CBS has a new shepherd

Kimm Carr to lead Community Bible Study

The following is a story that I wrote for the Oconee Enterprise about Kimm Carr becoming the new director of CBS. 

Before David was anointed the king of Israel, he was a shepherd boy, far from the palace.

Before Kimm Carr was named the next executive director of Community Bible Study, she was a wife, a mother and a shepherd to a local Bible study.

Carr, a member of Faith Presbyterian Church in Watkinsville, was recently announced as the new executive director of CBS, an international Christian ministry based in Colorado Springs, Colo. In the spring she will succeed Camilla Seabolt, a native Athenian.

Community Bible Study suportsnearly 700 classes across the nation and more in 70 countries around the world. Carr will be only the third executive director in the 38-year history of CBS.

For the last six years she has been the teaching director of a study that has met on Thursday mornings at Athens First United Methodist Church for 13 years. There are 275 adults participating, some in directing the children’s Bible studies that run concurrent. A separate evening class meets Monday evenings at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church in Athens. [I am the teaching director for this study.]

Rather than employ a head hunter, CBS looked internally, asking its regional and area directors to suggest candidates. Carr knew through newsletters and the like only what other teaching directors and volunteers knew about the search for Seabolt’s successor. Not until October did she learn that her name had been submitted for consideration.

Seabolt was not involved in the process of finding her successor, but she knew Carr well.

“We have been good friends for a long time,” Seabolt said. “When Mother died, Kimm was over at the house that day, so we had a good relationship. I have known in my heart that some day she would be in this role, but I actually thought there might be someone else in the middle.”

Carr said that CBS “saved my life.”

She explained, “As a Christian, I was drafting off my pastor or off my girlfriend, what she had learned. My association with God and the Bible was second hand. That can be easily shaken.

“After investing time in reading God’s word myself, what I learned about Jesus and the heart of God, Who He is, that is what saved my life,” Carr said. “Being a wife, a mother, a daughter and a friend, I had a support system that enabled me to see how Jesus would process different situations. I stumble all the time, but I have a plumb line as opposed to a second-hand faith.”

Carr was trained as an audiologist and meant to start a private practice after her son entered school. But her commitment to CBS kept delaying the start to her career.

When her husband Steve was transferred a year ago to the marketing division of Georgia Power in Atlanta, the Carrs looked for a home in between so she could commute to Athens to teach. Their purchase of a home in Covington was canceled at the last minute, which seems providential now.

“We have been living in a 700-square-foot garage apartment in Good Hope,” Kimm Carr laughed.

Her husband’s willingness to give up his executive position with Georgia Power is testament to the fact that they consider the position a call on both of them.

“God has been so clear in this calling,” she said. “Steve is an engineer, and he looks at things black and white. But he puts that underneath what God is telling him. He is walking away from a company that he loves. Steve knows this is a calling on the family.”

The Carrs will be introduced to the ministry during an annual teaching director’s conference in Colorado Springs at the end of the month.

Carr said the vision of CBS is clearly stated in its mission statement: “To make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in our communities through caring, in-depth Bible study, available to all.”

“I am one of those whose life has been transformed,” said Carr, “because a group of women in Athens followed that mission statement.

Perfectly Beastly

Perfectly Beastly

 One of the things that I like to do when I go to the coast is surf fish. I have not done it enough to know much about it, but it is still an enjoyable pastime. One of the interesting things is that you never know what is going to be on the end of your line. You will catch all variety of fish from the ocean. One of my more memorable catches was the fish that by the time I got it to the shore was half gone. Literally. It was alive when I started the retrieve. It was not when I landed it. It made me wonder just what I had missed. 

 Revelation 13 introduces us to something else that comes out of the sea. The sea here is a metaphor for the sea of humanity. What emerges is a beast, only not a sea monster. Now certainly its description with the multiple heads and an appearance at once like a leopard and a bear and a lion certainly make it seem to qualify as a monster. But this beast is a man, but not an ordinary man. This man will be the antichrist. One of the first things we understand is that he has a strong family resemblance to his father the devil. The description of the dragon in Revelation 12 and the beast in Revelation 13 leave little doubt that this beast is Satanic to the fullest extent. 

