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Barry G. Johnson, Sr. / www.BarrysBureau.com

Zoom Devotion / Satan; Safety / 1 Peter 5:8

Are you safe and where you should be so that the Devil will not devour you?

We've seen the nature shows where the Lion is lying in wait to pick off an unsuspecting little one who wanders off from the safety of the fold. We often find ourselves doing what we should not be doing, putting our souls and salvation in jeopardy.

The Apostle Peter warns his readers concerning the Devil. 

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

For example, in the beginning, he found Adam and Eve contemplating sin in the garden.

• Satan found Lot's wife longing for home and not for God and His Word.

• Satan found Abraham fearful for his life when he and Sarah were traveling.

• The Devil found Samson in the arms of pagan and immoral women.

• The Devil found David on the balcony in idle time he inappropriately made for himself.

• The enemy found Judas, where men enticed by power and money fall.

• The enemy found Jesus hungry and tired in the desert alone and struggling in the garden.

Satan doesn't have to work hard to find and devour you. 

• He finds you excusing your behavior because God knows your heart, and you've convinced yourself He understands.

• He finds you when you are mad at your brother or sister in Christ, now participating in assassinating their character because they had it coming.

• Our adversary finds you online because there is stuff there you should not see nor participate in it.

• Our adversary finds you in your pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness when you give people a piece of your mind to straighten them out.

• The serpent finds you in a politically charged atmosphere leaving the safety of the fold during your protest.

• The serpent finds you in your car in heavy traffic when you are in a hurry and not very patient.

• He finds you when you are broke and would compromise honesty and generosity to get what you want.

• He finds you after a fight, an insult, or offense as you plan revenge to get the offender back.

• He is aware of how to find you to devour you and draw you into sin.

• Of course, there are places where he cannot find you, places where his power cannot overcome you. 

• This is when you are in the Word and prayer, worshipping, fellowshipping, and serving with other Christians. 

• These are places where he knows he is not welcome, and his power is severely limited.

• Here, you are in the fold, and he would instead not attack you in the presence of the Lord and His Word.

• The defeat might cause you to Study, Pray, Worship, Fellowship, and Serve more.

• That is not his goal.

Here are a few things to remember the next time you sense him nearby or find yourself outside the safety of the fold:

1. If he has found you, it is because you are where you are not supposed to be. Be aware and avoid the places where you know he is going to be.

2. When attacked, stand firm. How? Say no, ask God for help, and He will defend you. Responding to attacks takes practice. It would help if you had victories over bad judgments. Develop wisdom that looks into the future of what comes when making bad spiritual decisions.

3. Try to fill your time with things and places where you know that God will be. Spend time in the fold, where the safety of the Lord is for your protection.  

The Church is a safekeeping place for the Saints. However, it is not the building. It is the behavior and the character of the souls who follow Christ and His Word. Commit to that, not just reading, but doing so that you would increase your safety from the evil one who desires to devour you.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think some religious people don't believe in hell or the Devil?

2. Share a time in your life when the Devil found you.

3. What do you think Paul means when he says, "stand firm" in I Corinthians 16:13? How does one do this?

4. What do you say to a Christian who has failed repeatedly? What do you say to those in overcoming temptation in a specific area of his life? Are they still saved? Why?

5. Share with your group your best personal strategy in dealing with the Devil and his many temptations.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:12 PM September 21, 2021.

These are notes for Zoom Devotion Tuesday, August 31st 7:00 PM

10,000 hours for mastery of a complex skill or material

September the Lord will bless us with 

(Give a Preview of September Assemblies)

30 days

720 hours

43200 minutes

If you attend every assembly of BCoC you will spend 

180 mins in 4 Sun Schools 45ea

360 mins in 4 Sun morn assemblies 90ea

180 mins in 3 Sun Eve assemblies 60ea

225 mins in 5 Wed Bible classes 45ea

945 mins total assemblies for September 

That means you will spend 2% of your allotment of blessed time in the assembly of the Church.

If attending the assembly were a skill, you would need 10,000 hours or 600,000 mins to be a master of it.

That means it would take you

634+ months or 52+ years

There is good and bad news where this time is concerned. I’ve only been a Christian since October of 1987, barely 24 years not even half way to mastery of the Assemblies of The Church. That’s perhaps bad news. We need to realize however that this method up into this point is largely physical.

Good news is, there are ways to achieve mastery, given to us in God’s Word that super charges the benefits of our physical efforts. Just like we have that which is natural (worldly; fleshly; physical…).  We also have that which is supernatural which comes from God. That is supernatural are those things that are of the Spirit.

Scripture teaches that if we do not do the things we learn from God’s Word, we will forget those things. 

