer should be the beginning of a fresh call for all believers to earnestly pray for their country, its leaders and its people.

Join with me today and commit to praying for your country. Even if you don’t live in the USA, your country needs your prayers now more than ever. Let us commit to going before our Heavenly Father with our prayers, petitions and supplications and watch as the Spirit of God begins to move.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: freedom, prayer, USA

Heavenly Hardcore Heroes – Wolves at the Gate

April 25, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Wolves at the Gate are an Ohio based, God-loving group of musicians that write and perform music that is “too artsy for “hardcore,” too hard-hitting for “rock,” the band members have jokingly given their music a label all its own: apple-core. – (See more at: http://www.wolvesatthegate.com)

All I know is, their music blesses me and energizes me all at the same time. While perusing their website today I came across a video for a new song. Not only is that song (“Dust to Dust”) excellent, the video that goes along with it is one of the most creative music videos that I have ever seen.

While watching the video there will be no question that these guys love the Lord and are playing and singing directly to Him. Give it a view and you will see what I mean.

Too artsy for “hardcore,” too hard-hitting for “rock,” the band members have jokingly given their music a label all its own: apple-core. – See more at:

Filed Under: Daily, Video Tagged With: music, praise, wolves at the gate

When Men Ate The Food of Angels

April 23, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Psalm 78:25 delights me. It says “Men ate the bread of Angels”. Think about that for a moment and what that must have been like.

Psalm chapter 78 is a call for Israel to remember all that God has done for them. When they wandered in the wilderness after the exodus and were hungry, God fed them. Verse 25 speaks to that act and does so in a rather extraordinary fashion.

The fact that God fed his hungry children is not surprising. We know it is in God’s nature to be good and to provide for the needs of his own. What is surprising to me is how he fed them. He gave them manna from heaven (the aforementioned angels food) and then, as if that wasn’t enough, caused a great wind to blow quail into the camp which then rained down from the skies right to their feet.

Talk about a spectacle! Our God is never boring. He is patient, long-suffering and unchanging and in our finite, temporary minds we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that God can be boring because we just can’t see the big picture. The way God met the needs of the His people wandering in the wilderness was creative, miraculous and unmistakably Him. No one could look back at that and guess that anyone or anything else could be responsible for the way that it turned out.

Has there ever been a circumstance or situation in your life where you know that God intervened and provided for you and there is no doubt that it could have been anyone or anything else? I hope you can answer that question with a resounding “Yes!”. I know that I can, and I praise the Lord for the way that he cares for me.

If you can’t think of an instance, just wait, your moment will come. The fact of the matter is that God is busy working on our behalf all the time. As the saved by grace children of God, Romans 8:28 assures me that this is so. It says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Not only is God working for us, He is working for us in all things! That astounds me and comforts me, and I hope it does the same for you.

You and I may never taste the food of angels (at least in this life) but God’s desire to provide and care for His children in spectacular and creative ways is no different today than it was all those years ago. Even in circumstances and trials that seem dire, God is still working and still ordering all things towards His purpose and His plan. If you are in a situation where you are having trouble believing that God is working for you and you just can’t see any good at all, ask Him to reveal His presence to you. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to your need and to speak directly to your heart and you will see just how much he loves and cares for you.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: blessings, providence, romans 8:28

The Most Encouraging Easter Message

April 20, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

The redemption offered to us by almighty God is powerful. There isn’t a problem to big or a circumstance to dire or a life too far gone that God cannot redeem.

Our redemption is made possible by Jesus. His life, death, burial and resurrection on the third day opened the door of heaven for all creation and defeated the power of death, once and for all.

As a way to celebrate and remember the importance of Easter, I have added a video clip to this post that I think is incredibly powerful. If you’ve not ever heard this clip then please, take three minutes and listen to it now. It will absolutely bless you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByT6wfdhJs

Thank you Lord, for resurrection Sunday!

