Article from Randy Fox

Hey everyone,

I just finished reading an article from a brother in Christ named Randy Fox. He is a friend of mine with the Columbia Fire Department. He sent me this article after me speaking at the Main Street congregation in Mount Pleasant Wednesday night. I liked it so much I wanted to share it with you.

Lightship Chesapeake

In the fall of 1962, the Lightship Chesapeake and her crew of 16 was struck by the full force of an Atlantic hurricane. Other vessels could run for cover, as the storm rose, but Chesapeake had to stay at her station, marking the approaches to the Chesapeake Bay as she had done since 1933. The 1000-watt lamp at her masthead was a sign for life for other ships, and the safety of others came first.

The storm hit. In a heavy sea, a huge wave broke over Chesapeake’s 20 foot high bow, carried away her foredeck fittings, damaged her steel pilot house and swept both of her life boats away. The ship’s anchor rode 1000 feet of 1 ½ inch thick cast iron chain - snapped and her main 7500-pound mushroom anchor was lost. Badly damaged and drifting from her station, Chesapeake made for the Norfolk Virginia base. The emergency repairs were made and within 24 hours she was back at her station guiding wayward ships to the safety of the Chesapeake Bay.

How can we learn from the Chesapeake and apply this to our Christian life? Well first lets look at the Chesapeake as a source of light. Isaiah 59:9 states “we wait for light”. This is what the wayfaring ships at sea were relying on, the light from the Chesapeake to guide them safely to the harbor. This light is also the light we as Christians must also provide to those of the world, we must shine during the storms of this life Isaiah 60:1 tells us “Arise, shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” When we put on Christ in our lives we must shine for him,
John 8:12 which states “ I am the light of the world: He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” Matt 5:16 “ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This is not only a scripture for us to read but a commandment of Jesus. We are to provide this light to those around about us to lead them safely home and at the same time we are giving praise to our Father. Second is the Chesapeake’s commitment, she knew that staying at sea during the hurricane was her duty and she accepted it. But when the damage was done she left her post. A lot of times Christians are damaged and they never return to their post they get into a rut much like the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake did not let herself stay in the rut she made for the base, had the repairs and went back to work. But we allow ourselves sometime to think only of our own problems; we need to get back to the business Jesus commands us to carry out. If we put him first in our lives He will provide for us. When we get knock down we need to get back up. Next lets look at how long the light was shining from the Chesapeake, for 24 hours she was away from her post. During this time how many wayward ships were searching for the bay? The Chesapeake did return but not like Jesus will. Jesus is coming to gather his own. Jesus tells us in John 13:35 “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.” Jesus extends his call and shines forth his light, but we must use it while it is here, we are not promise the next breath. Does your light shine like the Light Ship Chesapeake? Randy Fox

Long time

Hey everyone,

It's been too long since I've been on here, but I wanted to catch you up to speed on some things. I've been busy with church work, songwriting and family life. I have not taken the time to post things on here in a long while. However, let me try to post a couple of things.

I've been asked by the elders to help them keep track of some among our number here at West 7th who have been absent for quite a while. This will be a tough task, but they know I'm glad to help where I can. I think between the senior adults, teaching and preaching at assisted living homes, teaching Sunday mornings, coordinating the Barnabas Factor mailouts and calling some of our absentees I am going to stay plenty busy.

I've written several country songs since I wrote "We've Not Forgotten." I don't know if anything will happen with it or not, but I've made several connections. I'm in the process of getting some of my original material to a producer in Nashville, and he's going to help me with a few things. I'm excited to see where this will go for me in the near future. I'm scheduled to play at a couple of benefit dinners this fall. I'll be playing at the benefit for State Representative Sheila Butt (yes, she's my aunt) on Oct. 13 along with Cowboy Troy. That night ought to be exciting. Also, I'm scheduled to play at a benefit for the Maury County Sherriff's Dept. sometime in November along with a couple of other country artists. This will be some good exposure for me. I recently showcased my music at Nett's Country Store and Deli in Bethel and several from West 7th came out on the church bus to support me! What a surprise. I'll be playing some songs with Jerry Elder at the upcoming teachers' appreciation dinner here at West 7th on Saturday, August 27 as part of the entertainment that night. It ought to be a lot of fun.

I was busy today visiting St. Thomas Hospital and Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Sometimes we'll go for a while without having anybody in the hospitals, but then it seems like it happens all at once when they need to be there. Maybe once we get them squared away we won't have anyone up there for a while.

Everybody have a great day, and I'll catch up with you later!

Update of "We've Not Forgotten"

http://west7thcofc.com/Jeremy/11-05-31-17-05-30.wav

Hey everyone, here's the latest audio recording of the song which adds a bridge and third verse.

New Song

Hey Everybody,

I'm excited as I just got my first song copyrighted. It's called "We've Not Forgotten," and it's a follow-up to Darryl Worley's song "Have You Forgotten?" You can listen to it by clicking on the title of the blog entry. Tell me what you think. I'm in the process right now of trying to contact a music publisher about picking up the song.

Jeremy T. Butt

Is It Real?

