Author Archive: Bill Murchison

Evangelism – Lessons At The Car Dealer: # 2

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While at the car dealer to get my truck repaired, I also met the new car manager. He was a young man to hold such a position. He asked me what I did for a living. I allowed him six questions before I  gave him my answer. After six questions, he was not even close. So I told him, years ago I played professional golf. He said that he was an avid golfer and had played on his high school golf team. I told him that I had something to give him. I took a gospel presentation that I had written for golfers called, “Good News About Fundamentals,” out of my briefcase. I also added a personal note and gave it to him. He was very appreciative.

When I travel I try to keep two gospel tracts with me. Because I played professional golf for twenty years, I carry the golf booklet with me. The Lord gave me that idea thirty years ago, and I have given out thousands of those gospel presentations. It has golf tips on every page, and then a part of the gospel message that ties in with the golf tip. It has been an effective tool. The other gospel tract that I carry with me is Billy Grahams, Steps To Peace. It is an excellent bridge illustration of the gospel. It was the primary tool that I used in prison ministry. It is clear, precise, and an excellent gospel presentation.

I make an effort to keep my briefcase stocked with a few gospel presentations because we are exhorted to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15) We have to be prepared. There are a few steps that are important in shodding our feet with the preparation of the gospel. First, we should be familiar with the gospel message. Get familiar with a good gospel tract, like Steps To Peace, so that you can share it. Second, carry gospel tracts with you. Third, look for opportunities that God will bring to you. Fourth, ask God for springboards into conversations so that you can share the gospel. God will use you and I when we shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel.

Evangelism – At The Car Dealership # 1

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Last week, I had to go to Midland for a conference, and then on to Austin later that week for another conference. On the first day of the conference in Austin, my car window died just after I had lowered it to get my ticket in the parking garage. Since it was thirty-four degrees, and I did not want to drive home with a window down, I looked for the nearest Nissan dealer and drove my truck to get repaired. While at the dealer, I struck up a number of conversations with people. One of the people I met was the manager of the dealership. We discussed a number of things, and I mentioned that I was a Christian. Later, when I returned to the dealer, he came up to me and said, “You really are a Christian.” I did not immediately connect his comment to the one that I had with him on my first visit. I asked him what he meant by that. His response caught me off guard. He said he had gone to my truck and looked to see what music I played. When he turned the radio on, it was set to a Christian station in Austin. This manager had gone out of his way to go to the service area and see if my life and my words matched up. He was looking for authentic Christianity.

The world is watching you and me more carefully than you may realize. They are listening to our words, but they are also listening to the message our lives are sending. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:27, “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” The world wants to know that we are conducting our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. This man equated the music that someone listens to as the acid test of faith. Jesus said in John 13 that we are to love one another, and “by this all men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.” Love is the best proof that we are true believers. What kind of message is your life preaching? Does your walk match your talk? Let’s live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Sandals On Our Feet

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In Deuteronomy 25:5-10, when a brother refused to raise up offspring for his deceased brother, the childless widow would take the brother of her deceased husband before the elders at the gate of the city, which is where legal proceedings were held, and remove his sandal and spit in his face. (In Ruth 4:7 we find that the removal of the sandal was the attestation of all legal transactions.) The spit conveyed shame, but the removal of the sandal was a legal pronouncement of shame. The widow was to declare, “Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house. In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’”

 

Jesus was spat upon as He was going to the cross. He took our shame to the cross. But, that is not the only picture we have of our shame being removed. In Luke 15:11-32, we have the account of the prodigal son. When the prodigal son comes to his senses and returns to his father’s house, the father saw him from a distance and ran out to greet him. What the son had done was shameful. In essence, he had said that he wished his father were dead, and he just wanted his money. He had lived shamefully and squandered the money with loose living. But when the repentant son returned, the father felt compassion for him, and kissed and embraced him. Then, the father ordered his slaves to put the best robe on his son, put a ring on his finger, and to put sandals on his feet. All of these actions are significant.