Filed Under: Daily, Special Tagged With: Easter, Jesus, Resurrection

How Faith Grows

April 14, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

When writing, I find it sometimes is better not to start with a title or even a strong idea for a topic. Sometimes you really don’t know exactly what is banging around inside your own head until you sit down and just let the words flow.

Being a reader I would imagine that this is making you nervous. You are thinking, “if even the author doesn’t know exactly where this is going, do I really want to hang around for the ride?” And honestly, that’s a valid question. I would answer it like this: if you regularly read this site and trust the content that is presented on a normal basis to be factual, inspiring and (hopefully) interesting then I hope you will trust me enough to see this piece through. If you’re new here or just don’t care for what I normally post then I would encourage you to look elsewhere. Life is too short to spend it doing things that don’t inspire you, help you grow or enrich you in some way.

With that out of the way, I can now hopefully express to you what is on my heart. And that expression would have to start with my own gratefulness. If there has been a central theme to my Christian walk this past year it would have to be God showing me just how blessed I am through His redeeming power. No matter how badly I mess up or how inadequate I feel at times, God’s redeeming power is greater. His grace is greater than all my sin; always has been and always will be. This is a great comfort to me every single day.

Learning to trust Him and His unseen hand is sometimes hard for me, but God is patient and kind. Through circumstances, the teaching of other mature believers and the ministering of the Holy Spirit, I am discovering what a joy it is to be able to put all of my trust in the Lord. My nature is to fret and to over analyze everything and then try to control and plan for all possible outcomes. Not only is this exhausting, there is absolutely no peace of mind when trying to live this way. This is not God’s will for my life and it is not God’s will for your life either. He wants you and I to learn to trust Him absolutely and without reservation.

There is a process and an order to growing in the faith, just as there is a process and an order to all of God’s creation. God is a God of order; chaos is not in His nature or part of His plan. Just as a seed is planted in fertile soil and then through water and sunlight grows little by little in to a mighty tree, so must our faith grow. Being the impatient man that I am, I want quick results and dramatic displays of maturity. Wouldn’t it be better if this whole life of faith and journey towards Godliness could be accelerated somewhat?

All I can say to that is our sanctification and our holiness is a God-designed process and must not be rushed through. God’s Word tells us that we grow from “faith to faith” (Romans 1:17) and that we should count our trials as joy because they are producing Godliness in us (James 1:2-4). On hard days verses like those help to remind me that God is still working on growing my faith. My part is to simply trust and obey.

I tell you this because I know that life is hard. At times, joy and laughter can be in very short supply and if you are like me, the weight of your responsibilities can seem overwhelming. But God is greater. When I choose to focus on Him and make Him my priority He takes all of my burdens and cares and replaces them with peace and joy. He wants to do the same for you, right now, today. Commit to learning to trust Him with your whole heart and hold nothing back. Let Him begin the work of faith in you and be patient as He grows you into the man or woman that you were always intended to be.

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: faith, persecution, trials

Three Complimentary Doctrines Part 3 – Guest Post by Jeff Perry

April 2, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

Let me start by saying how grateful I am to Jeff for his teaching and insight. My faith has been strengthened and my knowledge increased as a result of this excellent article and I present to you now the conclusion of “Three Complimentary Doctrines”. – Matt

God created mankind with the ability to reason and respond. Genesis 13:11 “So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan…” Webster’s dictionary defines free will as, “The power of making a reasoned choice or decision or of controlling one’s own action.”

Free will is the unrestricted ability to respond. Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” The Bible stresses that the moral responsibility for moral actions rest squarely with free moral agents and not with God. God is not responsible for someone’s ignorance or passivity to what has been revealed by God through nature, special revelation and conscience.

One problem people see with the doctrine of free will is that it looks contradictory to the doctrine of predestination. To answer this question Dr. Harold Willimington states, “No one has ever demonstrated a contradiction between predestination and free choice.” Most conservatives and Grace Churches but not all, including Baptists, Presbyterian and Reformed churches suppress this doctrine and elevate predestination, over mankind’s free will.