James 1:23 (ESV): 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

So some of the super natural things we need to be doing are:

1. Walking in the truth we learn from scripture, here are 7 things to consider
2. Pray for wisdom and God’s guidance
3. Faithfully attend the assembly with purpose and intention
4. Forgive those in your life as the Lord teaches
5. Love your enemies and those who oppose you
6. Extend Grace to others instead of judgement
7. Add to your Faith as scripture prescribes
8. Teach others

These efforts cause supernatural growth, because these are the things of God and are not bound by physical/ natural rules.

Heart. Vital bodily organ; however, all modern assumptions concerning circulation of the blood, the intellectual and directive functions of brain and nervous system, must be set aside when considering Scripture’s remarkably consistent physiological language. “Heart” (Hebrew léb; Greek kardia) occurs approximately 1000 times, often disguised in translation, and the range of meaning is immense.

Physical Heart. That the beating heart indicates life seems implied in 1 Samuel 25:37, 38 despite the delay in Nabal’s death; perhaps “heart” means “midriff” (cf. 2 Sm 18:14; 2 Kgs 9:24). Physical food and wine affect the heart (Jgs 19:5; Ps 104:15; Acts 14:17), and the heart can “faint,” and “tremble.” The heart’s position yields an obvious metaphor for “the center” (Dt 4:11; Mt 12:40).

Psychological Heart. The heart attends intellectually (e.g., Jer 12:11); it also perceives (Jn 12:40), understands (1 Kgs 3:9), debates (Mk 2:6), reflects (Lk 2:19), remembers (Lk 2:51), thinks (Dt 8:17), imagines (Lk 1:51), is wise (Eccl 1:17 KJV) or mad (Eccl 9:3), has technical skill (Ex 28:3 KJV), and much more.

Emotionally, the heart experiences intoxicated merriment (1 Sm 25:36), gladness (Is 30:29), joy (Jn 16:22), sorrow (Neh 2:2), anguish (Rom 9:2), bitterness (Prv 14:10), anxiety (1 Sm 4:13), despair (Eccl 2:20), love (2 Sm 14:1), trust (Ps 112:7), affection (2 Cor 7:3), lust (Mt 5:28), callousness (Mk 3:5), hatred (Lv 19:17), fear (Gn 42:28), jealousy (Jas 3:14), desire (Rom 10:1), discouragement (Nm 32:9), sympathy (Ex 23:9), anger (Dt 19:6 KJV), irresolution (2 Chr 13:7 KJV), and much besides.

Volitionally, the heart can purpose (1 Cor 4:5), incline to (1 Sm 14:7), prompt (2 Kgs 12:4; cf. Prv 4:23), be steadfast (Acts 11:23), willing (Ex 35:22), or willful (Ez 13:2 KJV), contrive evil (Acts 5:4), or follow its “treasure” (Mt 6:21).

Morally, the heart can be gentle, lowly (Mt 11:29), holy (1 Thes 3:13), faithful (Neh 9:8), upright (Ps 97:11), pure, singleminded (Jas 4:8), clean (Acts 15:9), loving toward God (Mk 12:30) and others (1 Pt 1:22), or hardened or sensitive (Ez 11:19). Scripture’s emphasis falls upon the heart’s evil (Gn 6:5 and throughout), as self-deceiving (Jas 1:26), deceitful (Jer 17:9), avaricious (Mt 6:19–21), lustful (Mt 5:28), arrogant (Is 9:9), impious (Acts 7:51), perverse (Ps 101:4), and impenitent (Rom 2:5). Nothing defiles a man but his own heart (Mk 7:18, 19).

Yet, as conscience the heart can smite (1 Sm 24:5; cf. Acts 2:37). Moreover, out of the heart can come good (Lk 6:45; 8:15). Even when frustrated by circumstances or by fear, the heart’s good intention remains good, its evil intent, bad (1 Kgs 8:18; Mt 5:28).

Being so complex, man’s heart is sadly divided, and Scripture often extols a perfect, whole, true (i.e., united) heart (Gn 20:5; Acts 8:37 mg; Ps 86:11). For “heart” signifies the total inner self, a person’s hidden core of being (1 Pt 3:4), with which one communes, which one “pours out” in prayer, words, and deeds (Gn 17:17; Ps 62:8; Mt 15:18, 19). It is the genuine self, distinguished from appearance, public position, and physical presence (1 Sm 16:7; 2 Cor 5:12; 1 Thes 2:17). And this “heart-self” has its own nature, character, disposition, “of man” or “of beast” (Dn 7:4 KJV; 4:16; cf. Mt 12:33–37).

