I know that, even after reading the letters multiple times, I gained a deeper understanding of them through a better grasp of what Paul and his converts were up against in Corinth. So take a little time this Sabbath afternoon to watch the video below.  

But are we any closer to accepting the message of the cross than the disciples were? To the disciples, it meant giving up all their worldly hopes of glory. It meant following in the footsteps of Jesus in self-denial and self-sacrifice, risking persecution and death. After the cross, they remembered that Jesus had said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). His words had only seemed a puzzle to them then, and they soon forgot them. But they remembered now, and now they understood that He meant they must die – die to their selfish desires in order to live for Christ. 

As you watch the video below, keep in mind that Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

After watching that video, we can reflect and ask ourselves, when did we last “deny ourselves” anything for the sake of Christ? When did we last “take up our cross” /die to self?

Photograph by William Earnhardt

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light that streams from the cross of Calvary. I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption,—the Son of God uplifted on the cross. This is to be the foundation of every discourse given by our ministers. –Ellen White, Gospel Workers, Page 315.

We are not saved by doctrine. We are saved by God’s love and grace. So why does Satan work to skew our understanding of doctrine when he knows we are not saved by doctrine? Because doctrines help us understand God’s love. Our understanding of His love determines whether we accept Him or reject Him. Satan wants to skew our understanding of doctrine in order to warp our understanding of God’s love and make us reject Him.

For example I have read a few testimonies from former atheists saying the reason they originally rejected God was because they could not imagine a God who would torture people throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Once they realized God isn’t going to torture people for all eternity they could accept God into their lives.

I read a book last fall, To Sleep with the Angels, by David Cowan and John Kuenster.1 It was about a Chicago Catholic school fire in 1958. The book explains several reasons that were avoidable that led to the deaths of 92 students and 3 teachers. The authors also address how the church tried to comfort the parents, but their “comfort” did not make any sense. Parents were told that God needed their children. “But we needed them,” the parents countered. Also, does that reasoning imply God doesn’t need the children who survived? Parents were told that God took their children to heaven because they were so good. “Does that mean the rest of us are bad and God rejected us?’ parents asked.

The punishment of the wicked and the state of the dead are just a couple of examples of how false doctrines warp our understanding of God’s love. This is why a few years ago I put together a set of Bible study guides called, In Light of the Cross Study Guides. They are available on my personal website. The lessons can be read online or downloaded and printed out in PDF format. Over the years, people have written and told me they have been used in church Bible study groups as well as New Believers Sabbath School classes. They have also been used as guides and supplements in baptismal classes. Recently a family from Tennessee wrote that they were enjoying the lessons during family worship.

I originally prepared these study guides using the King James Version, but have found using them along with the New Living Translation to be more successful in encouraging new believers to study their Bibles. During many years of giving Bible studies, I have met so many people who struggle with reading in general. Many times I have watched them struggle reading the KJV, realizing once they finally stumbled through a passage, that they did not even comprehend what they just read. For new believers, especially those who struggle with reading in general, the NLT is easier to read and understand. 

I pray these lessons may be a blessing to you and your friends as we study all Bible doctrine in the light of the cross.

Picture taken by William Earnhardt

I remember many years ago, when I was talking to a Bible Worker from a major US city. I asked him if he had ever been to the very famous baseball stadium in his city. He made a shocked expression and then said, “No! That is worldly.” What he failed to understand is that Jesus is not taking us out of the world. Jesus has not called us to be hermits, living alone in the mountains, telling people to come to us and we will share Jesus with them. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus sends us into all the world. He does not tell us to sit in church and wait for the world to come to us.  

Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs.-Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 151. 

Being a Christian does not mean leaving all secular affairs behind. It means taking Jesus into your secular affairs. Jesus not only tolerated secular affairs, but He also took an interest in them. Jesus does not intend for us to sit alone in a monastery until He takes us to heaven to sit on a cloud playing a harp. He gave Adam secular responsibilities to care for the garden and animals. When we get to heaven, we will be building, gardening, and doing things that may be considered secular. Again, being a Christian does not mean giving up all secular activities. It means taking Jesus into those secular activities.

