In Christ Jesus: Todd Linn's Blog

December Article in Evansville Indiana’s Courier & Press

Todd Linn — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:27:31 +0000

Conquering Fear in the New Year

Friday, December 30, 2011

The prospect of beginning a new year often causes anxiety and concern even among Christians. During the holidays, worries and fears often are “shelved” until after the first of the year. When January rolls around, the worries return and can, at times, seem to overwhelm us.

What do you fear? Some fear loneliness, some fear illness. Others fear getting older or facing rejection. Still others fear natural catastrophes such as earthquakes or tornadoes.

I read where the former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin so feared for his safety that his home in Moscow contained eight bedrooms. Each night Stalin chose a bedroom at random to ensure that no one knew exactly where he was sleeping.

Did you know that there is even a fear labeled “phobophobia?” It is a fear of fear!

The root of fear may be traced in the Bible to Genesis chapter 3, where it says that after eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve hid themselves. Why? Adam says, “I was afraid.” Before that first sin, the word “fear” was not in Adam and Eve’s dictionary, but after they sinned against God, fear was born and we’ve been dealing with it ever since.

In his book “Fuzzy Memories,” Jack Handey writes about a bully who demanded lunch money from him every day at school. Since Handey was smaller, he just gave the bully the money. One day, however, he decided to fight back and began to take karate lessons. All went well until the karate instructor raised his rates. Handey said he just went back to paying the bully! Unfortunately, too many people feel it’s easier just to “pay the bully” than it is to learn how to conquer him. There is a verse of Scripture, however, that helps us conquer the bully of fear. You may consider memorizing it as a “New Year’s Resolution” for 2012:

In Isaiah 41:10 God says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

This single verse of Scripture encourages believers to remember God’s presence, God’s power and God’s promises.

God’s presence is seen in the phrase, “I am with you.” How encouraging to know that no matter what we face, God always is with us! “Fear not,” He says, “for I am with you.” God’s power is seen in the Hebrew name by which He identifies Himself in this verse: “Elohim,” a word that underscores God’s greatness as creator and sovereign ruler. The promises of God are found in the three simple “I will” statements in the verse. God promises to do three things: “I will strengthen you … help you..(and) … uphold you.”

This is a God who cares for His children, a God who delights in helping Christians conquer their fears in the new year. Memorize this verse and recall it when approached by the bully of fear.

The Rev. Todd Linn is pastor of First Baptist Church in Henderson, Ky.

November Article in Evansville Indiana’s Courier & Press

Todd Linn — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:17:03 +0000

Who are the True Followers of Christ?
By Todd Linn

Friday, November 11, 2011

What does it really mean to follow Christ? Frequently, hearers of Christian preaching are told they may receive eternal life if they will “repeat a little prayer” after the speaker. The preacher then says a prayer, asking the hearer to repeat after him and, if done sincerely, the hearer is told he will go to heaven when he dies.

Is this method biblical? Is there someplace in the Bible where one reads about getting into heaven simply by praying a certain prayer? What Scripture does indicate is that people were carefully presented the full Gospel message, a message including the call for total surrender of one’s life to Christ.

Jesus speaks of total surrender in passages such as Luke 14:25-35, where he turns to a large crowd and provides three conditions to be met by those wishing to be Christians, true Christ-followers. He adds that if a person fails to meet any one of these three conditions, he or she “cannot be my disciple (26; 27; 33).”

What are these conditions? First, one must love Jesus Christ more than anyone or anything else. This is the meaning behind the Hebrew idiom requiring one to “hate his father and mother, wife and children … and his own life (26).” Jesus does not ask a Christian to literally hate his family, as this would contradict other Scriptures such as the Fifth Commandment. Rather, one is to love Christ so much that all other love by comparison looks like hate. This is an immense love!

The second condition for discipleship requires the Christian to be totally loyal to Christ, even to death. This is the meaning behind the phrase, “Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (27).”

In our day, the cross may be regarded as little more than a beautiful piece of jewelry. But in Jesus’ day, the cross was a symbol of cruel execution under the Roman empire. To “bear one’s cross” meant to die to oneself daily and be prepared to die physically for one’s faith.

The third condition is total abandonment of all one has for Christ. Jesus says in verse 33, “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” This does not require one to sell all possessions or take a vow of poverty, as the Bible speaks elsewhere of saving and providing for one’s family. This does mean, however, that if called to give up everything, one is willing to do so.

Given these conditions one understands why Jesus encourages would-be followers to “count the cost” of discipleship. Following Christ is more than “praying a little prayer.” Just as a builder or battlefield commander thinks carefully through his or her immediate plans (28-32), so men and women should carefully consider the cost of following Christ. It is not a decision to be made hastily — and yet, the cost of not following Christ is far greater.

The Rev. Todd Linn is pastor of First Baptist Church in Henderson, Ky.

Today’s Article in Evansville Indiana’s Courier & Press

Todd Linn — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:14:52 +0000

With a bit of faith, ditch a lot of worrying

By Todd Linn

Friday, September 23, 2011

When I was small I was a big fan of Mad Magazine, a magazine aimed at entertaining goofy boys like myself with all manner of parodies and satirical wit.

The magazine’s mascot was a fictional guy named Alfred E. Neuman, whose visage frequently graced the cover along with his famously incurious question, “What, me worry?”