Being around older people a lot, I hear some of the funniest things. One of them came on Sunday night while preaching at the Bridge. After services were over I had finished serving communion to one of the ladies when she wanted to ask a personal question if I would give an honest answer. My mind began wondering what she wanted to know that was so personal, but I figured it was concerning my preaching. After telling her that she could ask me, she proceeded to ask me if my hair was real. I thought that was one of the funniest things I'd ever had asked about me in my life. I told her of course it was real. Then she said "can I touch it?" That was even funnier than the original question. I bent down and she tugged on my hair (I guess she thought it was a toupee or some other kind of hair piece). She said "you have beautiful hair!" After laughing I said "thank you!" I don't know that anyone has ever asked that about me before. However, does it make you wonder if anyone wants to question us if our lives as Christians are real?

Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in Matthew 25, and John tells us in 1 John 2:4 that if we say we know the Lord but don't keep His commandments we are a liar. We need to live our lives in such a way that people know we are Christians and that we are living for the Lord each day (Matthew 5:16). People should not have to ask us if our lives are real, for it should be evident by the way we live.

A hairpiece or any other kind of "fake" hair serves a purpose, but fake spirituality serves no purpose. What are you doing with your life to make sure people know your Christianity is real. I know what I have as a Christian is real, but how would I react if someone questions that? Can I show them? I sure could show the lady at the Bridge that my hair was real, so I better be able to back up the truthfulness of my Christianity. Is it real?

Remove the Filth

Remember the character from the Peanuts comic strip named PigPen? He walked around everywhere surrounded by a cloud of dust because he stayed filthy. If we were to try to come in the house when we were younger our mothers might be heard saying "take those filthy clothes off before you come in this house!" They did not want filthy garments in their clean house; they didn't belong. We would have to remove those filthy clothes before it was acceptable to them.

Isn't sin like that? Ever since the first sin in the garden of Eden we became dirty in the eyes of God. Before we could be acceptable in His sight we had to do something about our sin. There is an example of someone standing before God who is filthy and in need of changing their garments. Read Zechariah 3:1-5. Satan as the accuser tries to point out our sins that separate us from God, thus symbolized in this story as the filthy garments. Thanks be to God that the power of the accuser is not as great as Heaven's Oxy Clean. The Lord knew just how to make us clean in His sight.

For those of us since the death of Christ the way to be considered clean in the sight of God is through the blood of His Son. Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb by being immersed into Christ? (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Pet. 3:21) If you haven't obeyed the gospel and you're at the age where you know your sins have hurt God (2 Cor. 7:9) you're still standing before God in filthy garments with Satan accusing you night and day. Are you like those in the church at Sardis who had soiled their garments or are you like the others in Sardis who are walking with the Lord in white? (Rev. 3) The choice is yours as to whether or not you wash your robes and make them white in the blood of the lamb (Rev. 7:14). If your garments are filthy, change your clothes to remove the filth!

Podcast Cancellation

Thanks to everyone who either read the transcript or listened to the podcast the last several weeks, but I am making a decision to cancel Biblically Speaking because of time constraints with my work schedule. I will still have audio sermon files available on the blog as well as articles from time to time, but I do feel it is best if I take this small load off of me for the current time.

Deception, a symptom of the Gehazi syndrome

Back in my former days as a student at Harding University some of the most remarkable memories come from meal times in the cafeteria. One particular day some students were taking bananas from the line, mashing them with their hands without opening the peeling and placing them back in the fruit basket for others to take. The purpose of squooshing the banana was to play a prank on them by deception. The fruit appeared as though it had not been touched, but when the banana was opened the student would realize they were the victim of a good banana squooshing.

The purpose of deception is to mislead someone by a false appearance or statement. One such character in the Bible who used deception to their advantage was Gehazi, Elisha's servant in 2 Kings 5. On the heels of the story of the cleansing of Naaman the leper we find the response from Gehazi who became upset because his master, Elisha, wouldn't take a present from Naaman. Gehazi came up with a plan to use deception against Naaman in order to get a present for himself. He ran after Naaman and told him a story about two young men of the sons of the prophets who had come to stay with them and they needed two talents of silver and two changes of clothes. Naaman knew that Gehazi was Elisha's servant, so he was deceived into believing this was true. Gehazi's appearance and story was used to deceive Naaman out of the present. Gehazi ultimately paid the price for his deception when Elisha confronted him about the matter and struck him with the leprosy from which Naaman had been cleansed.

Jeremiah said "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9) Have you deceived anyone lately. Granted you might not have mushed up any bananas to pull a prank on someone, but perhaps you've been giving the appearance by your actions in order to deceive. It's a heart condition, and it's one of the symptoms of the Gehazi syndrome that can only be cured by the Great Physician. Will you seek the help you need today?

Podcast 8 - Relentless Pursuit

It is time once again for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking material from God's Word and making it relevant to those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt and I look forward to making the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living. Today's podcast is entitled Relentless Pursuit. Our text comes from Ephesians 6:16, so open your Bibles to this passage and we'll read it in a moment.