Religious Heart. The heart is especially important in biblical religion. The mystery of the hidden self is fully known to God and to Christ (Jer 17:10; Lk 9:47; Rom 8:27; and throughout), and the heart is the seat of our knowledge of God (2 Cor 4:6). The state of heart governs the vision of God (Mt 5:8); from the heart one speaks to God (Ps 27:8); the heart is the locus of divine indwelling (2 Cor 1:22; Gal 4:6; Eph 3:17).

On the other hand, moral evil in the heart is seen in biblical perspective as sin against God. Senseless hearts are darkened, often secretly idolatrous, far from God, “not right” before God (Dt 29:18, 19; Mt 15:8; Acts 8:21; Rom 1:21). Yet the Lord will not despise a broken, contrite heart (Ps 51:17); if when one’s heart is turned toward God, he promises to make it sensitive to divine things, renewed and purified (Dt 4:29; 2 Kgs 23:25; Ps 51:10; Jl 2:13; Ez 36:25–27). God’s law shall then be written on the heart, as the inward guide and incentive (Jer 31:33; Heb 8:10; cf. 2 Cor 3:2, 3).

In Christian terms, such transformation involves believing the gospel from the “honest and good heart” that provides fruitful soil for the Word of God (Lk 8:15; Rom 10:9). The true heart draws near to God, loves him with all its intellect, feeling, and will (Lk 10:27; Heb 10:22). Then God becomes to the heart strength, reward, renewal, grace, peace, and joy (Ps 73:26; Is 57:15; Acts 2:46; Phil 4:7; Heb 13:9). So the ancient ideal becomes possible again, that of being “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sm 13:14; Acts 13:22).

The high value which Scripture places upon such heart-religion does not discourage corporate worship and prayer, nor the uniting of individual hearts in spiritual fellowship (Jer 32:39; Ez 11:19; Acts 4:32). But it is directed against the external legalism, which judges according to visible outward acts rather than inward dispositions (Mt 5:21–48); against the heartless “hardness” of prevailing regulations concerning the sabbath, marriage, religious obligations (Mk 3:5; Mt 19:8; 23:4); against hypocrisy and self-display that belie the true state of heart (Is 29:13; Jer 3:10; Mt 6:1–18).

One fundamental assumption of Scripture is that the human heart is constantly open to influences from above and from below. God would “lay hold of [human] hearts” (Ez 14:5), “incline hearts” to his truth and ways (Ps 119:36), “put into … hearts to carry out his purposes,” both for judgment and for salvation (Rv 17:17). The alternative to divine “possession” is the demonic influence that can drag the heart down to utmost evil (Jn 13:2; Acts 5:3). The same heart that can be “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9) can also become the shrine of divine love and the Spirit (Rom 5:5).

In that openness to infinite good or evil, the scriptural dimensions of the human heart are revealed.

Bibliography. R. Bultmann, Theology of the NT, vol 1, pp 220–27; R. Jewett, Paul’s Anthropological Terms; A.R. Johnson, The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel; H.W. Wolf, Anthropology of the OT, pp 40–58.

Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Heart. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 938–940). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

". . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers" (1 Peter 1:18).

DECIDING TO REACH FORWARD REQUIRES A GOOD BIT MORE THAN JUST GETTING BUSY. Our actions have tobe motivated by a love for God, and they have to be within the limits of His will and His purposes. Having been redeemed from the "aimless conduct" in which we used to engage, we must now devote ourselves to deeds that are purposeful and fruitful with regard to God.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Christian's life is that it is going somewhere that really matters. If there were no God, nothing that happens would have any meaning. From birth to death, our lives would be no more than the "busyness" of spinning our wheels. But God does exist, and what that means is that history is not just history -- it is His story. The plot is moving toward a climax that will redound to His eternal glory, and if we allow ourselves to be reconciled to Him through His Son, then every deed we do can help move the plot toward its great end.

We need to live, work, and serve in the confidence that what we do in the Lord is eternally worthwhile whether we can see that right now or not. Paul wrote, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Your labor is not in vain in the Lord. What glorious, life-changing words! What a difference they ought to make for us on days when we can't see that it does any good to try to do what's right.

But we need to take the time to take stock of the way we're living our lives. If we've become Christians, we have the opportunity to be busy about the most important things in the world -- but really, are those the things we're busy about most of the time? Is our day-to-day activity connected to our principles in a harmonious way? Are we walking our talk? Is it really God we're reaching forward to, or must we admit that we're preoccupied with lesser things? These questions aren't just important; they ought to be urgent as well. If we're not busy about the Father's business, then our conduct is not going anywhere -- it's aimless.

