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In early April, Bill was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had spread into his liver. On May 23, the family was called into the hospital to say goodbye. He was in and out of consciousness that day, so when he was awake, I asked him what he wanted to tell his family. Without hesitation he said, “Follow Jesus.” Bill didn’t die that day. We were all so thankful for each day the Lord did give him.

Bill was a piano technician, a trade he had learned from his father. As I was praying about the message I would deliver at his memorial service, I got to thinking about how pianos are tuned. Bill had been to our home several times to tune our piano. Tuning takes time and the right equipment. Bill made minute adjustments to the tension of the strings to properly align the intervals between their tones.

I learned about A-440, which is the pitch standard for the note A above middle C.  On a piano, that string should vibrate at exactly 440 vibrations per second (or 440 Hz).  Anything higher would be sharp; anything lower would be flat. Once that “A” had been tuned to the pitch standard, the other notes would be tuned to that.

You can certainly tune a piano to itself at a different frequency, but for two instruments to be in harmony with each other, they need a pitch standard, a standard outside of itself.

A person may think they are in tune – their life is going well until they meet someone like Bill who seems to be tuned to a different pitch.  They see peace in his life, strength that isn’t seen every day.  What’s the difference?  Bill’s life has been tuned to the ultimate standard – Jesus Christ.  Bill has repented of his sins and received Jesus into his life; he has put his faith in him.  To put it in musical terms: Bill is in harmony with Jesus.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be save.” (Acts 4:12)

Bill’s desire, God’s desire, is that we all get in tune with Jesus Christ. How do we do that? Confess our sins, repent and put our faith in Him.

Paul proclaims in Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

Jesus is our pitch standard! And now Bill is in His very presence!

Here are some of the things that create common bonds between people:

Birth/Birthplace
If you are traveling in a different state or country and hear that someone is from your  birthplace or hometown, no doubt you would approach that person and share the news that you are from the same place! An instant bond is formed!

Blood
Meeting an extended family member for the first time creates an instant bond. You are blood relatives!

Beliefs 
We easily bond with people with similar beliefs – political or religious to name a few.

Burden
When we share a common burden for social issues (pro-life, missions, orphaned children, etc.), a common bond is formed between us.

Battles
When two people are fighting for the same cause, a bond is formed. Just look at the bond that is formed between our military personnel.

Just one of these can create a common bond between two strangers.  Imagine the bond than can occur if all five areas were realized! This is the reality for believers in Christ.

1. We have a common birth – we’ve all been born again by the Spirit
2. We have a common blood – the blood of the new covenant, the blood of Jesus, making us brothers and sisters in Christ
3.  We have a common belief – doctrines, principles, commands…everything found in God’s Word
4.  We have a common burden – a burden for the lost, a burden to make disciples
5.  We have a common battle – not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Paul writes, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Because Christ is our Head, we enjoy a common bond in Him!

The reason we see a great deal of disunity in the church is because we forget these things that bind us together, or we add to them, or take away from them.

“Rebirth doesn’t matter, we’re all God’s children!”
“The blood of Christ is an abomination to a civilized world!”
“You believe what you want, and I’ll believe what I want no matter what Scripture says!”
We have more of a burden for temporal concerns than for eternal ones.
Our battles consist of fighting for what we want, not what Christ wants.

Jesus prayed for our unity in His great high priestly prayer: “My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.  May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23)

Unity in the body of Christ is a big deal because it’s meant to be a picture of the unity found in the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And when the Church is united, the world can more clearly see that Jesus was sent by God to be the only way of salvation.

Church, let us make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).

Love for life was passed on to me – I am a passionate pro-lifer and I happily serve on the board of Amnion Crisis Pregnancy Center in Burnsville, Minnesota.

This video is a great resource and a powerful tool in our fight to preserve the sanctity of human life!

I arrived home and began snipping the tags off. I was going to wear my new suit to church the next day! On the right sleeve, I saw a label stitched to the coat. It was a label identifying the maker of the suit. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I remove it? No, I should leave it. I figured if they wanted it removed, they wouldn’t have stitched it to the sleeve! So the label stayed.

The next day at church, the congregation was asked to stand and greet one another. I stood and shook hands with the man in front of me. Obviously noticing the label on my coat, he said, “New suit, huh?” My face instantly turned red as I realized I was supposed to remove the label! I was so embarrassed! I slinked out of church that day, wondering how many other people noticed my blunder.

As I look back on that event, I wonder how I could have been so naive. It also brings to mind the saying, “wear your heart on your sleeve,” which means your emotions and affections are out in the open for all to see.  That Sunday morning long ago, people knew I had a new suit, because it was on my sleeve for all to see!