Just a few days ago my Mom and I were turkey hunting together. We were about to walk into a field through an opening between the tree line, so we paused and glanced into the field to make sure there weren't any birds that would spot us. Upon seeing no turkeys, we began to make our way into the field. Unfortunately, there were some birds over to the right that we didn't see because of the brush in our way, and we caught them by surprise. I was in front of Mom, and I was caught in an awkward position. I had already been seen by the turkeys, but they weren't trying to escape too quickly. I made an instinctive reaction to step up and begin releasing my arsenal of 12 gauge shells upon the gobbler that was closest to me. Three shells had been fired and the bird flew up in the air. Seconds later the bird began to flutter, he hit the ground and took to running once he hit the ground. Knowing I had hit the bird, we looked for him at the edge of the field. Seeing the bird, I proceeded to unload two more shells at him from a distance, and he crawled into the brush where Mom had to shoot one more time because I had run out of shells. The turkey was now down for the count.

What's the moral of the story? Even though the shots I made on that bird were not ideal, I was not going to give up the fight. The decision to use whatever legal means necessary to kill that bird had already been made. It didn't matter if it was two shells or six shells, I was going to give that gobbler what for. Did you know Satan is like that with us? He's going to use his full arsenal against us to try to get us to sin against God. In our passage today look at what Paul says about his attack.

Ephesians 6:16 says "In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." In this much needed reminder of the spiritual armor we must wear to protect us from the devil, Paul compares Satan's attacks to flaming arrows being shot at us. One of the important teachings in this text as paired with other Scriptures is that Satan is relentless in the pursuit of his prey in many different ways and at many different times. Just as Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and Satan "left Him until an opportune time" (Lk. 4:13), so he also continues his attacks on us to provoke us to sin.

Perhaps there is a television show that you don't need to watch, but Satan knows there will be multiple opportunities to get you to view it. Perhaps there is a woman at work you know you need to stay away from because she's married, but Satan will continue to try to convince you it won't hurt anything or anybody. Perhaps you bypass the alcoholic drinks at the convenience store, but Satan knows that for some of you the more times you see them on display the more tempting it becomes to buy one. Satan doesn't tempt us once then quit when we resist him. We are told to resist him in 1 Pet. 5:9, but we know he will come back to tempt again. Those flaming arrows are going to continue to be shot at us, so we need to be prepared to deflect them with our spiritual shield.

Don't be caught off guard like the turkey I shot on Friday. Without the shield of faith, those flaming arrows of Satan will spiritually destroy you. Have you been caught with your shield down lately?

Thank you for listening to this week's podcast, Relentless Pursuit. I look forward to being with you again next week for another edition of Biblically Speaking. Until then, I hope you have a marvelous day!

Podcast 7 - Children Are A Heritage from the Lord

It is time once again for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking material from God's Word and making it relevant to those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt and I look forward to making the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living. Today's podcast is entitled "Children are a heritage from the Lord." Open your Bibles to Psalm 127:3-5, and we will read the text in a few moments.

Don't you just love some of the conversations that kids come up with at times? On the way into school for the past two mornings, my oldest son, Conner has been enlightening me on the death of some of our presidents. Evidently there was a special on the National Geographic Channel this past Sunday that was centered around George Washington. Of course at the end of the program they discussed how he died, and that stuck with Conner. For some reason on the way to school he began to tell me the story of how Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a "movie" (you've got to remember this is coming from the mind of a kindergartener). It got really interesting to hear about some of the details because in his version of the story John F. Kennedy was there to witness Lincoln's assassination. Some of the stories he comes up with amaze me!

Here I am today reflecting on our text for today as we now read Psalm 127:3-5. Indeed children are a heritage from the Lord. As a child, we look to our parents for guidance to instill in us spiritual values needed for our development. What a blessing it is to know that we continue a heritage as we grow up and establish families of our own. We then switch places to teach our own children about the Lord, and the heritage continues.

Solomon, perhaps the wisest person who ever lived, relays his deep understanding of what a blessing children are in this text. He compares them to arrows in the hands of a warrior. As someone who loves archery hunting, the statement about having a quiver full of children provides very vivid imagery. Having three children of my own, I can see why a multiplicity of children are such a blessing. Even as Solomon states, "the fruit of the womb a reward" (3).

There is an automobile commercial with numerous archers shooting arrows at a car. While the number of arrows shot at the car cannot be counted, it makes me think of the numerous blessings that children remind us of in our lives, as a reward from the Lord. While you may not want as many children as the Dugger family on television, be sure to thank the Lord for those you do have and consider them as arrows in the hands of a warrior. The next time one of your children reveals what's on their mind during a conversation, count your blessings for the heritage from the Lord. Remember that you too at one time had conversations like that with your parents!

Thank you for listening to today's podcast, "Children are a heritage from the Lord." I look forward to being with you again next week. Until then, I hope you have a marvelous day!

Podcast 6 – Josiah the Restorer

It's time once again for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking material from God's Word and making it relevant for those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt and I look forward to making the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living. Go ahead and open your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 34. In a moment we will read from the text, but let me first introduce our topic for the day.

When we mention the theme of restoration here in the United States I would dare say most of us in the church recall names such as Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, "Raccoon" John Smith and various others. The Restoration of New Testament Christianity is of major significance to us in the church today because leaders of the restoration movement urged everyone to go back to the Word of God as our only religious guide. Those who decided to follow this plea put away all denominational titles, creeds and unscriptural practices such as instrumental music in worship and infant baptism. These individuals sought to be led by the Word of God alone, no more, no less. Did you know however there was a time in the Old Testament when a young king of Judah in Jerusalem set forth a pattern of restoration?