 The news about the beast in this chapter is not good. The news is that the beast is going to rise to world power and exercise authority to persecute and blaspheme for 42 months. That is three and a half years. And during his reign, he will exert his power in the most profane way. V. 10 is one of the most frightening verses in all of scripture: “If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” If you remember last week, I used the illustration of the British squad that found themselves behind enemy lines with no air support. That is essentially the message here. There will be no air support for Christians during this last 42 months. But here is the great news. While the antichrist may rule for 42 months, Jesus Christ will reign forever.

The identity of the beast, Rev. 13:1-2

Who is this guy? The beast is not given a name here, nor is his nationality identified. But we learn enough about him here to give us some strong clues. He is a world leader of a confederation of 10 nations. Most commentators associate it with Europe. The seven horns can mean seven mountains, and Rome was the city built on seven hills. That could be true. He has risen to prominence through powers of persuasion, brokering a deal to settle the Arab-Israeli problem by making a covenant with the Jews to protect them for seven years. We learn this from Daniel 9:27. That enables the Jews to rebuild the temple and to reinstitute religious rituals. But here in the middle of that seven-year time, he is going to break the treaty and set up himself as god in the temple. Again, see Daniel 9 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. The symbolic description of this beast reveals something about his origin and his character. In Genesis, men are described as being made in the image of God. Here this man is made in the image of a wild animal under the control of Satan. He is certainly a man, but he is energized from hell. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and this man will be Satan in a human body. In Daniel 7, Daniel looked forward into the future and saw four beasts: a lion, which stood for Babylon; a bear, which stood for Media-Persia; a leopard, which stood for Greece; and finally a terrible beast. John saw them in reverse order because he was looking back, and he saw them all united as one. The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one in their evil and power.

Today, Europe essentially has one currency. Seven national currencies were replaced in 2002 with the Euro. The history of the European Union traces back to the 1950s. The first six countries to join that union were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. At latest count there are 27 member states. There may certainly be more freedom of travel and trade in Europe now, but there are still disparities. Consider the financial peril of countries like Greece. Bible scholars have watched the EU with interest because of the 10 heads, or 10 countries. Is it possible that the antichrist will emerge from an European confederation? It has long been thought so by Bible scholars, and now it seems more likely.

But beware. John Lennon wrote the anthem, Give Peace a Chance. The familiar chorus is: “All we are saying is give peace a chance.” It is certainly an appealing, alluring dream. A world without war. Revelation promises that there will arise a world leader who will promise a world of peace, and actually deliver for a short time. But the last 42 months of his reign will reveal him for the sham he is. Praise God it is only 42 months. The reign of Christ is forever. 

The influence of the beast, Rev. 13:3-8:

The wonder of the beast

One of the keys to his worldwide power will be the wonder of the world. They will be fascinated at his rise to power, but also at his recovery from a fatal head wound. This wound is mentioned three times in this chapter, so it must be important. Commentators differ as to whether the wound is really fatal or only appears to be so. Given the seemingly miraculous surgeries that we have read about, coupled with numerous stories of people coming back from the dead, it is plausible that this antichrist can come back from the dead. Or it could be another great deception by the great deceiver. Either way, it is just another attempt of the great imitator to mimic Christ.

Beware: Our children gave us tickets to the Cirque du Soleil in Atlanta right after Christmas. It is an amazing show, full of acrobatic daredevilry. One after another the performers stunned us with the things they did. Of course, that did not make us want to follow these people into battle. But the antichrist will hold sway over people. He will be a charismatic leader. Remember, by the time this chapter takes place he will already have negotiated a treaty between Israel and its enemies. People will wonder at the antichrist. But his wonderment is limited to 42 months. The wonder of Christ will reach into eternity.