 

When we come to Christ, he clothes us with His righteousness. He puts a ring of authority on our hands. And, He puts sandals on our feet so that we are no longer “the house of him whose sandal is removed,” i.e. the house of shame. We have a wonderful Savior who forgives our sins, removes our shame, and restores our authority. If that were not enough, the Father said, “bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.” As believers, we have plenty to celebrate.

Remembering That Jesus Was Spit Upon

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In Mark 10:32-34, Jesus was prophesying to His disciples about what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem. He was going to be arrested, turned over to the Gentiles, spat upon, scourged, killed, and crucified. Then, in Mark 14:61-65, the prophecy came true. Jesus was arrested and taken to the religious leaders and scribes. They spat on Jesus and turned Him over to the Gentiles. In Mark 15:16-20, the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus, beat Him, spat upon, and crucified Him. As I meditated on the passage and asked the Lord about it, I was reminded of a couple passages that dealt with spit.

The first case of spitting was in Numbers 12:1-15. Aaron and Miriam had spoken against Moses, and the anger of the Lord burned against them. Miriam is struck with leprosy, and when Aaron sees this, he repents and asks Moses to forgive them for their foolish actions. Then, Moses cries out to God to heal Miriam. But, the Lord answers him and tells him that if a father spits in the face of his daughter, would she not bear her shame for seven days. The spit in the face signified shame.

Then, in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, we have a second example. When a man died before his wife had given him any children. The brother of the deceased man was to perform the duty of a husband and raise up a child for his dead brother. If a brother refused to do that, the wife of the deceased man would take the brother of her husband before the elders at the gate of the city, which is where legal proceedings were held, and remove his sandal and spit in his face. Then, she would declare, “Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.” Again, the spitting on a person signified shame.

When Jesus led His disciples in the Lord’s supper, He took the bread and said, “this is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” As we remember what the Lord did, we have to consider how He was also spat upon. Jesus healed us of our sins by His stripes. He took our sins to the cross, and forgave us of all sins. The spit in the face is also significant. Jesus did more than take our sins; He also took away our shame. For all the shameful things that I have done in my life, Jesus was spit upon in my place. God wants you and I to be free of shame. No matter what you have done in your past, God has dealt with the shame. The next time you partake of the Lord’s supper, take time to remember how He took away your shame.

God’s Will # 1 (God’s Will vs Our Choices)

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Many people think that whatever happens is the will of God. While God is sovereign, not everything that happens is the will of God. People have choices in life, and many times, the things that are happening in their life are not according to the will of God. Sometimes, the things they are experiencing are a result of poor choices that they have made. It is not that this is God’s will, but rather their poor choices.

How do we find God’s will? First, we are to pray for God’s will on earth to be done, not our will but His will. Like Jesus, we have to pray for the Father’s will to be done. We should pray with our minds and pray with our spirits. The Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God, so praying in the Spirit is an important way to pray.

Second, we must present our lives to God as living sacrifices. When we die to self, and do not lean on our own understanding, He makes straight our paths. We have to learn to do God’s will, not our own will. One of the requirements for pastors is that they are not self-willed. Pastors are examples, so they are to model for the church this principle so that everyone lives according to God’s will, not their own.

Third, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We renew our minds by reading, meditating, and applying the Word of God in our lives. We find the will of God contained in the Scriptures. When our minds are renewed by the Scriptures, we can prove the will of God in our lives. When we look intently at the word, as if looking in a mirror, God uses it to transform us.

God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. When things are not good, acceptable, and perfect, let’s not say this was the will of God. Let’s go back and examine our ways, renew our minds with the Scriptures, and begin to prove God’s will in our lives.

God’s Will # 2 (Specific versus General)

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Frequently I come across people wanting to know God’s specific will for their lives. They want to know what job or career they should pursue. They want to know what church to attend. They want to know who to marry. These are important aspects of God’s will for each of us. But, I find very few people asking about God’s general will for their lives, which is extremely important.