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?" (Henry David Thoreau).

by Gary Henry

A husband’s prayer life can be short-circuited by his relationship with his wife. Peter wrote that husbands are to dwell with their wives “with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).

“Hindered” often means “to cut down a tree.” The picture is that an arguing couple’s prayer life is going to be cut down and die.

It can a­lso mean “interrupted”—the message to heaven is short-circuited. Bitterness, division, and bickering are opposed to the spirit of prayer and operate to terminate all efforts in that respect (Guy N. Woods).

If a husband and wife have trouble, then most likely they will not pray at all, or, if they do, they will pray with a disturbed mind, and so have no success. “The sighs of the injured wife come between the husband’s prayers and God’s hearing.”1

Our relationship with God can never be right if our relationships with our fellow men are wrong (Matthew 5:23–24; 18:19).

1. How many judges can you count in the book of Judges, chapters 1-15, in the Holy Bible?

2. Name the judges of whom the Holy Bible, in chapters 1-15 of the book of Judges, doesn't record winning battles?

3. Which judge was a lefty?

4. Which judge had an ephod made for himself rather than become king?

5. Name a judge that was a child of another judge?

6. Which judge was born of an unnatural conception?

7. Name the judge that disemboweled a king?

8. Which judge was known for his thirty sons and daughters?

9. Who was the daughter of a judge that lost her life because her father made a foolish promise? 

10. Who used a tent peg to nail an enemies head to the ground?

11. Of what nation was Samson's wife?

12. Which Israelite military commander shares the same name as a former U.S. President?

13. Which Judge won a battle with only 1% of his original army?

14. Which judge eventually turned on his own people?

15. Which judges were born of concubines and harlots?

16. Which judge had a double edged or double ended dagger?

17. Which judge did God raise up first?

18. Which judges had the responsibility and/or accountability of delivering God's law to his people?

19. Which nations did the Lord designate specifically to test Israel, after the initial occupation of Canaan?

20. Which judge failed because of his toxic pride?

"Christianity is Reality," is our theme for 2020. We're endeavoring to show that

Christianity is not fiction as the world tries to say, but that it is our actual

Reality. For September, the next step in the cause of Reality is, "There is a Heaven." Looking at the evidence from scripture that demonstrates the Reality of Heaven. 

Sadly not everyone wants to go to Heaven. Those desiring a different destiny get that end because God's Love requires a choice. Those who do not believe in God, or are extremely angry with Him, will not be forced into eternal existence with Him. Many proclaim God is unjust, immoral, and a monster. Why should they be forced into Heaven forever? A majority of humanity claims there is no God, no objective truth, and that they are masters of their destinies. Eternally those claims are unsustainable and rewarded as desired. Yet those who are determined to live that way will get their wish. Heaven is a place for prepared people. A location

where all have chosen to live by God's mandate and Reality. This destiny is sustainable, and the free will choice of the man honored for all eternity.

Join us in September for these presentations of truth. Not only does God's Word teach us that truth, but it also prepares us for how to operate in it. Do you want to go to Heaven? It is our prayer that man will find himself working toward Heaven.

Join us every opportunity to take in this knowledge of Reality. Check our website for times and lessons.

https://www.brookfieldcoc.com/

Barry G. Johnson, Sr.

I’m Giving Up on Organized Religion

(Part 5 in a 5-part series by Allen Webster)



In church, strong marriages and families are forged.

Church completes the marital triangle of God, husband, and wife (Matthew 19:6). It reinforces the higher philosophy and purpose behind marriage (Genesis 2:18–24). It allows for deeper connection through shared beliefs (1 Peter 3:1–7) and gives constant motivation to be faithful and work on self-improvement (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 13:4; Philippians 3:12). Church is where children learn to love God, their purpose, and healthy morality (Proverbs 22:6; Matthew 19:13–14).

In church, we discover, develop, and use our talents (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:4–8) and find opportunities to give back to others (Romans 1:14; Galatians 6:2).

There are always people to help, teach, encourage, and cherish (Galatians 6:10). “The church really does not need me” is as untrue as “I don’t really need the church” (Luke 10:2). They have programs that make it easy to get involved in helping others. It feels good to help people (Proverbs 22:9). Jesus promised a blessing for selfless service (Matthew 10:42).

In church, we connect socially with good people (cf. Romans 16:1–23).

Humans are social creatures. All hunger for community and a sense of family. All need friendship and fellowship, godly mentors and good examples (Titus 2).

Four-of-ten people experience intense loneliness, yet many have not considered finding connection in church. About sixty-five percent of Americans identify as Christian, but only forty-seven percent of those attend regularly.