I do not condemn the simple exercise of playing ball; but this, even in its simplicity, may be overdone.-Ellen White, Counsels to the Church, Page 161, 

Sadly, many have maligned Ellen White’s writings to make it look like she condemned all secular activities, while this is clearly not the case. Yes, I have been in secular sporting events where I felt a demonic presence, like at a minor league baseball game right before a brawl broke out on the field. But I have also felt a demonic presence in a church board meeting when someone was sowing disension. The answer is not for me to ban myself from all ballparks and all board meetings. The answer is to take the spirit of Jesus with me wherever I go.  

They often hold themselves too much reserved, and exercise their authority in a cold, unsympathizing manner which cannot win the hearts of their children and pupils. If they would gather the children close to them, and show that they love them, and would manifest an interest in all their efforts and even in their sports, sometimes even being a child among children, they would make the children very happy and would gain their love and win their confidence. And the children would sooner respect and love the authority of their parents and teachers.-Ellen White, Counsels to the Church, Page 193. 

Did you catch that? She is encouraging parents and teachers to take an interest in their children’s sports, much like Jesus took an interest in people’s secular affairs. We cannot sit in our church and tell those in the city to come to us. They are distracted. We must go to where they are and lead them to Jesus. I have done this with my golf ministry. I have had theological discussions with friends as we wait to take our turn at the tee box that they would never have with me anywhere else. I have baptisms from those discussions, one being a very active deacon in the church for several years now. That baptism did not come from me inviting him to church. It came from me meeting him on the golf course. By the way, his son, who was very young when we first started golfing, now holds a very prominent position in the Adventist health care system.

If we are going to reach distracted people in the city, or anywhere else, we must meet them where they are distracted and lead them to Jesus. The answer is not to take them out of the world. Jesus did not take us out of the world. The answer is for us to bring Jesus into our secular affairs and to teach and model for others how they, too, can bring Jesus into their secular affairs. 

In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus meets a demoniac in a very embarrassing situation. He is running around a cemetery naked, cutting himself. He has all the signs of an unconverted heart, ranging from being dangerous to himself and others to sensing no need to wear clothes, which leads to sensing no need for a Savior. See Genesis 3:7 and Genesis 3:21.

After he meets Jesus, everything changes. He is tamed by the Holy Spirit and Word of God. He is clothed. Now that he is in his right mind, I imagine he was horrified by the thought that people saw him running around a cemetery naked, cutting himself. He now realizes that healing does not come from cutting ourselves, but from Jesus being cut for us. See Isaiah 53:5. Now that he is converted, instead of finding it torture to be in the presence of Jesus, he wants to be with Him. I imagine also that he wanted to go with Jesus to get away from all the people who saw him running around naked in the cemetery. If Southwest Airlines had been around then, I imagine he would have wanted to take advantage of those low fares and hop on board to get away to the other side of the world, where no one saw him making a fool of himself.

However, instead of allowing him to go with Him, Jesus sends him back home to the people who saw him running around the cemetery naked. He tells him to tell them what wonderful things God has done for him. It is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4), and Jesus knew when people saw the goodness of God working in this man’s life that they, too, would be brought to repentance and salvation.

Sometimes Jesus sends us to the other side of the world to share Him, and sometimes Jesus sends us back home to be missionaries. In this case, he sent the man back home to be a missionary, even if it meant witnessing to people who saw him in a very embarrassing situation. Yet he had a wonderful story to tell about how God’s goodness had changed his life. He no longer had anything to be ashamed of. Paul likewise had plenty to be embarrassed about, but this was his attitude,

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT 

Jesus may send you to the other side of the planet to share Him, or He may send you back home to the people who saw you in embarrassing situations. So long as the goodness of God has truly changed your life, you no longer need to be afraid. You don’t need to hop on a Southwest Airlines flight to quickly get away. You, too, can confidently declare the goodness of God in your life, which will also lead others to repentance and salvation.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

Last Tuesday, my fiancée, Becky, and I ran off to get married at a harbor on Tampa Bay. The next day, we took off for our honeymoon in St. Augustine, Florida, where I had reserved a hotel room with an ocean view. I asked Becky if we could take her car on the honeymoon since hers is silver and mine is black. I just thought silver was more appropriate for a wedding and honeymoon than black.

