Reflections Before Spring Break
Two Milks, No's, Missing It, and Watchmen
Buy Two Milks
I was at the grocery store the other day, planning to buy only one gallon of milk. I usually buy two gallons for the week. However, while I was standing there, I felt the Lord nudge me to buy two gallons. I asked the Lord, “Why? Why do I need two? I won’t be in town this week.” I felt like He told me to just trust Him. So I did. I bought two gallons of milk.
Now I’ve been having some issues with my vehicle. I’ve taken it in three times for the same issue. Every time I hit highway speeds, something starts flapping underneath the vehicle. It only started the last time I took it in, and now it won’t go away. They’ve been trying to fix it, but when I got on the highway again tonight, the vibrating started again. It’s a pat, pat, pat, putter, pat, pat, pat, tat, tat, tat, over and over again.
I was planning on taking a long road trip this week, but now I don’t think that’s going to happen.
When I got home, I went to grab some milk and was reminded about buying the two gallons.
Maybe I was going to be home this week anyway…
I share this in the hope that I’ll still be able to get my car fixed and make a trip somewhere, and maybe I was supposed to buy two gallons for some other reason. But at this point, it’s looking like this could be the reason.
So I’ll end with this: If you think you hear the Lord and it’s over something small like a gallon of milk, test it out. Try to see where it leads you. Perhaps the Lord is teaching you to hear His voice and obey His quiet leadings.
And if you miss it, you’ll learn to be more discerning. But if you get it right, you’ll find that you’re learning to hear the Lord more clearly.
Overcoming No’s
In life, you’ll hear a lot of no’s if you are bold enough to take action. Not everyone will agree with your ideas, requests, evangelism, theology, or whatever it is you’re pursuing. If you’re bold enough to take a step and share something—or step out into something uncomfortable—you might find pushback. You might hear a no. And that’s not always bad. It’s just reality.
Anyone who has done any kind of sales will be able to attest to the no’s.
I encourage you not to let the no’s get you down.
You might need to adjust your approach, your product, yourself, your presentation, or your audience.
Sometimes you just have to keep knocking on doors until you find the opportunity.
As the famous Zig Ziglar once said, “Keep on keeping on.” “Celebrate life.”
Where I Was Missing It
I might still write a whole article on this, but I’ve been reflecting on tongues over the last few weeks. The Lord has recently been showing me that I haven’t been speaking in tongues enough and that I need to do it more.
1 Corinthians 14:4 says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself.”
There is so much confusion and pushback about tongues these days. People will say it was only known languages, or that it was only for the apostles and the early church, or that it ended when Scripture was written, or that if you don’t have it you’re not saved, and so on.
A popular local non-charismatic pastor, podcaster, and YouTuber recently talked about his openness to tongues, quoting 1 Corinthians 14:39: “Forbid not to speak with tongues.” But he added that if you come to church to do it, they’ll escort you out. I appreciated that he pointed out the Scripture says not to forbid it. He also noted that it shouldn’t happen publicly without interpretation.
Tonight I also had a conversation with a man who recently opened a business and has been seeking the Lord for direction. I asked him if he had been praying and seeking the Lord, and he said he needed to do more of it.
Then I told him how the Lord has been urging me to speak in tongues more.
He immediately said, “You’ve got to do it. It’s like you’re getting plugged in.”
I said, “That’s right, man.”
Then I told him something interesting that I almost never hear anyone talk about.
No one talks about asking the Lord for interpretation of tongues.
Look at 1 Corinthians 14:5:
I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
1 Corinthians 14 says prophecy is better than tongues—except for one thing: interpretation.
Why?
So that the church may receive edifying.
Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
— 1 Corinthians 14:13
Some time ago I put together a group that practiced interpretation of tongues. We would all record an unknown tongue, then each of us would separately seek the Lord for interpretation. Over time we began receiving similar interpretations.
1 Corinthians 14:1 says to “desire spiritual gifts,” and I’ve seen that if you are faithful with small things, the Lord will increase them.
So if you see me around, ask me:
“Brian, have you been speaking in tongues like you feel the Lord encouraging you to do?”
And ask me:
“Have you been seeking interpretation too?”
Honestly, it feels a little strange to put this in the newsletter. Normally I’ve kept these conversations behind Facebook. But maybe it will be helpful to someone.
Maybe you’ll be someone who follows after charity and desires spiritual gifts—learning to prophesy, speak in tongues, and interpret so that the church may receive edifying.
And even if we don’t always receive interpretation, perhaps we’ll speak in an unknown tongue to edify ourselves, like Paul who said he spoke with tongues more than all.
Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
Terror
In March alone, there have been at least 4 terror attacks on US soil. Austin, Texas. New York. Old Dominion University. West Bloom, Michigan.
Why has this happened?
I ask this rhetorically here, but if you’d like to know more, please let me know. I’ve been wrestling with doing a deep dive.
Jesus loves Muslims, and wants every Muslim to come to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Please pray for Muslims to have dreams and visions of Jesus and to be born again.
Chief Edwards
“I was a college student back in September 2001,” the new commanding officer of the NYPD’s Patrol Borough Manhattan North told The Post. “I saw what happened, and I took one of the first tests” afterward for the academy.
“I saw it, I felt it. When everyone was running out [of the Twin Towers], we had our police officers and the other first-responders running in. I thought that was selfless heroism. It just drew me to the profession,” Edwards said. “Since I started, I fell in love with policing.”
Watchman
I’ve been thinking a lot about these verses from Ezekiel 3:17-21 —
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
Series:
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Guarding the Gospel: Recognizing and Resisting Calvinism in Today’s Church
Many people are quietly being taught about Calvinism, but not seeing how it’s affecting their faith. I think this series is helpful for understanding the Gospel and how Calvinism infiltrates. I think it’s worth a read.
The Islamic Dilemma: A Roadmap to This Series
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Death is Our Ultimate Problem
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The Weekly Newsletter and Weekly Recap
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Who I am in Christ
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