Gardening

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Don Merritt

There is something about a garden… I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because when God first made the man and the woman, He put them in the Garden; come to think of it, they tended the Garden. Perhaps it’s because with a garden, you have a partnership between the Creator and humans who use the talent and imagination God gave them to create something beautiful.

Or maybe it’s because a garden was where Jesus went to pray on that fateful night…

Whatever the reason, there is nothing like a garden as a place to pray or for quiet contemplation of the majesty of God. Of course, there is a lot more to a garden than the final product. The act of planning a garden, building a garden, and tending it, that brings so many people closer to God.

I must admit that I’m really not much of a gardener, but even I can see the connection between time spent caring for one, and time spent in God’s presence. For me, it isn’t so much gardening as it is trying to keep up with weeds.

I would imagine that some who come across this might be better able to share how God has blessed them through this expressive practice, and I hope some will share their experiences with us.

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Proverbs 12:9

Posted on March 19, 2025 by Don Merritt

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

Many years ago, a man called me and wanted to meet for lunch; he had a business proposition to discuss.

He showed up in a white limousine all dressed up in the latest style… and had a busty blonde “escort” on his arm. He took me to a fancy restaurant and I was “wined and dined” as he made his big pitch; there was big money to be made, and this guy was tossing millions into the deal. All I had to do to make my share of the millions was…

When the bill came, his credit card was declined, all of his cards were declined, and I had to pick up the check; how embarrassing: This guy was all flash and no cash! Another person who was acquainted with the guy told me that he lived off of money invested for his big deals, and that he spent so much on appearances that there was never anything left for the business. I’ve met quite a few people like that.

My guess is that there were people just like that in Solomon’s day too, for as Solomon would have said, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

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In Rome and Beyond

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 28:17-31

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Acts 28:30-31

Luke ends his narrative with these words, which wrap up the theme of the book that was stated by Jesus Himself back in 1:8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

If you think about it, it really is an amazing story of God overcoming everything this world could throw in His way. There is Paul, having been taken to Rome as a prisoner of the State, kept in chains under house arrest for two years, during which he taught, preached and wrote, right in the very heart of the Roman world.

In this text, Luke also records some of the conversation Paul had with the Jews of Rome, a conversation that changed some minds, and yet left others entrenched against the Way. Yet even in that, the Gospel had gone forth, and Paul had shown them exactly what was going on from the Scriptures, as Luke’s mention of Isaiah 6 shows so well (28:26-27).  Thus, when you come right down to it, we can see that while the world of the first century was different in so many ways; its essence is very much like our own. We, like the disciples of old, are charged with proclaiming the Gospel. Many will listen and receive it, more will not. There will be obstacles to be overcome, there will be persecution and opposition, hardships and struggles, yet the Gospel will be proclaimed, and God will build His kingdom.

In the final analysis, it will be up to each person to decide for him or her self whether or not to receive God’s offer of grace. Yet in this, it is not for us to judge or attempt to force anyone in making their decision, for that is not the way of love. However, it is for us to share, to encourage, to serve and to boldly proclaim the salvation that Jesus shed His blood to make possible.

The rest is up to God.

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Pray with Boldness

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Don Merritt
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How often do we pray with boldness?  No, I mean with real boldness…?

Do we ask God for big things, as opposed to routine things?  Do we ask God to take the battle right to the enemy, or to win great victories for His church?

Are our prayers full of the request that His will be done and are they self-less?

For most of us, when we pray, our prayers tend to center on what we want and they often don’t really go all that far, but those aren’t really the kinds of prayers you see in the Bible, for there, prayers tend to be directed towards God’s purposes and they seek great deeds.

Save me, O God, by your name;
    vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God;
    listen to the words of my mouth.

Psalm 54:1-2

Here are words of boldness, of purpose and words asking for great victories.  If you go on to read the verses that follow, you might at first think that requests are being made for selfish reasons when the speaker is asking for his enemies to be taken care of, but when we remember that the speaker is David and that his enemies are also God’s enemies and that they are in opposition to God’s purpose, it becomes clear that he is asking God to sustain him while advancing God’s purpose; and he isn’t meek and mild about the request; he is confident in his position.

We, too as Christians, should be confident in our position with God when we pray, always remembering that God’s purpose is the central force that is important.

There is nothing on this earth that concerns the devil more than a believer in prayer, for it is at that time that the power of God is made manifest.  A believer at prayer, praying bold prayers for God’s will and purpose, is like a catalyst that sets free the power of Victory in battle!

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Paul’s Adventures in Malta

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 28:1-16

It was a cold and rainy day when the 276 souls arrived on the island of Malta after the shipwreck, and the people on the island were very kind to them, seeing to their needs. Since it was a cold day, they built a bonfire to help them get warm and dry. Paul, as was his custom, chipped in to help and brought in some brush for the fire. As he moved up to the heat, a viper launched itself from the brush and attached to Paul’s arm. Everyone who saw this knew Paul was a dead man walking.