Wednesday morning, we left for St. Augustine when we saw the oil light flickering and realized the car was due for an oil change. We stopped at one of those quick oil-change places, thinking a simple oil change would fix it. As we pulled into the lot, the engine started knocking. After the oil change, as we drove a few more miles, we noticed the knocking was not going away. We searched for the dealership to have the car looked at, hoping we would not be set back too much. I have waited 60 years for a honeymoon, so I did not want any more delays.

However, the car never made it to the dealership on its own. It bit the dust and had to be towed. Waiting for the tow truck and then for the car to be looked at had already set us back a few hours. Now, how much was this going to set us back financially? Were we going to have to get a new car? Were we going to have to cancel our trip?

Strangely, the possible financial setback did not scare me. Getting married made me realize it’s not my money anymore. Also, for years as a bachelor, I have seen God put money in my bank account and take money out. I knew from experience that God had a plan.

I remembered when I got sick in 2009 before I had good health insurance, and a friend gave me a side job where I earned way more money than my medical expenses and ended up ahead financially. In 2015, I had substantial credit card debt, and then the church I was working for as a Bible worker had to let me go. Long story short, I was getting paychecks from my new Bible worker position before I even got my last paycheck from the previous church. By Thanksgiving that year, I had a new car and all my credit cards were paid off. Once again, what was supposed to be a setback actually helped me get ahead.

I assured Becky we would be in St. Augustine by early evening. We rented a car and were on our way. On our drive, the dealership called with bad news: the engine was ruined! But they quickly followed it with good news. Because of a recall, the engine was still under warranty and would be replaced with a better, rebuilt engine at no cost to us! There would be minor items surrounding the engine we would need to pay for, but the big picture was that we were getting a rebuilt car that would be much better than before at a very minimal cost.

We also got to our hotel in St. Augustine in time to enjoy a delicious dinner at a nice romantic restaurant before taking a romantic walk along the Atlantic shore.

Meanwhile, Becky and I were impressed by how each other handled the car situation. Instead of panicking, we prayed together and trusted God. We praised God that a few hours’ delay turned into us getting a better car. What we thought was going to be a no-stress, relaxing day actually turned into an afternoon of split-second decision-making: how to handle the car, how to get a tow truck, and whether to get a rental car or hire an Uber to take us back home to our other car. Since we were lost in the middle of nowhere, we had to decide where to find a rental car. By both of us going to God first, we worked everything out smoothly with no inconveniences other than a slight time delay. We even ended up making our own inside jokes about the situation!

Sure, I was a little annoyed that the romantic honeymoon I had been waiting 60 years for was being delayed. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere without a car was not how I dreamed of spending my honeymoon. However, on the way home, Becky and I agreed we were actually glad it all happened! It gave our honeymoon and marriage more meaning. It cemented my faith that our union was meant to be.

Why? Because if everything had gone perfectly and smoothly, neither one of us would have known and appreciated how well we worked together under pressure. All we would have known was that we could enjoy beautiful walks on the beach together. Now we know we can handle potentially stressful situations with the same peace, love, and even humor we share on a romantic beach. Having weathered that storm so well together made our romantic walk on the beach even more meaningful.

Be careful asking for Jesus to calm all your storms. Sometimes it’s the wind in the storm that gets you exactly where you need to be. Those storm winds are not always setbacks. With God’s grace, they are progressing. When I got sick in 2009, what was supposed to be a setback was actually financial progress. It happened again when I lost my job in 2015. And last week, what was supposed to be a setback on our honeymoon turned into not only financial progress, but also a deeper love, respect, and appreciation for each other than we could ever have experienced just walking on a romantic beach.