The worship of the beast

 The one thing that Satan has wanted above all other things is to be worshiped, in the place of God. And because of the beast, the dragon will be worshiped. And so will the beast. What we will see in the end of the chapter is that the beast will have a second beast who will organize a world religion to worship the antichrist.  He will be so impressive that people will ask what they assume is a rhetorical question: “Who is like the beast and who can fight against it?” That is the wrong question. But the correct answer is that Christ is greater than the beast and not only can He fight against it, He will defeat the beast. 

Beware: When there is trouble, people are looking for a savior. They are looking for someone who has an answer for hopelessness, despair and chaos. The beast will be such a character. But remember, those last 42 months will show his real colors. It’s just 42 months. Jesus is forever.

The words of the beast

Words: V. 5 tells us that the beast was given a mouth to utter “haughty and blasphemous words.” The antichrist will blaspheme God, blaspheme His name and blaspheme His dwelling.

It seems that almost all dictators rise to power on the strength of great oratory. They have the power to control people with their words. Adolf Hitler was able to mesmerize the Germans with his speeches. From our position 70 years in the future, we are prone to smugly look back at the power that Hitler exerted over the German people and insist that we are beyond that. How could he get the German people to annihilate their neighbors? People who have studied his methods say that he adopted a five-step strategy to convince people to murder the Jews. That strategy could be repeated again.
Emphasize different stereotypes: Hitler was successful in creating an “in” group and an “out” group. This propaganda does nothing but demonize a class of people with lies and rumors. 
Blame all problems on the “out” group: Hitler was able to place the blame on the Jews somehow. He was able to convince a nation that if the world were rid of the Jews, the problems would disappear.
Deny the humanity of the “out” group: They were described in terms that made them seem subhuman, irrational, unthinking. The American nation was guilty of this, both in its enslavement of Africans and in its conquest of native Americans in the West. Read old literature and see how often these people were referred to as inferior, as hardly even human.
Segregate the “ins” and “outs”: The concentration camp was meant to alienate the Jews from the “Aryans.” The less interaction, the more likelihood that the stereotypes can be believed. Of course, the South is still dealing with the wrongheadedness of this strategy.
Get the “ins” to murder the “outs” as necessary for the common good: The final step was the execution of millions of Jews and Jewish sympathizers. Because Hitler had succeeded in each step along the way, he was able to get otherwise moral people to make the leap to be a party to the extermination of a class of people.

Beware: Can you foresee how these strategies could be used against Christians? Stereotyping believers: “Bible thumpers, child beaters, government haters who would rather their women die in childbirth than abort a baby.” Blame: John Lennon’s song, “Imagine” has become an anthem for people who believe that a world without religion would be a superior world. Deny the humanity. Believers are called ignorant, superstitious fools who just need some sort of crutch to get by. Segregation. There is more and more emphasis to eliminate Christianity from the public arena. So far, we have not reached the point where non-believers are murdering Christians. For 42 months, it will happen all over the world. But only for 42 months.

There will be war

 V. 7 says that the beast will be allowed to “make war on the saints and to conquer them.” This is not one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. This is not a promise that your children are memorizing in Vacation Bible School. That v. 10 reinforces that when they come to capture you, you will be captured. And when they decide to cut off your head, off it will come. The verse ends this way: “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”

 During China’s Boxer Rebellion of 1900, insurgents captured a mission station, locked all the gates but one, and in front of that one gate placed a cross flat on the ground.  Then the word was passed to those inside that any who trampled the cross underfoot would be permitted their freedom and life, but that any refusing would be shot.  Terribly frightened, the first seven students trampled the cross under their feet and were allowed to go free.  But the eighth student, a young girl, refused to commit the sacrilegious act.  Kneeling beside the cross in prayer for strength, she arose and moved carefully around the cross, and went out to face the firing squad.  Strengthened by her example, every one of the remaining 92 students followed her to the firing squad.

Choose sides carefully: V. 8 divides the world into two groups: earth dwellers and those whose name is written in the book of life. You are one or the other. If you are the latter, as I interpret scripture, you will be spared these days because you will be raptured. But if you are alive in the end times, if you come to know Christ then, you may pay with your life. But better to endure 42 months of hell than an eternity of hell.