The Maltese assumed that Paul must have been a very bad man, since he was saved from the shipwreck only to die from snakebite, but something very unusual happened: Nothing. As strange as it may sound to say that, it’s true; Paul’s hand should have swelled up, but it didn’t. Paul should have become quite sick, but he didn’t. Paul should have keeled over dead, but there he was as if nothing had happened. The Maltese eventually decided that rather than being a bad man, he must be a god!

Afterwards, they were taken in by the chief official of the island, a man named Publius.  He showed great hospitality to his guests but soon his father became seriously ill.

When news reached the rest of the Maltese people that Paul had healed the man’s father, they brought their sick from all over the island to Paul so that they too might be healed, and Paul was quite accommodating; one can only imagine the impact this had for the Gospel that Paul had brought with him to their island. Publius would provide everything they needed when the time came for them to set sail, some three months later.

When they finally arrived in Rome, they were warmly greeted by the brothers and sisters there. The guards were lenient with Paul at first, and allowed him to live by himself, with only one guard to keep watch. As we will see next time, nothing was done to keep him quiet…

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Art

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Don Merritt

Many of the greatest artistic Masterpieces of all time have been made to glorify God, and this is true not only in painting and sculpture, but in drama, dance, and all other fields of artistic endeavor. Yet as in writing, simply having the talent and temperament, the time, and the resources to produce art, doesn’t make it a spiritual practice; there is more involved.

The Expressive Spiritual Practice of Art is the practice of using one’s artistic abilities to glorify God as an expression of their relationship with Him. In doing so, the production of art draws the person closer to God; quite often this practice is used by a person with the spiritual gift of craftsmanship.

This one isn’t the easiest practice for me to describe, since I don’t really have any particular artistic ability or inclination; my sister got all of that in our family. Even so, the expressive disciplines always seem to come down to a ministry of some kind. Several years ago, our church put on a show for Christmas that included lots of music, a couple of skits, video and even a little showmanship. There were a couple of people with artistic ability who produced amazing backdrops, people with the gift of craftsmanship stepped up to construct beautiful sets, people with technical abilities handled sound, audio-video and lighting, and of course, the musicians came seemingly from nowhere and did fantastic work.

I mention this because the atmosphere in rehearsals was amazing, for the most part. Everyone was there because they wanted to bring glory to God, and they said so often without prompting from anyone; the entire project was an example of expressive spiritual practice, in several areas at once.

Artistic people use their abilities as a spiritual practice in a variety of events within the local church, but they also often use them in making pictures or sculptures or other items that inspire others to walk closer with God, and that express the creator’s relationship with God. As a result, everyone is blessed, and the Kingdom is built up.

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Sunday Sermon Notes: March 16, 2025

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Don Merritt

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.

Acts 19:1-7

Paul arrived in Ephesus on a route from the north, and upon arriving he met a small group of “disciples” who had been taught by Apollos, apparently before he had been instructed by Aquila and Priscilla. It would seem that Apollos’ initial misconceptions had been passed to these men, who had not been properly instructed. Paul seems to have noticed that something was missing, and asked them if they received the Holy Spirit only to discover that they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit, even though they had believed.

What follows is quite interesting theologically, for Paul sets for us a clear linkage between baptism and receiving the Spirit (19:3-5), followed by events that parallel those we saw take place in Samaria in chapter 8. Notice that Paul explained to them that John’s baptism, which they had received, was a baptism of repentance, and that John had taught those who received to believe in the One who would come after him, Jesus, and that upon hearing this, the men were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (cf. Acts 2:38). Then, as Peter had done in Samaria, Paul lays his hands on the men and they received the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts that made the Spirit’s presence obvious. Notice they had to first be baptized into Jesus Christ, and then they would receive the Holy Spirit.

At this point, it might be useful for us to consider that we are looking at an event that took place roughly 20 years after Pentecost, and for that length of time, the Gospel had spread orally from Jerusalem throughout the known world. As we might expect, as the great story was retold over those years, there was some confusion about some of the details that was beginning to be problematic. Of course, this shouldn’t be any great surprise, for even now after having the New Testament Scriptures for so many centuries, there is a great deal of confusion about these same matters. For example, what baptism should a Christian receive? As you know, asking a question such as that one will spark endless debates today, and having been in my share of those debates myself, I can assure you that not many of those debaters will mention this particular text, even though it is one of the clearest teachings on the subject.

At any rate, the men obviously received the Spirit, and the stage was set for the next part of the story, an amazing series of events that demonstrate the spiritual power of what was going on in that region…

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Arriving in Malta

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 27:27-44

The storm had been going on 14 days, and the crew and passengers, 276 in all had not eaten. The crew discovered that they were most likely approaching land, but since it was night, they could see nothing, and fearing running onto the rocks and being killed, they set anchor until daylight.