As a background behind our subject today, King Josiah took over ruling Judah at the very young age of eight, following after the corrupt reign of his father, Amon, who did evil just like his father, Manasseh. Josiah walked in the ways of his ancestor, King David, choosing to do what was good and not evil like so many of his forefathers. He made it a point to get rid of the images that people worshipped, even beating them into powder. In the eighteenth year of his reign he sent some key individuals to repair the temple of the Lord. The money that was in the temple was given to Hilkiah, the high priest to distribute to the workers, and in doing so Hilkiah discovered the Book of the Law. Sources disagree with how long the Book of the Law had been missing, some saying perhaps 57 years and others as long as 75-80 years, but regardless of how long it had been the people now had access to the Word of God.

Shaphan the secretary read the Book of the Law before the king, and upon hearing it the king tore his clothes. He was distressed and anguished, affirming verbally that their fathers had not kept the Word of the Lord. Huldah the prophetess made the prophecy that there would be disaster for Judah and its people because of those who forsook God and worshipped idols, thereby provoking God to wrath. However, because Josiah's heart was touched by the Book of the Law, he would not see the disaster take place in his days. Upon this message being passed on to the king, we now come to our text for today. I read from 2 Chron. 34:29-33.

It is clear from the text that Josiah went back to the Book from which the people had strayed for all these years. Upon Josiah's reading of the Book of the Law, he made a covenant to walk after the Lord and keep his commandments and his testimonies and statutes with all his heart and soul. It appears to me that Josiah was dedicated to the restoration of God's Law among His people. He saw to it that during the rest of his days that the people served the Lord and did not turn away from following Him. Some list Josiah as a reformer, but the better term is restorer. He reinstated the type of relationship the people had with God at one time, bringing it back the way it should be.

Have you ever seen people restore furniture or cars? The purpose is not to enhance or change but to restore. The old piece of furniture will look as it did in its former days. The old car will look as it did in its former days. They're not supposed to look like something different. They're not reformed, but restored.

In a time today when so many people seem to get further and further from the Word of God, isn't it refreshing to take a look back at Josiah the restorer to see how important it is to go back to the Word of God? Maybe there are some people out there who need a restored relationship with the Lord. Perhaps you've even been away from the Lord about as long as the Book of the Law was hidden in the temple. The Word of the Lord was found in the house of the Lord. In the Old Testament the house of the Lord was the physical temple. However, for us today under the New Covenant, our bodies are the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19). Renew and restore your covenant with God in your daily walk with Him. Let's all take a page out of Josiah's book and make sure we are devoted wholeheartedly to following the Lord as laid forth for us in Scripture. Thanks for listening to today's podcast, Josiah the Restorer. Until next week, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Podcast 5 - A Soothing Aroma

It’s time once again for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking material from God’s Word and making it relevant to those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt and I look forward to making the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living.

As an introduction to today’s lesson, I ask the following question. Have you ever been to a steakhouse where before you enter the restaurant the fragrant aroma of the steaks cooking on the grill tantalizes your sense of smell? That pleasurable smell makes you want to go inside to see what the steakhouse has to offer. If the smell coming from the grill was not pleasant, you might not accept the offer to eat at that establishment. Years ago, my family ate at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX. Prior to entering the restaurant patrons are smacked in the face with the aroma of a nearby stockyard. Needless to say, that’s not the best aroma to smell prior to entering a restaurant. A Soothing aroma creates an environment of acceptance from the one who receives it. Did you know that God wants our sacrifices to Him to be a soothing aroma? The title of today’s podcast is A Soothing Aroma. Please open your Bibles to Gen. 8:20-22.

When Noah stepped off the ark to make the first sacrifice to God after the flood, the Lord smelled the soothing aroma. He was pleased with the offering that Noah had made. After the establishment of the Law of Moses burnt offerings were made which were a soothing aroma to the Lord as well (Ex. 29:18, 25). We live in a time when the burnt offerings are no longer made, because the last sacrifice requiring the lifeblood of an unblemished offering was the Son of God upon the cross of calvary (Heb. 10:10). If that was the last sacrifice requiring death, what type of sacrifices can we offer today?

Paul says our bodies are to be presented to the Lord every day as a “living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). Everything we do no matter what day it happens to be should be an offering to God. It seems that if we would have this in mind we may avoid some of the daily activities in which we are involved. Everything in life is not worship, per se (such as brushing our teeth or changing our clothes), but we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice in service to Him every day. Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28), and since we were bought with a price, we are to glorify God with our bodies (1 Cor. 6:20).

Some people think that once they leave the church house on Sunday morning that they don’t have to be religious again until next Sunday morning. That concept is foreign to Scripture. Just because we have gathered to worship God on Sunday doesn’t give us the license to diminish our vocabulary by using bad four letter words, nor does it mean that we can treat people however we see fit. Those of us who are members of the body of Christ are representatives of Him wherever and whenever we go. The life that we live on Monday through Saturday should reflect our attitude toward God that we display on Sunday.