The instruction to the saints

Listen: There is a phrase in v. 9 that we have heard before in Revelation: “If anyone has an ear, let him hear!” When John was writing to the seven churches in chapters two and three, he ended each of the letters with this phrase. It is his way of grabbing us by our shoulders, looking us dead in the eyes, and saying, this is important. And then he lays out the Christian response to the antichrist. It is not to retreat to the mountains behind an armed camp. It is not to build a retreat in Waco, Texas. It is not to rise up with political pressure. It is this: to understand that your capture, your death, is in the will of God. V. 10 concludes, “This will call for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
Be steadfast: Our natural tendency during a crisis is to “fix it.” The concept of trusting God or patiently enduring seems so foreign. But that is exactly the instruction here. I have been reading a book by J.D. Greear and he has something called the gospel prayer, and the second part of it is this: “God, Your presence and approval are all I need for everlasting joy.” It is a reminder that we will not base our contentment on the circumstances around us. For these 42 months, God in His providence is allowing the antichrist to have his wicked way, but He is still with believers. 

Listen to Isaiah 41:10: 
fear not, for I am with you; 
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Or Psalm 27:1: 
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid? That is a promise for 42 months, and for eternity.

 In the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill said, “This is a war of the unknown warriors. The whole of the warring nations are engaged, not only soldiers, but the entire population, men, women and children.  The fronts are everywhere.  The trenches are dug in the towns and streets.  Every village is fortified.  Every road is barred.  The front lines run through the factories.  The workmen are soldiers with different weapons but the same courage.”

 Churchill was talking about World War II. But he might as well have been talking about the terrible reign of the antichrist. In today’s world of improvised explosive devices and jet planes as suicide bombs and mad gunmen in schools, summer camps and movie theaters, we are all too familiar with living on the front lines. In such a world, is there hope? In the world to come with the devil personified ruling, is there hope? Gloriously, the answer is yes. “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid Rock, I stand, All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

The devil will have his way through the beast for 42 months. For 42 horrible, seemingly never-ending 42 months. But just 42 months. And in comparison to eternity, it is but a breath in the wind. Just make sure that you are standing on Christ, the solid rock.

Republicans need a new label

Republicans need a new label

It would be a stretch to call me a member of The Herd, but I do on occasion listen to Colin Cowherd.

He hosts a sports talk radio show in the mornings on ESPN. “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” he calls it.

Cowherd has been a professional broadcaster for a quarter century. The people who give out awards have cited his work repeatedly. His tenure on the show speaks for itself.

Except for his infatuation with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, I find most of his comments insightful and logical.

Of course, he spends 99 percent of the time talking sports. It is sports talk radio.

But I caught him talking national politics not long after the election. Whether his remarks were original or not, I know not. I didn’t hear him credit anyone else.

He was pontificating on the status of the Republican Party as the out crowd. It was Cowherd’s contention that the Democrats had reinvented themselves with a clever twist of terminology.

Instead of casting themselves as liberals, said Cowherd, they redefined themselves as “progressive.”

“Who doesn’t want to appear progressive?” he asked.

Nobody.

The Republicans, on the other hand, have boasted that they are conservative.

One definition says that a conservative is “a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes.”

In a world where much change is needed, where the out party invariably runs on a change platform, it would seem to be counter productive to be a conservative.

The GOP needs to redefine itself.

I have the word.

How would you feel about supporting someone who was clean, conscientious, correct, decent, equitable, fair, honest, honorable, noble, proper, respectable, square, true blue and virtuous?

Could you vote for such a person? I could.

What one word would describe such a person?

Principled.

If the Republicans could redefine themselves as the principled party as opposed to the conservative party, then they can find their way back into the mainstream.

The transformation will not happen overnight. The old label will never disappear. The L word is still hanging around, and the C word will too.

Republican leadership, learn from your adversary. The progressives will find an admirable and worthy (two more synonyms) challenger in the principled party.

Try it on for size.

“I’m a principled man.”

I like it.

FYI: This was originally published in the Nov. 21 edition of The Oconee Enterprise.