The crew also lowered the lifeboat, apparently hoping to get away safely from the ship once they could see land, but Paul noticed what they had done and informed the centurion, who set the boat adrift. I’m guessing the sailors weren’t overly thrilled by this, so Paul stepped up and urged everyone to have something to eat, changing the subject. He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it, and that seemed to encourage the others to join him, and they all ate their fill. After that, final preparations were made to make landfall as soon as the sun came up.

When daylight finally came, they couldn’t identify where they were, but they did see a bay with nice sandy beaches in the distance, and the crew made for it… until they ran aground on a sandbar some distance from the beach. The stern of the ship was quickly dashed to pieces by the rough surf; they would have to swim for it. This of course gave the soldiers a quandary for they couldn’t risk any of the prisoners escaping, so they resolved to kill them all. God of course, was not going to have it, for the whole point of all of this was to get Paul to Rome; their commander intervened on Paul’s behalf and they were spared. Then he directed that those who could swim should head for shore, and those who couldn’t were given planks and other floating objects to ride into the beach; everyone made it, and thus Paul arrived in Malta.

We must know that after all this, Paul’s visit there would be a noteworthy one, as we will shortly see.

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Perils of the Sea

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Don Merritt

Acts 27:1-26

We know from the text that Luke was with Paul on the trip to Rome; no one else who might have been with Paul on the voyage is named in the text. In the first 12 verses, Luke tells us where they stopped, and of unfavorable winds that caused delay upon delay in their progress. As you read this, you might wonder why the weather was so uncooperative when they were on a mission from God to get Paul to Rome, for surely God could calm things down if He wanted to. Of course, another possibility would be that there was another force in play, a force that did not want Paul in Rome to accomplish God’s will for him there, a force that might try to use the weather as a hindrance to his progress.

As for me, I think there was quite a struggle going on behind the scenes.

In 27:13 ff. Luke tells us of a great storm that came up, giving us details that make it clear that this was no ordinary storm, as it raged day after day for 2 weeks. The sailors did all they could do to keep the ship afloat, but they began to lose heart; everyone feared that they would die.

But they would not die.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” (27:21-26)

God’s will for Paul to appear before Caesar would not be deterred by a storm, for God’s will is going to be done on this earth. Yes, His will might be opposed by men or by the spiritual forces of darkness, but they will never keep it from being done. In fact, the opposition of the Evil One may well provide an additional opportunity for God’s will to be done; just imagine the impact this statement of Paul’s would have when all of the men on the ship survived this mammoth storm in spite of the shipwreck that we will read about next.

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Writing

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Don Merritt

If you like to write, if you write a Christian blog, then it is likely that your writing is an expressive spiritual practice. Yet as I mentioned before, there is a difference between a spiritual practice and a hobby, just as there is a difference between a spiritual practice and a profession. Let’s use writing as an example of this…

So, you love to write and you start a blog to write about something, say your Christian walk. It’s a wonderful outlet for you, very relaxing, a great way to get away from the stress of the day and so, you write a post or two whenever you have some time and an idea. If somebody reads one of them, that’s great, and you’re amazed when someone follows you or likes a post. That is a wonderful hobby, one you can do even on the coldest of winter days, or the rainiest of summer nights. Then maybe you hear a sermon or attend a Bible study or watch a video that brings up a certain point from Scripture that you really are interested in; you start to do some study and prayer on the subject and God really opens your eyes; an epiphany! You decide to blog about it, you tell the whole story and lo and behold someone leaves a comment that says they have never seen anything like that before and it has changed their whole attitude and brought them closer to God… and it hits you: Blogging can be a ministry!

Now you get serious about your blog, you bring God into your writing, asking for His guidance, giving the whole process over to Him. You start blogging regularly; it becomes the best part of the day for you, it brings you closer to Him.

Writing has become a spiritual practice that is expressive of your relationship with God as He guides you through each step. The same can be true if writing is your profession.

If that’s your story then the day will come when someone tries to discourage you, of that you can be sure. Listen to God, not to the nonsense. Twelve years ago or so, a well-known pastor asked me what my ministry is these days. I told him I wrote a Christian blog. He laughed and said that a blog isn’t a ministry, that he tried it once and nobody read his posts, so it can’t be a ministry and that I was wasting my time and needed a real ministry. I replied that I had over 1,500 followers and that I had opportunity to reach them twice a day, seven days a week: Do the math. How many people do you reach a week?

His face turned bright red and he gave me the look of death and said, “Well I don’t have time for that.”  Since then I’ve had roughly the same conversation with quite a few preachers, and the truth is that the demands on their time are great, and they often really don’t have the time for writing.  God just has a different plan for them, and that’s perfectly fine, but don’t let anyone pull you away from your writing if it is how God draws close to you. If it is how God draws you close to Him, then by all means take it very seriously.

Of course, writing can be an expressive spiritual practice in other forms as well. You might write novels or commentaries or Bible studies for kids or adults, maybe home study guides or poems that inspire. Let God guide you and you might be surprised at where it ends up, I know I’ve been surprised where it has taken me.

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