Unfortunately, hypocrites in the church is a big reason some avoid being a part of the body of Christ. Here’s a quote given to me by my good brother, Jonathan Jones: “if you let a hypocrite stand between you and God, the hypocrite is closer to God than you are.” Hypocrisy shows its ugly face even in the lives of God’s people at times. “The church is made up of people, and people will let you down.” This was some advice my uncle, Stan Butt gave me before I took the job here at West 7^th, and it’s oh so true. Because of this, the church needs to be continually taught what it means to offer our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God.

A while back I preached a sermon titled “Are You a Smelly Skunk or a Fragrant Flower?” The lesson was designed to decipher whether our daily sacrifice was a soothing aroma to God or whether it was unpleasant to Him. Let’s all make sure we are offering the kinds of sacrifices to God that are well-pleasing to Him. Jesus said in Jn. 8:29 “I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” Let us live our lives in such a way that we’ll be able to hear from the Lord that He has been well-pleased with us at the time of Judgment (Mt. 25:21).

Based on how you are living your life right now, can you say beyond the shadow of a doubt that your daily sacrifice is a soothing aroma to God? John tells us in 1 Jn. 5:13 “these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” Based on the fact that we can know that we’re saved, we ought to be able to recognize whether or not the aroma from our sacrifice is soothing or putrid. What kind of sacrifice are you offering on a daily basis? Peter says “as you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:4-5).

Thank you for listening to today’s edition of Biblically Speaking. Again, if you have any comments or questions please email them to me at jeremytbutt@gmail.com. I look forward to being with you again next week, and until then have a marvelous day!

Podcast 4- The Barnabas Factor

It is time once again for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking material from God’s Word and making it relevant to those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt and I look forward to taking the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living.

The title of this week’s podcast is the Barnabas Factor. The text comes from Acts 4:32-37. In the midst of the early church having an attitude far from selfishness, they were bringing proceeds of the sale of houses and land and laying them at the feet of the apostles for distribution to those who needed them. It is in this setting we are introduced to Joseph, a man whom the apostles called Barnabas because of his encouraging nature. What was it about Barnabas that the apostles saw in him?

Other texts reveal more information about Barnabas. When Saul of Tarsus had obeyed the gospel he eventually came to Jerusalem to associate with the disciples. When they were unsure about the legitimacy of his being a disciple, Barnabas stood up for Saul by describing how he obeyed the gospel after seeing the Lord on the road to Damascus and also how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. Barnabas was being an encourager in Acts 9:26-27.

Even in the midst of an argument, it seems that Barnabas was being an encourager. You well remember the spat between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41. Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark with them on their follow up preaching tour to see how the churches were. However, Paul did not want to take him because he deserted them at Pamphylia to return to Jerusalem. A heated disagreement ensued that led to Paul and Barnabas parting ways. Paul took along Silas headed to Syria and Cilicia, and Barnabas took along John Mark sailing away to Cyprus. Though the argument caused a separation between Paul and Barnabas, it seemed that the desire to take John Mark might have been an encouragement to him. Paul later says of John Mark that he is useful to him for service (2 Tim. 4:11). Perhaps the encouragement given by Barnabas had helped to mold his character from a deserting worker to a determined worker.

What exactly is encouragement? One definition is the act of drawing alongside or lending energy to get another going. I like this definition. In fact, there’s an easy way to illustrate it. When your battery dies in your vehicle, you need to find someone who can supply the power from their car’s battery to get you going again. Your car battery is drawing the energy from the other battery. This illustration is so simple yet so practical, as we all need encouragement at times.

What are some ways we can be an encourager? Here at West 7th we are reorganizing part of our visitation program that makes contacts to the shut-ins of our congregation. The group is being renamed the Barnabas Factor. We will be mailing cards and making phone calls to people to encourage them. The people we encourage feel uplifted and energized because someone made it a point to show they care. If you’re at West 7th and you want to find a way to get involved and become an encourager, please come to our luncheon after Bible classes on Sunday, April 17 in the Family Center. We will discuss the reorganization of this program and how we can all be better encouragers.

Barnabas had what it took to be an encourager in the first century church. Let us all learn from his example as we strive to build our fellow Christians up each and every day. We can have the Barnabas factor in our congregations today. Paul writes “therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11). Thank you for listening to this week’s edition of Biblically Speaking. Look for us on Facebook, and don’t forget you can email me any suggestions you might have for the program. I look forward to being with you again next week to study God’s Word. Have a marvelous day!

What Happens When You Go When You're Not Supposed to Go?

My family had piled into the car headed into town for Wednesday night Bible study just like every other Wednesday evening. As we were almost halfway to town, I noticed a car beginning to pull out from a stop sign to my left. Very quickly I realized not only was the car trying to cross in front of me but it was not in a hurry. Responding to the brake pedal, the pressure from my foot sent the brakes from moderate force to punching the pedal to the floor, bringing us to a screeching halt on the highway. At this time I had lain on my horn, to which the car didn't even seem to acknowledge my presence. By the time the vehicle came to a complete stop, there were only a few feet between us and the other vehicle. After being noticeably shaken from the incident, we proceeded on into town to the West 7th church house. What happens when you go when you're not supposed to go? In this case a wreck almost happened. That vehicle that pulled out in front of us was not supposed to go; they should have waited until our vehicle was clear before it proceeded forward.