Behind Enemy Lines

I am a teaching director for a Community Bible Study class that meets in Athens. We are studying Revelation this year. If one of your resolutions was to study the Bible, then come out and join us. We meet Mondays at 7 p.m. at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church.
As the teaching director, I do a teaching each week. Following is the text from Revelation 12:10-17. If you prefer, you can listen.

Behind Enemy Lines

On March 23, 2003, Capt. David Blakeley of the British army led a squad of nine soldiers on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq. They were ordered to reconnoiter an airfield for the potential airborne insertion of British paratroopers. The airfield was 75½  miles away. Their intel told them that the area they would be traveling through was “relatively benign.” What they discovered fairly early on was that it was swarming with Iraq’s Republican Guard and Fedayeen. 

Early in their mission they actually found themselves in the middle of an Iraqi camp. Capt. Blakeley said, “They didn’t do anything because it was so outrageous. They didn’t expect us to suddenly move through their position.” By the time they had gone 49 miles, sporadic fire became more intense. They found cover in some trees. When they saw 15 pickup trucks carrying dozens of the feared Fedayeen in their distinctive white uniforms, the British knew that they were trapped behind enemy lines. They continued toward their objective only to find themselves boxed in by a canal. They debated proceeding on foot the last 25 miles, but they believed that the speed and firepower of their armed vehicles was an advantage. They made a radio call for air support. 

Blakeley says this: “I was told by a senior officer there was no air support. It was like swallowing acid. They didn’t say wait it out. We were not told they would try. I was told there was nothing available. It was crushing, devastating. We were totally on our own, abandoned.” 

They made the tactically wrong decision to fight their way back through. They fought their way through five ambushes, past Iraqi bunkers and machine guns, with rocket-propelled grenades firing over them. Blakeley said, “It was like Star Wars. The intensity of the fire was like nothing I have ever seen. We were stupidly lucky.” They reunited with American forces, their vehicles riddles with bullet holes. Blakeley had a bullet hole in his trouser leg. Another soldier had a round imbedded in a pistol on his chest. If you are interested in the whole story, it is told in a book entitled Pathfinder—ASpecial Forces Mission Behind Enemy Lines.

The last half of Revelation 12 informs us that there is coming a time when Christians on this world are going to find themselves behind enemy lines. There is going to be a great victory in heaven where Satan is cast down to earth. While there will be a great celebration in heaven, there will be the wretchedness of warfare on earth. Satan will be forced to take his battle from the courtroom of heaven to the streets and deserts and forests of earth. He will make “war on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” In other words, Christians alive when this happens will find themselves enduring a true hell on earth. 

But here is the thing: the battle has already been won. The war is over. Good has already triumphed over evil. Jesus pronounced it on the cross: “It is finished.” Everything else is just empty skirmishes, like the fourth quarter of a high school football game when one team has a lead of 30 points or more. They keep playing. They keep blocking and tackling each other. They keep hitting each other. Players can get hurt, but the outcome of the game is no longer in doubt.

So what application does this passage have for us today? We are not yet in the last 3½ years of the end times when this takes place. Satan is still in heaven accusing us. We are not yet trapped behind enemy lines. Yes, all that is true, but we are still engaged in a holy war against evil. The outcome of the battle is certain, but it still rages, and there will be casualties. But Revelation 12 gives us great hope because it reminds us of a Sovereign God, a Superior power and a Certain victory. There may be casualties, but the battle is over, and we can rejoice.

The war between Good, with a capital G, and evil, with a lowercase e, has been ongoing since the serpent talked the woman into tasting the forbidden fruit. Evil has been mucking up God’s creation ever since, and sometimes it seems to be winning. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said at a news conference after the horrible mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, “Evil visited this community today.” He was right, in a sense. But the reality is that in this sin-sick world, evil is making regular visits. Evil visited Athens today. Evil was here yesterday. Evil will be back tomorrow. 