In Acts 21, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. It was God’s specific will for his life to go to Jerusalem, be arrested, turned over to the Gentiles, and go to Rome. I doubt if any of us have been called to go to Jerusalem, get arrested, and sent to Rome. It was God’s specific will for Paul, and only applied to him. God’s general will applies to everyone, while His specific will applies to specific individuals or groups of individuals.

Following God’s will is one of the marks of a believer. In Mark 3:31-35, people told Jesus that His mother and brothers were looking for Him. He looked at those sitting around Him and replied, “Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Doing the will of God was proof of being a follower of Christ. God expects believers to live for the will of God. In 1 Peter 4, we are exhorted to arm ourselves with the same purpose as Christ, so as not to live for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. In 1 John 2:16-17, those who live for the lusts of the flesh are of the world, but those who do the will of God abide forever. God expects us to live for the will of God.

Where do we discover God’s general will for our lives? We find it in the Scriptures. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that we are not to be conformed to the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind that we can prove the will of God, which is good, acceptable, and perfect. We must fill and renew our minds with God’s word, and then apply His word in our lives. When we do that, we will prove the will of God in our lives.

God’s Will # 3 (General Will Of God)

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God wants us to live according to His will. He has taken some steps to help us discover and live according to His will. First, He has given His word to us to help us discover His will. Second, Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit, who is God, and knows the mind of God, knows God’s will for our lives and prays accordingly. God has also put parents, pastors, and brothers and sisters in our lives to help us know God’s will. He has purposely given us relationships to help us stay on course.

God also wants us to be assured that we are following the will of God. In Colossians 4:12, Epaphras labored in his prayers for the Colossians. His goal was that the Colossians would stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. We should spend time praying for God’s will in our lives, and we should also follow the example of Epaphras and pray for one another that we will be fully assured in all the will of God. (See Matthew 6:10.)

We can also be fully assured in the will of God when we are living according to God’s word. God is very straightforward in His word about His will for our lives. Consider the following parts of God’s will for our lives.

  • God’s will is for us to be sanctified. (1 Thess 4:3-7)
  • God’s will is for us to have a godly sorrow that leads to repentance. (2 Cor 7:9-11)
  • God’s will is for us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in everything. (1 Thess 5:16-18)
  • God’s will is for us to submit to those in authority. (1 Peter 2:13-15)
  • God’s will is for us to give generously to Him and to His workers in the ministry (2 Cor 8:1-5)
  • God’s will is for us to serve others with a sincere heart. (Eph 6:5-8)
  • God’s will is for us to suffer for righteousness. (1 Pet 4:19)

God’s Will # 4 (Revealed Through The Prophetic Word)

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In Acts 11:27-29, prophets prophesied of a coming famine, so the church in Antioch took up a collection for the relief in the saints in Jerusalem. In Acts 13:1-3, the Leadership Team at Antioch received a prophetic word to send out Barnabas and Paul to the work that God was calling them to do. In Acts 16:9-10, Paul was in Asia to preach the gospel, but the Holy Spirit did not permit them. Instead, the Lord gave a prophetic vision to Paul of a man in Macedonia asking for help. He concluded that God was calling them to go to Macedonia and preach the gospel there. Those are just three quick examples of how the Lord communicated His will through the prophetic word.

Paul also had prophetic words given to him about the suffering, bonds, and imprisonment. People in every church begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. They did not want him to suffer. But, the Holy Spirit had already given Paul prophetic guidance for the next few years of his life. He was to go to Macedonia, Achaia, Jerusalem, and then to Rome. Paul weighed and judged the prophetic words that he received against what the Lord had spoken to him. He used the prophetic words as confirmation in his life.

There have been a number of times in my life that God has communicated His will in my life through prophetic words. Many years ago, I was sitting down in a Wednesday night church service, and the Holy Spirit spoke very clearly to me about going to another church in town. I was an associate pastor at the church I was currently attending and had helped the church grow from about thirty people to over five hundred. Karen and I had been there for eleven years. It was difficult for me to go to another church, and I cried for months. However, God confirmed the prophetic word to me a number of different ways. God knew that the other church was where we needed to be for a short season, and that He was getting ready to send us out afterward.