That’s how I want my life to be. I want to wear my affection for my wife on my sleeve for all to see! I want to wear my affection for my children on my sleeve for all to see! I want to wear my love for people on my sleeve for all to see!

Most importantly, I want to wear my love and affection for Jesus on my sleeve for all to see! I won’t be embarrassed when someone asks, “New life, huh?”

Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

When we become Christians, we become like soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3-4).  As Christ’s soldiers, we must train for war. We should never be surprised when we are under attack. Of course we are under attack, we’re soldiers! But “we are not unaware of [Satan's] schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Paul informs us that the attacks will come from one of three fronts (Ephesians 2:1-3):

1. The devil – accuser, adversary
2. The world – the system around us that is opposed to God
3. The flesh – the old nature; can do nothing spiritual to please God

Jesus tells us that “the thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”  John 10:10.

So let’s examine our battle plan as soldiers. Scripture tells us that there are times we need to stand FIRM, there are times we need to FLEE, and there are times we need to FIGHT.

When to STAND FIRM

Enemy: Satan and his demonic forces  

Weapons: The thief comes to steal; using deception, the enemy steals truth and identity from believers
Aftermath: Ineffective soldiers, full of doubt and uncertainty
Response: Believers need to know and stand firm in the truth of Scripture; put on the full armor of God

“Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:7-8).

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

“…stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then…” (Ephesians 6:13ff).

“In a survey of 1700 professing Christian teenagers, 70 percent admitted to hearing voices, like there was a subconscious self talking to them. I don’t believe they are psychotic or paranoid schizophrenic. There is a battle going on for their minds.”
~ Dr. Neil Anderson, Freedom in Christ and Harvest House Publishers

When to FLEE

Enemy: The world/World System

Weapons: The thief comes to kill; gets us attached to this world, so our allegiance is turned away from God
Aftermath: physical disease, depression, death, our joy in the Lord is killed
Response: RUN!  Get out of the situation; avoid future snares and pitfalls; run to God for shelter

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16).

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:18-19).

“She (Potiphar’s wife) caught him by the cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.” (Genesis 39:12).

“Flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14).

“But you, man of God, flee from all this (love and pursuit of money) and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1Timothy 6:11).

“Flee the evil desires of your youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

“You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

When to FIGHT

Enemy: Our Sinful Nature (flesh)                        

Weapons: The thief comes to destroy, enticing us to sin, enslaved to our own appetites
Aftermath: separation from our Father, ultimately, a destroyed soul
Response: put to death your sinful nature on the cross; surrender to the HS; surround yourself with other soldiers

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says, ‘No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary’” (Ezekiel 44:9).

“…the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

“Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live…” (Romans 8:12-13).

“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).

Satan/demonic forces? Stand Firm!
The world system? Flee!
The flesh?  Fight!

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

While in Tentmakers training the summer of 1986, I heard a presentation on Scripture memory from Cary Humphries, vice-president of Cargill. He handed us an ABC list and challenged us to memorize all 26 verses. If we did, he would send us a Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I took him up on that challenge, and now, over 20 years later, I still use that Bible!

I love that ABC approach to memorizing Scripture because we all know the alphabet! As I associate a letter with a topic and the corresponding Bible verse, I don’t have to carry memory cards with me; I just go through the ABCs!  Inspired by Mr. Humphries’ passion for and approach to Scripture memory, I put together several ABC lists with the help of my brother-in-law and brother-in-Christ, Jeff Rankin. Help yourself to the lists and start hiding God’s word in your heart!

ABC Scripture Memory Lists:

Basic Training
Character of God
Christ’s Ambassadors
Especially for Pastors
Soldiers for Christ

Need some motivation to memorize God’s word? Read my blog post: Peace in an Elevator.

Here is what Mr. Humphries wrote on the inside cover of the Bible he sent…

Assimilating newcomers into the life of the congregation is essential for any church.  The best systems and programs fall short without people trained to reach out to visitors.  The Welcoming Church workshop equips congregational members with the skills and confidence needed to initiate and develop relationships with others.

Assimilation team members, ushers, greeters, ministry volunteers and ministry staff will all benefit from this Biblically-based, interactive two hour workshop.

This passage from the second chapter of Genesis reminds us that marriage is not a human idea, but a God-given blessing!  We rejoice that the Lord has brought you two together, and we would consider it a privilege to help prepare you, not just for your wedding day, but for your marriage.

This is how the Hope Church Wedding Handbook begins. Do you need help putting together a wedding handbook for your ministry? Feel free to use this for ideas.