Yet, we can have hope. Why? Because it is not a fair fight. Evil cannot measure up to God. Revelation reminds us that “salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of our Christ have come.” Everything that God is, Satan is not. God is omnipotent. Satan is not. God is omnipresent. Satan is not. God is omniscient. Satan is not. God is unlimited. Satan is so limited. It is not a fair fight. There is no chance of Satan winning the war. Zilch. Zero. None. Nada. If a Las Vegas bookie were to lay odds, they would be simply 1 to zero.

Are you familiar with the story of Gideon in the book of Judges. God commanded Gideon to fight 135,000 Midianites. Gideon had an army of 32,000 soldiers. That doesn’t seem like a fair fight, does it? The Israelites were outnumbered four to one. So what could they do about this? Well, God could have commanded Gideon to draft a larger army, to conscript more soldiers, to get his numbers up. Of course, that is not what God did. Instead, he asked Gideon to reduce his army to only 300 men. From four to one to 450 to one. That’s not a fair fight is it? Of course not, because this one has on its side the power of God. It really is not a fair fight.

Revelation reminds us what the devil is doing, even now. He is accusing us. In the courtroom of heaven, Satan is the prosecutor who is constantly accusing us before God. It says night and day. Nag, nag, nag. This courtroom never shuts down, and this prosecutor never shuts up, and he is always pointing out our sin. He accused Job of being a big phony. He will accuse us of worse. And the interesting thing is, he has the facts on his side. He potentially could convict us by telling the truth about us. We are guilty. We are lawbreakers. We do deserve punishment. But we have the Superior Advocate. His defense is the same: “I took care of that.” Satan keeps on accusing, and always the answer is the same. “Satan, I took care of that on the cross.” The battle is over.

A military leader who goes into battle without weaponry, without a plan and without courageous soldiers is a fool who is doomed to defeat. We are assured of victory because we have a superior weapon, we have an ironclad strategy and we have soldiers willing to fight to the death.

Our weapon, our ammunition, is the blood of the Lamb. “They have conquered him [the accuser] by the blood of the Lamb.” Our weapon is not good deeds. It is not ministry. It is not wonderful worship. It is not a healthy church. It is not great Bible studies. All of those are good. They are byproducts. But the weapon is the blood of the Lamb that was shed on the cross.

In his book Eternity in Their Hearts, Don Richardson wrote about the difficulty that missionaries initially had in communicating the good news of Jesus Christ to the Chinese people. But one missionary had a breakthrough. He was studying a particular Chinese ideograph, the one which means “righteous.” There is a drawing of it on your outline. It is two images put together. The top half is the image for a lamb. The bottom half is an image for me. In other words, “I under the lamb am righteous.” It was a revelation to the Chinese, and they asked, “Which lamb must we be under to be righteous?” Of course, the answer is the Lamb of God.

A superior weapon needs a means of delivery. The blood of the Lamb is delivered by the word of our testimony. The word of believers reveals the saving power of the blood of the Lamb.

One of the first examples of the power of testimony is in Acts. Paul came to know Jesus in a dramatic fashion on the road to Damascus. On his way to Rome, he told that story repeatedly as he appeared before key government officials. Paul emphasized that it was not anything he had accomplished through his own efforts as a law-abiding Pharisee, but rather that he had been transformed by what Christ did on the cross.

Telling the story of Christ is not always an easy story to tell. Sometimes it requires courage to deliver that word of testimony. John wrote of believers who stood fast even in the face of death. “Death had no hold on them.” They did not even let the prospect of death dissuade them. 

Hebrew 11, the Hall of Faith chapter, highlights the faith of Abraham, Moses, the Israelites crossing the Red Seam Gideon, Samson, David and unnamed prophets: “³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” Sounds like victory. 

But the chapter ends this way: “³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹ And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” Doesn’t sound so much like victory.

I hope that none of you are ever faced with a life and death situation that hinges on your being faithful to your testimony of faith in Christ. But let us never forget what Jesus Himself told the disciples. “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” We are called always to die to ourselves. On one level that means giving God control of our lives as opposed to the self will, but on another level it means be willing if necessary to literally die for God if that is what He calls us to do. That seems so counter intuitive. 