Over eight years ago, the Lord spoke to me about planting a vineyard in the East Mountains. Karen and I prayed about it, and the Lord confirmed it through a prophetic word given to us by a woman that we had never met before, and have not seen her since.

In 2 Peter 1:19, God says, “so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” We need the prophetic word in our individual lives and in our churches. We should earnestly desire and pray for the prophetic word to be released. We should also seek to pay attention to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place. We should write down and keep the prophetic words that we receive. Periodically, we should review these prophetic words and pray over them. Peter tells us that we do well to pay attention to these prophetic words.

God’s Will # 5 (Revealed Through The Urim and Thummim – part 1)

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One of the most important things we can do in life is to follow God’s will. In the Old Testament people relied heavily on the priests to let them know if something was the will of God or not. Kings would go to the priest or prophet and inquire of the Lord about whether they were to go to war or not? Part of the priestly attire was the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim were put inside the folded pocket of the breastpiece of the priestly garments. The priests would use the Urim and Thummim to determine the will of God. What were the Urim and Thummim? Most scholars believe that they were two stones that were like dice. They would give an answer of yes or no. Some decision was always going to be made when the priest used the Urim and Thummim. (See Exodus 28:29-30.) This week, as we look at the will of God, I want to focus on the Urim.

The Urim (Strong’s H224) means light. God has always used light to govern and give direction. In Genesis, we find that God made the lesser and the greater lights. The greater light governed the day and allowed man to see what he was doing, and where he was going. The lesser lights, the moon and stars governed the night. Sailors have used the stars for navigational purposes for thousands of years. God made a provision for us to have light at all times. As priests today, God wants us to be full of His light.

The root word for Urim means fire. The fire of God indicated the presence of the Lord, and the priests were careful not to allow the fire or light in the temple to go out. The presence of the Lord was to help the priest make right judgments and decisions. When we need to have an answer, we need to get in the presence of the Lord. We need to seek Him in prayer and fasting and worship. We need to get in His presence so that we can ask Him for our answer.

God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps 119:105). To discover God’s will for our lives, we need to seek guidance from the light of God’s word. He promises to lead us by His light. God’s presence is with us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. And, the Holy Spirit often uses God’s word to guide us. He will bring a Scripture to mind to help make decisions.

God’s Will # 6 (Revealed Through The Urim and Thummim – Part 2)

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God often revealed His specific will in situations through the Urim and Thummim.  The priests in the Old Testament carried the Urim and Thummim in their pockets. Thummin means perfections or completeness. God wanted the judgments that the priests made on behalf of His people to bring them to holiness, maturity, and completeness. God is a holy God and wants His people to be holy. He wants us to be perfect as He is perfect. He wants us to be mature and complete.

The New Testament is no different. God still commands us to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. The Lord says that He who began a good work in us will perfect it or complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6). Our High Priest is still interested in bringing us to that place of perfection. Our High Priest will use the difficult times in our lives to bring us to that perfection. Consider what James says, that endurance should have its perfect results and that we would be made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. That was the design and purpose of the Thummim (James 1:2-5).

As we try to discern the will of God for our lives and consider the different paths and options, we need to look at what will cause us to become more like Jesus. What will produce in us more holiness and righteousness? What will cause us to be complete and mature? Often it is not the easiest path that produces more holiness and maturity. In Romans 5:3-4, Paul tells us that we exult in our tribulations because they produce in us, perseverance, proven character, and hope. When Jesus was praying in the garden, He asked the Father to remove the cup from Him. He did not want to suffer on the cross. However, He said, not My will, but Thy will be done. Jesus understood that His suffering on the cross for our sins was the only way to forgive us and sanctify us. It was the only way to produce righteousness and holiness in us. He understood that this was God’s will for Him and for us.