Like grains of wheat coming together in life-giving bread, believers contribute to a healthy congregation. The ground is level at the foot of the cross; there are no tiers or castes among those following the humble Nazarene.

In church, we find hope for this life and beyond.

Everyone looks for a reason for hope and a sense of purpose. Jesus went to prepare a place for us (John 14:2).

What the church offers cannot be found anywhere else. Writing off the church is not the answer, so find a good local church.

We happen to know one we would like to recommend.

CHURCH IS WHERE WE CONNECT WITH GOD ON HIS TERMS. 

Humans were made to be companions for deity (Genesis 1:26; 3:8). When man sinned in Eden, that connection was broken (Genesis 3:6–7, 24; Isaiah 59:1–2). God is holy, and holiness demands separation from sin. God is just, and justice demands punishment. God is also merciful and wants to forgive man. Thus the divine dilemma.

The only way the righteous God could receive man back was for a sufficient price to be paid. The price was named; Christ paid it. God gave His Son so He could adopt us as sons and daughters (John 3:16; cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21; 8:9).

What does God ask in return? Love. Worship. Gratitude. Commitment. Righteousness. 

Church enables participation in the worship God longs for in the way He wants it (John 4:24). Worship is man’s outlet for thanksgiving and praise for the indescribable gift of Jesus (2 Corinthians 9:15). Honoring Jesus and pleasing the Father are what church is about (John 4:24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Peter 2:9).

God does not approve of do-it-yourself religion. Worship must be given as God wants it, since it is for Him. Listening to a favorite preacher’s podcast at the gym or worship songs around the house does not replace giving God His Sunday a cappella concert, heartfelt prayer, and sincere gratitude around His Son’s table.

While Christianity is a personal, heart-felt religion (Matthew 15:8; Romans 6:17), it is not meant to be practiced alone. A part is done in secret (Matthew 6:6), but discipleship is not meant to be secret (John 12:42; 19:38–39). Shouting the gospel “on the housetops” (Matthew 10:27) is better done in a public assembly than in a private residence.

Man may think he can worship on his terms in his own house, but God is not obligated to honor man’s whims. Man is obligated to follow God’s wisdom (James 4:7). In the days of the judges, every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25), which produced the dark ages of Israel. Moses forbade Jews doing “whatever is right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8). Paul later noted: “Being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, [they] have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3).

The church is not a human invention; it was God’s idea (Ephesians 3:10–11). He spent four thousand years planning, organizing, establishing, and building it (Galatians 4:4–5; Acts 2). Although men have spent the last two thousand years trying to change it, God’s original church is still here. We should not abandon it. The church (kingdom) is the only thing God will salvage from this cursed world (1 Corinthians 15:24). We must be in it when that happens (Matthew 25:1–13).

(Part 2 in a 5-part series by Allen Webster)

Scandal. Abuse. Confusion. Greed. Lies. Argument. Conflict. Hypocrisy.

We get it. Why would someone want to be affiliated with organized religion? If it is of so little benefit to those who profess it, how could it help me?

Some opt out altogether and give up on faith in God, Scripture, church, and heaven. They find church confusing and damaging, or at best, pointless and outdated.

Fifty-nine percent of 18-to-29-year-olds with a Christian background have dropped out. To them, church is irrelevant; its members are hypocritical, judgmental, and self-righteous; too often, church leaders are moral failures. The church becomes just another organized institution that postmodernists distrust.

Christians are as disgusted with hypocrisy as those who are outside. We make no excuses for the bad behavior of the charlatans or the insincere. False churches that create rules God never required (such as celibacy) set up leaders for moral failure. False members who abandon God’s doctrine soon abandon His morals.

Still, the sensational headlines are not representative of the vast majority of religious people. Sincere Christians do not claim perfection or ignore that sin might show up on our doorsteps, but we do sincerely try to live by Scripture. We have no hidden motives in preaching, evangelism, or church activities. We hope for heaven, fear hell, and simply want to help people prepare for judgment.

Others offended by modern religion take a middle-of-the-road approach. They want to be spiritual but not religious. Of the 22 million Americans who quit church over struggles with faith or relationships, many still see themselves as Christians. They pray, read Scripture, watch religious programming, and give to good causes. But they are not a part of a church. They abandoned organized religion to do their own thing.

Leaving a church under bad circumstances does not mean one has to leave the church completely. Many who dropped out are giving true New Testament Christianity a second look. It is possible to find a good church. Sincere Christianity is as different from the scandalous headlines as an unqualified doctor prescribing opioid to addicts is from a skilled surgeon who saves lives.

(Part 1 in a 5-part series by Allen Webster)