Here is a slightly sanitized version of what George C. Scott said in the movie Patton: “Now I want you to remember that no soldier ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb soldier die for his country.” Yet, in the Bible Jesus won the battle by His death on the cross, and at times Christians will be called on to win the battle by their deaths. The battle has been won, but there will be casualties.

The eviction of the devil touches off rejoicing in heaven. At long last, God has delivered on His promise of a world without sin. Not until Satan is thrown from heaven for the final time does heaven even become a place without sin. These verses describe that time. But even as heaven rejoices, there is a warning of woe to those on earth. Beware, bad days are coming.

Unlimited God now limits Satan to the earth. His first target is the chosen nation. But unlike the British soldiers who received no air cover, Israel is rescued on the wings of the great eagle. There are some who suggest that this could be an allusion to a rescue affected by the United States. That is possible, but we don’t really know what it means. Imagery of an eagle is in the Old Testament as well. But however it takes place, Satan is unable to complete his persecution of Israel. God provides them a safe haven in the wilderness. John saw the serpent pour water like a river. Some suggest that this describes a swarm of military might sent after the Israelites. Or maybe it is Satan being the great imitator. If God can swallow the Egyptian army in the Red Sea, Satan will swallow Israel in a river. Only God opens the earth and swallows the river, be it water or an army, to protect the Jews.

Foiled in his bid to destroy Israel, Satan turns to offspring of the woman, that is those who “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” In a word, Christians. The battle is over, but there will be casualties. And like the Brits who had no air cover, God is going to permit Satan to have his way for a time.

Chapter 13 is going to give us more detail about this persecution. Suffice to say that it will be a hard time to be a believer. The only way that we will be able to survive is to understand that the battle has already been won, appearances to the contrary.

There is a scene in Band of Brothers, the mini series about Easy Company where Capt. Ronald Spiers talks to a soldier who admits that he is paralyzed with fear. Here is what he told him, “The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function.” Christ in the garden of Gethsemane accepted the will of the Father, that He must die to win. Some Christians will have to do the same in the end times. Some Christians today are martyred. There will be casualties, but the battle has already been won.

The victory is the Lord’s and it has already been confirmed. It is just as sure as a replay of yesterday’s NFL playoff games. But there will be casualties, as least as we measure casualties. We are the soldiers in God’s army, called to faithful service. We have the perfect weapon, the blood of the Lamb. And we each have the ability to wield that weapon through our own testimonies. That testimony is manifest in our words, but also our actions, our ministry, our worship, our prayer life. But it is most evident in our witness. The cause of Christ needs soldiers who are willing to die for the cause if necessary.

During the battle of the Chosin Reservour in the Korean War, the 1^st Marine Division was cut off behind enemy lines. The Army wrote them off as being lost because they were surrounded by 22 enemy divisions. Yet they made it out inflicting the highest casualty ratio on an enemy in history and destroying seven entire enemy divisions. Marine Command Lewis “Chesty” Puller was quoted at the time as saying, “They are front of us, behind us and we are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29 to 1. They can’t get away from us now.”

That should be our attitude, to resolve to share the word of our testimony regardless of the circumstances. I remember years ago watching a winless high school girls basketball team play against a team that was better skilled, more experienced and better prepared. The outcome of the game was evident from early on. There was no chance that the winless team was going to have a breakthrough moment. But even so, I was impressed by their effort and their attitude. They played passionately and purposely, even as they fell further and further behind. They listened to their coach, they encouraged one another, the put forth maximum effort, they never quit. 

Based on Revelation 12, there is coming a time when Christians on this world are going to be winless, or least circumstances will make it appear so. But what we must always remember is that no matter what the scoreboard says, we are playing for the winning side. Yes, there will be casualties, even deadly ones, but the great promise from God Himself is that victory is assured. Our task is simply to choose to be His good soldiers, sharing the blood of the Lamb through the word of our testimony.

Laughter was never far from James

My father-in-law James Pulliam, died Dec. 21. Since he was born June 21, 1920, that gave him the distinction of being born on the longest day of the year and dying on the longest night of the year.
I put together a tribute to him of photos with music. It's posted on YouTube.
Following is a column I wrote for The Oconee Enterprise that was published Jan. 3.