This incident gave me the perfect illustration for my devotional talk last night. I was already planning on addressing the text from Numbers 14:39-45. After struggling with how I wanted to illustrate it, the clear answer hit me (almost literally) on the way into town by means of this near automobile accident. The Israelites wanted to go when they weren't supposed to go. Here's the background behind the text.

At the end of chapter thirteen, Joshua and Caleb had given favorable reports of the Promised Land; however, the other ten spies gave bad reports telling the people they would not be able to occupy the land because of the large people who inhabited it. Because of the bad reports, the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron in chapter fourteen. On through the chapter, God is very upset with Israel wanting to destroy them because of their disobedience, unbelief, grumbling, etc. Moses talks God out of that idea, but He states that they will not get to enter the Promised Land because of their behavior. However, their children would get to enter the land along with Joshua and Caleb. God decides to make another point to the Israelites by striking the ten spies with a plague, killing them.

God had told them through Moses that they could not go into the Promised Land. The Israelites mourned, but they decided they were going up to the Promised Land anyway. Three observations I would like to make from this text:
1 -We need to listen to the instructions from the Lord
They didn't pay any attention to what the Lord said. We need to follow the Lord's instructions today, and they're given to us through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
2 - Warnings are meant to be heeded
Moses tried to warn the people that God would not be with them if they went up to the Promised Land and they would be struck down, but they wouldn't listen. We need to heed warnings as given by the Lord in Scripture (Heb. 2:1-4).
3 - We see what happens when people walk away from God
The Israelites went up to the heights of the hill country but the Lord's presence was not with them. The ark of the covenant and Moses stayed behind in the camp. The Israelites turned their back on God, and they were defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites. There is no victory for us if God is not with us (1 Jn. 5:4).

Remember the words of the song "If Jesus is with me I'll go anywhere." Just make sure the Lord is with you before you go!

Podcast 3 - Homosexuality and Harding

(You can listen to the audio by clicking the title above)

It's once again time for Biblically Speaking, a podcast taking relevant material from God's Word and making it relevant to those living in the world today. I am your speaker, Jeremy Butt, and I look forward to taking the journey with you from biblical learning to practical living.

Today's text comes from Romans 1:26-27: "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error".

Paul describes in the opening of this great book what happens to those who reject God. Among the many things that are detestable to God is homosexuality, and the Bible is loud and clear about the Lord's stance on this matter.

Recently at my alma mater, Harding University, an underground website sprung up that required some swift attention by the university. The following is an excerpt from The Bison, the school's student newspaper in an article written by editor in chief, Sara J. Kyle:

In chapel Thursday morning, President David B. Burks defended Harding University's decision to censor an underground student website, citing his personal feelings and a formal statement by the university. Harding came under scrutiny by several blogs and social media sites Wednesday afternoon after deciding to block the website, HUQueerPress.com. The e-zine, which was also distributed to several students in the dormitories in the form of a pamphlet, detailed the anonymous experiences of gay and lesbian students at Harding. HUQueerPress.com was blocked at about 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The site included testimonials from current and former students, some of which included explicit sexual detail and offensive language (http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/03/harding-university-defends-decision-to-block-website/)

As a member of the Lord's church and alumnus of Harding, I am proud of their stance against such ungodly material. The issue of homosexuality is a hot button of conversation in our world today, and taking such a stance against it will bring backlash from the liberals who say we are homophobes and gay-bashers. Dr. Burks made it clear in his chapel remarks that it was not about bashing homosexuals, but rather it was about following the Bible's teaching on proper sexual relationships. According to Dr. Burks this not only includes homosexuality but also premarital sex and extra-marital sexual activity, which we know as adultery.

People in this world who are homosexuals need to understand what God teaches about the heinousness of their so-called lifestyle. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed largely because of their homosexuality (Gen. 19). Paul said that homosexuality is contrary to sound teaching (1 Tim. 1:10). He also told the Corinthians that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

Many people today will claim to have been born this way, but Brother Jimmy Allen cites in his commentary on Romans some information gathered by Neil and Briar Whitehead. They did scientific research for more than eight years on homosexuality, and they would respond to this so-called homosexual gene that people claim to have as being genetic nonsense; it doesn't exist (Allen 75-76).

The liberal media of today's time will seek to devour anyone who opposes homosexuality, claiming that such a person is unloving, intolerant and unaccepting. Television shows have even depicted family members of gays and lesbians who don't accept their sexual choices as being without the love of Jesus. Seriously?

Let us understand that because God loved the world so much He gave His only begotten Son so that we wouldn't have to perish eternally (Jn. 3:16). Jesus said "if you love me you will keep my commandments" (Jn. 14:15). Homosexuals and those supporting them often fail to realize what the love of God compels us to do. Jesus died on the cross for all of us, and we in turn are told to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him (Mt. 16:24). Denying ourselves and daily dying to self are not concepts they would promote. If we're tying to please ourselves, then we're not accomplishing the Father's will.

Hell is a real place and those who live contrary to the Word of God will be there. Going back to the statement made by Paul in our text for today, homosexuals abandon the desire for the opposite sex and burn in their desire toward one another (Rom. 1:27). A burning eternity awaits those who choose the homosexual lifestyle. Some of the Corinthians repented of this sin to become Christians. "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11).