What does the Bible teach? Let us look at 4 important accounts where both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man are both present.

1. The cross was both predetermined (Revelation 13:8) and freely chosen (John 18:11).

2. Jesus’ betrayal was both necessary (Luke 24:7) and freely chosen (Matthew 26:46).

3. Joseph’s enslavement was both intended by his brothers and by God.

4. Lastly, salvation is both chosen by God (Grace) and chosen by us (Repentance).

In John 6:37 we see both play out, “All that the Father gives Me (Predetermined) will come to Me (Free Will).

In conclusion, we have defined what a doctrine is, why it is important, and we looked at three key Christian doctrines. Can we as Christians reject a doctrine? Absolutely, Scripture teaches us in 1 Timothy 6: 4-6,

“If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

We can reject man made doctrines. If the Bible doesn’t teach it, it is not a sound doctrine. If there is a verse that discredits a portion of the doctrine, Scripture is right and the theory needs to be rendered. If lying is not an attribute of God (Titus 1:2) then we can trust what He has said through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”

Secondly, we must always remember doctrine is not Salvitic. We are people of the book because of the Person the book points us toward, Jesus. Jesus himself proclaimed, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.” Jesus is the crimson thread that is woven into the tapestry of His Word. Someone can memorize the entire Old and New Testament and it merits nothing in the eyes of God. Salvation is only received thought believing in His Son Jesus Christ by faith.

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Filed Under: Daily Tagged With: doctrine, free will, Holy Spirit

Three Complimentary Doctrines Part 2 – Guest Post by Jeff Perry

March 25, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

This article continues a series from last week by guest blogger Jeff Perry. Last week Jeff introduced us to the importance of doctrine and how it relates to our Christian walk. This week we will be looking at two doctrines specifically, that of the Holy Spirit and predestination.

DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John MacArthur states, “The Holy Spirit is a divine person, eternal, underived, possessing all the attributes of personality and deity, including intellect, emotions, will, eternality, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, and truthfulness.” The Holy Spirit is coequal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son.

One problem people have with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is that it’s not systematically described in Scripture. Many doctrines are very clear with step by step instruction. But the doctrine of the Holy Spirit requires a topical collection of revealed truth. Another problem is a lack of concrete imagery. God is understood fairly well because the figure of a father is familiar to everyone. The Son is not hard to visualize, plus He actually appeared in human form and was observed. The Holy Spirit on the other hand is intangible and difficult to visualize.

Non-Trinitariean monotheist have a major objection to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Monotheists believe that God is only one person, that He does not exist in three persons. The Holy Spirit is nothing more than a force or power. In the book “Reasons for Our Hope” by H. Wayne House & Dennis W. Jowers we see examples of non-Trinitarian monotheistic belief systems including, Islam, Judaism, and Johovah’s Witnesses. The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit is a person, not a vague force. Ephesians 4:30 exhorts believers not to grieve the Spirit. A force or power can not grieve, only a person can. The Bible teaches the Holy Spirit is fully divine. In Acts chapter 5 we read about Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 5:3 “Peter said, Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…” In the next verse we read, “You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” Peter acknowledged the deity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the second person of the Triune God.

PREDESTINATION

Predestination is the act of God by which, before the foundation of the world, he chose in Christ those whom he graciously regenerates, saves, and sanctifies. John MacArthur states, “Predestination should not be looked upon as based merely on abstract sovereignty. God is truly sovereign but he exercises this sovereignty in harmony with his other attributes, especially his omniscience, justice, holiness, wisdom, grace and love.”