Laughter was never far from James

I honestly can’t remember the first time that I met James Pulliam. Until I fell in love with his daughter, he was more of friend of my parents than to me.

I conjured up a vague recollection of playing on the same softball team with him. But over the past 40 years I was afforded the grand privilege of learning to know and love my father-in-law. He went from being Mr. Pulliam to simply James.

James was an easy person to get to know. He had an infectious, distinctive laugh, and he laughed often. You only needed to hear his laugh to know he was somewhere in the building.

A man who outlives his wife of 44 years and his only son has known some hardship in his 92 years. He may have been wounded, but not scarred. He found great joy in life, and those around him experienced that joy too.

During his working years, he was a meter reader for Georgia Power. For most of his 33 years he walked the streets of Athens. He finished up in the meter shop.

He was an avid gardener. His sweet corn and his tomatoes wound up on many a table, and he even grew his own cantaloupe that was noted for its soft texture. My yard is covered with zoysia grass that came from an early business venture of his.

He was devoted to his church. He was one of the few members who knew every pastor Winterville First Baptist Church had ever had in its 125 years of existence. Figure that one out.

He was a homebody, but he liked exploring too. As a young married couple, he and his first wife, Annie Ruth, took a whirlwind motor tour of the West. Later he and his second bride of 25 years, Glendia, took to the airways.

She even talked him into a snowmobile trip. He was not a friend of cold weather. His first night at the lodge, he looked around and remarked, “I believe I am the oldest fool here.”

He had so much fun that they went back the next year.

I called him James, but his more familiar title was Granddaddy. There may not be a man in America who saw more football, basketball, softball, baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball and lacrosse games. He loved watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren compete.

Great-grandson Justin wrote in a school assignment that his granddaddy was his hero because he came to all of his games.

It was Charles McGarity who remarked at the funeral home, “From the first time I met him to the last time I saw him, he always seemed like he was glad to see you.”

For most of his 92 years he was in pretty good health. The last year not so much, particularly the last few weeks.

The last day or two before he died Dec. 21, he spoke with difficulty, often mumbling. One of the last things Glendia heard him say distinctly was, “Hey, y’all come on in.” Those are fitting last words to remember him by.

I don’t know what heaven will be like, but I have a feeling that one of the first words I will hear when I get there will be James saying, “Hey, y’all come on in.”

And then he will laugh.

Learn to love time with God

Many people make promises to themselves as the calendar year changes. We call them resolutions.
One of the most popular is to decide to read the Bible regularly, even every day. Read it from cover to cover.
Alas, like the promises to exercise regularly, to quit smoking or to lose weight, we often fall short of our plan to read the Bible daily. Miss a day, get behind, and we quit altogether.
Our pastor, Phil Wages at Winterville First Baptist Church, covered this Sunday night in his teaching. He had some excellent resources, including Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt, by Greg Johnson, St. Louis Center for Christian Study, and How Not To Read Your Bible in 2013. Their main point is to not turn Bible reading into a legalistic chore that essentially robs you of the main benefit of the practice.
Having a quiet time with the Lord is a great thing to do on a regular basis. But it is not something to be approached as a chore. Our attitude should be more akin to how we relate to those we love the most.
I will be celebrating my 40th anniversary this summer. I still love spending time with Jan. I don't have to make a list of ways to relate to her. (Call Jan at work, say hello when we get home, kiss her good night). I want to do those things and more because I treasure our relationship. I don't have to think about wanting to do those things. Of course, there are days when we don't relate much to one another because of conflicting schedules and the like. But instead of saying, "Well, might as well quit," we just naturally chalk it up to a busy schedule and pick up where we left off. Of course, if those days of not relating went on for too long, then the relationship would suffer, so we don't let that happen.
It is the same with God. You can't get to know someone if you don't spend time with him or her. If we approach our relationship with God more like that of our most loved family members, we will learn to look forward to time with God, not consider it a chore.
So did into God's word this year. Do it every day. But if you miss a day, don't give up. Just start back.