Let us as Christians continue to hold fast to the Word of God so we won't be pressured by the immoral world to abandon truth. Let us like Harding University continue to stand upon the bedrock of truth as God has given us in the Bible. Thank you for listening, and until next time, I hope you have a wonderful week!

Issues of Idolatry - Weekly Podcast

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week. I went ahead and uploaded this week's podcast early for your listening ears. Again, I welcome your feedback along with possible topics of discussion. Email me at jeremytbutt@gmail.com
As a reminder, just click on the title to open the podcast.

Jesus is Aware!

A short while ago I was visiting some patients in Maury Regional Medical Center in Columbia, TN. As I was walking down the hall, I glanced in the coffee shop as I often do and found some friends of mine from Centerville. One of them was Shane Willis, who is on staff at the Centerville Church of Christ. His mother-in-law had surgery, and it just so happened Shane's partner in crime, Brian McAllister (the preacher) was visiting her. I sent Brian a text message saying "I know where you are and what you're doing!" His reply to me was "glad someone does." Though we were being sarcastic, he knew that I was aware he was in the hospital.

In the book of Revelation (which is another type of text message), John reveals to the seven churches of Asia Minor in chapter one that Jesus is in the midst of the lampstands (13). He clarifies that a few verses later by saying the lampstands are the churches (20). He also says that Christ was holding the seven stars in His right hand, which were the angels of the seven churches (16, 20). He was aware of the persecutions they had been facing, but He was also aware of the horrible persecutions they would face in the near future. That's why His message to them was relief is coming soon (1:1; 6:9-11). Following that up in chapters two and three, Jesus begins to reveal to John the spiritual conditions of the seven churches. It is clear from the information given in the opening chapters of Revelation that Jesus is totally aware of what goes on with His church.

We need to know this message today, because Jesus still knows what is happening with the church. It doesn't matter if it's here in Tennessee, California, Africa or Japan; Jesus is aware of what is going on in the lives of His people and their congregational triumphs and tragedies. Five of the churches were told to repent because of wrongdoing, whether is was leaving their first love like Ephesus or tolerating immorality like Thyatira. Smyrna and Philadelphia were the two praised for their faithfulness to the Lord. Regardless of where the church is meeting around the world, Jesus knows and cares what's happening with his people.

This message is comforting, but it should also be frightening. How many times have you heard the phrase "there's an all-seeing eye watching over you?" The writer of Hebrews says "and no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (4:13). Knowing that the Lord knows everything about us, how should that make us feel as members of the body of Christ? Are we doing things what would make Christ proud to call us members of His body, or are we acting in ways that bring shame and reproach to His body? Good or bad, Jesus is aware of our activities each and every day.

Jesus did provide us with the ultimate text message in the Word of God, but how would it make you feel today if Jesus sent you a text message on your phone saying "I know where you are and what you're doing?"

New Podcast

For those of you wondering where the link to the podcast is, the audio will play if you click on the title of the blog entry. It may be easier to provide the visible link below next time. Let me know what you think.

Follow Me - First Podcast

Here is the inaugural edition of my podcast I was promising all of you. Please provide me with some feedback so I can work to improve it along the way. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this weekly study!

New Podcast

Coming soon from my blog will be a new podcast, which will be a weekly audio feature on the site titled "Biblically Speaking." I have pondered for a while the possibility of having a weekly study of Scripture to benefit anyone who can listen. I am planning on kicking this off next week on Tuesday, so pass the word along to your friends. I look forward to your comments and suggestions on possible topics of discussion on the upcoming program.

Who Will Follow Jesus?

The audio from last night's sermon has been uploaded if you would like to listen. The title of the sermon was "Who Will Follow Jesus?"

I Can Do It All By Myself!

"I can do it all by myself!" Have you ever heard these words before, possibly from a child who is very independent? There are many times in life when we think we can handle everything on our own, whether it be job-related, church-related or otherwise. It's great if you can tackle many projects at once, but is it always best?

Delegation is the word that comes to mind with this particular subject. Hesitation is also another word that comes to mind, because so often we hesitate to delegate! Why is it that we are hesitant to pass things off to others to keep us from being bogged down and becoming inefficient? It seems that pride and fear keep us from delegation: pride because we want to show people we can accomplish the task and fear because we don't want to look like a failure for saying we need someone else to do it.

Consider the church. The role of servants (which I believe eventually developed into the role of deacons as described in 1 Tim. 3) came about as a result of the daily distribution of food needs which were threatening to take the apostles away from what they really needed to be doing. They needed to focus their efforts on prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4). It wasn't that the apostles didn't have the abilities to do this, rather it was that they needed to let someone else do it so they could fulfill their roles as apostles. This is called delegation, giving others responsibility to perform a certain task, and in turn it gets them involved in the work of the church. Though we don't have apostles among us today, the elders of the church should focus on the spiritual aspect of shepherding by delegating other areas of work to the deacons.