Even today that question pops frequently into my head: “What, me worry?”

Truth is, I do worry. Unfortunately, I worry a lot. In fact, most people find themselves worrying about something nearly every day. Maybe you heard about the guy who said, “Don’t tell me worry doesn’t do any good, I know better. The things I worry about never happen!”

Worry affects our physical appearance and our physical health. Worry wakes us in the middle of the night and lines our faces with the unmistakable evidence of an anxious heart.

Little boys and girls worry about thunderstorms or tornadoes or things that go bump in the night. Young people worry about school, passing an exam or about some boy or girl; whether they are liked. Adults often worry about finances, job security or marriage and senior adults may worry about health, loneliness or even death.

Have you seen the church sign about worry? It reads: “Don’t allow your worries to kill you. Let the church help!” I think that church meant well, but the sign makes one wonder exactly what sort of “help” was being offered!

Jesus certainly understood our tendency to worry. In Matthew chapter 6, verses 25-34, the word “worry” occurs no less than six times. Three of those times the word occurs in the phrase: “Do not worry.” Surely Jesus would not have said, “Do not worry” so much if He did not think worry was a common problem among His followers.

Jesus teaches that Christians should not worry about the things they need (verse 25) nor should they worry about their future (verse 34). What is more, the cure for worry is one simple word: faith. In the same passage Jesus says to his anxious disciples, “O you of little faith.”

Here is the Christian’s antidote to worry: a robust faith or trust in the God who created and sustains His people.

Among other things, faith means believing that God is good and always does what is right. It means that God is in control of all circumstances and is working through every event to accomplish His perfect will. To be sure, God’s ways are often mysterious and beyond our ability to fully comprehend (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33), but this is why faith is necessary.

As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Indeed, this is why some define worry as “practical atheism.” Ultimately every Christian is faced with a question: Do we really trust God or do we just say we trust God? May God help each of us to fully trust in Him.

The Rev. Todd Linn is pastor of First Baptist Church in Henderson, Ky.

Latest Article in Evansville Indiana’s Courier & Press

Todd Linn — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:05:54 +0000

It’s not all about money, God said

By Todd Linn

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Weeks of debate about the appropriateness of raising our country’s debt ceiling has had Washington abuzz with endless chatter about who is responsible for what and who will fix what when.

Whether it’s the president or Congress, all seem interested in weighing-in on what is important to nearly every single American: our money. Whatever one believes about the debt ceiling, it is difficult to deny that we highly value our money (pun intended).

Americans are pretty wealthy by global standards. Every person reading this article is in the upper 5 percent of the world economy.

Our incessant interest in money, however, is not unique to our country; it is a shared concern. Nearly every human being on earth spends some time thinking about money or possessions almost every day.

For this reason, the Bible says a lot about money. In fact, roughly 15 percent of everything Jesus says in the New Testament relates to money — more than his words on heaven and hell combined.

One such lesson occurs in the chapter 12 of Luke’s Gospel. Jesus had been teaching about standing firm when facing religious persecution when a man interrupts Jesus suddenly: “Teacher,” he says, “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me (v. 13).”

Seizing the opportunity afforded by the man’s self-centered request, Jesus says to the crowd, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses (v. 15).”

Jesus’ statement is a striking declaration that may cause us to question the validity of his claim. After all, it seems everywhere we turn that “life” is defined by the things one possesses.

Certainly, the ads we see on television, in our magazine, or on the Internet reinforce the contemporary notion that life is found in what we have in our homes, wear on our bodies or keep in our bank accounts. But, of course, this is just the point Jesus makes. True life is not found in these places, but rather in a life bound up with God.

To illustrate the point, Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who lives for this world only and dies a sudden death.

Because the man had focused only on himself and his things, God calls the man a “fool.” Then Jesus says to the crowd, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God (v. 20-21).”

In other words, if we focus on this life only and define life by the value of our possessions, then we are no wiser than the fool of the parable.

Life is not found in our possessions, but in a person. His name is Jesus. The Apostle Paul writes, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).” Receive Christ as Lord and Savior and know true wealth and true life.

Church Covenants?

Todd Linn — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:45:18 +0000

Recently our church family (Henderson’s First Baptist) unanimously adopted a revised church covenant. A simple Google search reveals a number of people who think such covenants are unbiblical and a number of others who believe church covenants are helpful in teaching Christians how to live before God and one another. Needless to say, I fall into the latter camp.

Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” Church covenants go a long way in helping us stimulate love and good deeds in the body of Christ. Furthermore, church membership becomes more meaningful when members are challenged to live under the accountability of one another before God. Imagine a man and woman skipping the “Wedding Vows” portion of their wedding ceremony. What would be the point?

I am grateful that our membership has adopted the following updated and revised church covenant, a covenant we believe every member can keep. We look forward to bringing it into the center of our membership process.

CHURCH COVENANT

(Adopted unanimously July 13, 2011)

Having been led, as we believe by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and, on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and peace; to promote its spirituality and fruitfulness; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, and the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations; to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior throughout the world.

We also engage to maintain family and personal devotions; to educate our children in the Christian faith; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to seek God’s help in abstaining from all drugs, food, drink, and practices which bring harm to the body or jeopardize our own or another’s faith.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation and mindful of the rules of our Savior to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church of like faith and doctrine where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.