One problem people have with this doctrine is the adverse effect, the thought that God predestines people to hell. Calvin made this statement in reference to predestination, “He is free to do whatever he wills.” This is a true statement, no one can stop God’s plan. But like all doctrines, we must look at all God’s attributes alongside what is revealed. Another problem people have with this doctrine is in reference to evangelism. Why evangelize when God knows who is going to enter the kingdom? This doctrine seems to contradict the great commission. Most liberal and Holiness Churches but not all, including Methodist and Wesleyan suppress this doctrine and elevate free will, “Choosing salvation” over divine election, “Responding to God’s Call.”

What does the Bible teach in view of this doctrine? Foundationally, both Arminian and Calvin theorist agree we cannot save ourselves. Psalm 68:20 “Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.” In the New Testament, we read in Ephesians 2:8 “By grace you have been saved.” If salvation is apart from mankind why would mankind be the mode to initiate a divine outcome? In John 6:37 Jesus proclaimed, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.” Millard J. Erickson states, “We can be confident that what God has decided will come to pass. His plan will be fulfilled, and the elect will come to faith.”

Predestination does not contradict missions and evangelism. We do not know who the elect and the non-elect are, so we must continue to spread the Word. Jesus proclaimed in John 8:47 “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” Our evangelistic efforts are God’s means to bring the elect to salvation. In conclusion Charles H. Spurgeon sums up the doctrine of predestination very well, “I wish God had painted a red stripe down the back of the elect. I would spend my time lifting up shirt tails; but, since He hasn’t, I will preach the gospel to every creature.”

It is an awesome testimony of God’s sovereignty that I, a believer in Christ, was written in the book of life before I even knew such a book existed (Revelation 13:8).

Join us next time as Jeff looks at the doctrine of Free Will and then presents his conclusion. I know that I am being fed by Jeff’s words and teaching and I am excited to continue to host this excellent work.

Filed Under: Daily

Three Complimentary Doctrines Part 1- Guest Post by Jeff Perry

March 19, 2014 by Matthew Gaither

The following article comes to us courtesy of Brother Jeff Perry. Jeff is a fellow member of the Christian Bloggers circle and I appreciate his time, thoughtfulness and scholarly approach in writing this piece. Because this is important and necessary information for all believers and because I want to make sure that it is presented in the most easily digestible format, I will be posting it in sections over several days. What follows is part one.

The Complimentary Doctrines of the Holy Spirit, Predestination and Free Will

This article is designed to navigate through 3 major doctrines of the Christian faith. We will discuss and address some problems and objections with each doctrine. The whole Bible within its properly translated context will be our sole authority in dealing with these doctrines. Before we begin I feel it is important to provide answers to a few questions, “Why it is essential to believe proper theological doctrines?” And how can doctrines deepen our faith? In conclusion, can a Christian refuse to reject sound doctrines?

Doctrine is defined as something taught. Teachings are essential to the Christian faith. Doctrine is a rock for the believer to firmly plant their feet on. We see the word doctrine used many times in the New Testament. Particularly in verses 1 Timothy 4:6; Titus 1:9; Titus 2:1; teach the phrase sound doctrine. In the Old Testament we read the word precept, the original meaning of the Greek for doctrine. The most important fundamental understanding with doctrine is that it is from God. We read in the OT, Psalm 119:4 “You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep them diligently.” We read in the NT, Titus 2:10 “Not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.” Millard J. Erikson states, “Correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the relationship between the believer and God.”

God ordained doctrines deepen our faith. How? There are many, I will discuss two. One, doctrines do not disappoint (Titus 2:7). Sound doctrine is pleasing and satisfying for our faith. God’s integrity is on the line not ours. God is always faithful (Deuteronomy 31:6). Secondly, God ordained doctrines do not disagree. We read in Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” The original meaning of right is straight, upright and correct. This produces confidence in our faith.

We looked at why doctrine is essential to the Christian faith. We observed two ways doctrine can strengthen the Christian faith. Next we will look at three Christian doctrines. In each doctrine I will present an overview, problems and objections, answers to the objections and lastly, what the Bible specifically teaches about the doctrine.

Join us next time for part two as Jeff examines three crucial Christian doctrines and their role in our life of faith.