Go way back in time with me to see one of the earliest examples of delegation. Moses had a lot of responsibility placed on his shoulders in leading the Israelites out of Egypt. There was a point in time where he not only was a prophet, but he was also acting as a judge to determine the outcome of disputes between the people (Ex. 18:13ff). When his father-in-law, Jethro saw what was happening by these judgments taking up so much of Moses' time, he told Moses "what you are doing is not good" (17). This not only was taking too much time but it was going to wear everybody out. Jethro recommended a plan of action that would allow Moses to appoint others to judge the cases of the people, but Moses would be consulted when there were hard matters upon which to decide. Because of the advice of Jethro, Moses was able to delegate and therefore take a heavy burden off of his back, per se.

Never be afraid to delegate some task to someone else. Let go of the pride and/or fear that might cause you to help get someone else involved in the Lord's work. Delegate - don't hesitate!

Small Game Hunt

I have recently been asked by my local game warden and buddy, Eric Anderson to help guide for next weekend's Maury County Youth Small Game Hunt. I'm excited about this as I'll get to serve as a guide to a young person who wants to bag a coyote. I'm not a professional in this field, but it can be a lot of fun. I'll give it my best shot and we'll see what happens. It would be great to get a young person interested in varmint hunting.

Also, I now have the latest audio up from the Revelation class last night. Next week's lesson is on the man-made doctrines of premillenialism and the rapture. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the blog!

The Need for Narrow Navigation

Last night's sermon outline is as follows:

The Need for Narrow Navigation
Luke 13:22-30
I. Those who are lost will be wondering (why can't we enter the narrow door?)
II. Those who are lost will be weeping (in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth)
III. Those who are lost will be watching (part of the misery in Hell will be having to watch the saints enjoying the blessings of eternal life)

Make sure you are measuring your life right now to see if you will fit through the narrow door found by walking the straight and narrow road.

Lost and Found

Here are some excerpts from last night's sermon on Zaccheus:
He didn't let an obstacle become a debacle!
Whether it was sheer curiosity or intense desire, he climbed a sycamore tree to lift him higher!
Just like Zaccheus, many people need to rush to get to Jesus.
Many people react negatively when accused of things (hence the recent Derek Anderson accusation when he was caught laughing on the sidelines during a football game the Cardinals were losing badly and he rebuked the reporter for questioning his professionalism), but Zaccheus actually saw the need for repentance.

For all of my preaching friends, here is my basic outline from last night:
Lost and Found - Luke 19:1-10.
Zaccheus rushed for investigation (1-4)
Zaccheus responded without hesitation (5-6)
Zaccheus repented for salvation (7-10)

New Audio from Revelation Class

We were able to meet for our Revelation class at Antioch after being postponed last week due to the weather. Our lesson was actually a merging of two lessons into one because of the cancellation, so we covered the background behind the book as well as the spiritual condition of the recipients of the letter. This lesson is just over an hour, so make sure you have time to listen. I hope it's helpful.

Sunday Morning Surprise

It was an ordinary Sunday morning much like any other previously passed, but this one would turn out to be a little different as things transpired. A morning trip to the bathroom for a shave and a shower aren't usually too exciting, but this particular Sunday proved otherwise. After I made my way into the bathroom and commenced with the turning on of the shower, there was what looked to be a toy snake on the floor about five inches from my toes. It was behind the trash can next to the wall and toilet. It didn't move (as a toy snake shouldn't) until after shaving I proceeded toward the trash can again to see the snake revert to a defensive pose. That's when I knew this was not a toy!



If Dianna had been the one in the bathroom instead of me, there's no telling what noises and commotion would have sounded forth through our house. Since the snake was acting defensive the following attempt to procure the specimen did not entail laying hands on it. Let's just say the snake was cleverly corralled into a mesh net that used to hold bathroom toys. After some pictures were taken for proof of the sneaky serpent, the harmless reptile was relocated to the mulch bed in front of the house on that cold, Sunday morn. It was not permanently disposed of due to the rodent population around the Butt house that needs to be kept in check. This will be one of the few times that PETA would be proud of me, but the details of other hunting and killing excursions will be intentionally unsaid at this time.



Jesus told his disciples as he was sending them out to "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). It seems as if the snake had a bit of wisdom as it found its way into a warm house to escape the cold of the winter. Can you blame the serpent for relocating to a comfortable climate to station his scales. It's just that the scales needed to be stationed somewhere else before Dianna awakened!

We are told by James to "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (4:7). This was something Adam and Eve did not do, as they gave in to the tempting powers of the serpent. The snake was trying to flee from me even though it had nowhere to go but into the net that captured it. Are we living our lives in submission to God to make the devil flee from us?

New Class in Revelation

I cannot believe it has been this long since I've posted anything, but I do want to catch you up to speed on what is going on in my life. I have recently started teaching a new class on Tuesday nights at the Antioch congregation pertaining to the book of Revelation. This is a condensed study which should last about eight weeks, and we are meeting on 6:30 Tuesday nights. Anyone is welcome to come if you are in the area, but I will also post the audio to my sermon files on the blog the following day after class. I hope they will be helpful to you, as I have tried to make it as simple as possible. For anyone interested, I'm using Ken Butterworth's Revelation Workbook. It's the best concise explanation of Revelation I've ever seen. You can purchase it from Promise Publishing in Columbia, TN or even likely from your local Christian bookstore.

I hope the New Year is being kind to all, and I would love to hear from all of you as to what's going on in your life right now. God bless all of you!