Old Paths Journal

Galatians 1:1
“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)”

One vital thing that every Christian must settle if they want to please the LORD is that they are serving the LORD and not man. In the verse above, Paul made it clear Who he was serving. He said that he was an apostle, “not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ…” This did not mean that he didn’t respect men whom God had used, but he was establishing that man didn’t call him, and man didn’t determine what he believed.

One of the hardest things many Christians fight is keeping their eyes on the LORD. It is hard to keep your eyes on the LORD because you must do this by faith. It is always easier to follow a man and to make him your basis of beliefs because he is someone you can see and touch; however, whenever you follow a man, you are walking by sight and not faith. There are several dangers in following man.

First, there is a danger of taking glory away from God. Because Paul had his eyes on the LORD, it was easy for him to give God the glory all the time. He said in verse 5, “To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” He would not have said this if he had his eyes on man. One of the quickest ways to turn God’s wrath on you is to take His glory and give it to man. You must be very careful that you keep your eyes on God so that all glory goes to Him.

Second, there is a danger of losing the peace of God in the Christian life. Paul said in verse 3, “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,” Many Christians have become bitter towards the Christian life because someone whom they placed their confidence in either fell in sin or hurt them. The easiest way to avoid this and to be at peace with God and yourself is to keep your eyes on the LORD. The LORD will never fall into sin, and He will never disappoint you.

Third, there is a danger of straying from the faith. Paul chided the church of Galatia in verse 6 by saying, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:” What caused them to be “removed…unto another gospel”? They placed their eyes on man, and when man moved they moved with him. Many people have compromised the faith because they followed a man or an institution. My friend, I don’t care if what a man says sounds good or right, it is wrong if it is not backed up by Scripture. The Scriptures are basis of our beliefs. If we are not careful, we will get caught up in the philosophies of man and not the truths of Scripture. God warns in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Christian, you will never stray from the faith through “philosophy” if you keep your eyes on the LORD.

My friend, let me encourage you to settle in your heart that you are called of the LORD, and “not of men” or “by men.” Certainly, there are many good men in history whom God has used, but our manner of living is not established by them, but by God. The best way to honor those whom God has used and who you respect is to keep your eyes on the God of the Scriptures because that is Who they served. This will keep you from those dangers that will pull you away from the faith.

Psalm 31:14
“But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God.”

David faced many hardship and battles through His life. The attacks he faced from within and from without were numerous. The one constant that kept David going through these times was that He trusted in the LORD. He said in verse 9, “Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble…” Yet, when we come down to the verse above he said, “But I trusted in thee, O LORD…” This was the key to his making it through the rough times.

David said in verse 10, when grief was his only encouragement, he trusted in the LORD. In the same verse when weakness was his only strength, he trusted in the LORD. In verse 11, when disappointment was his only encouragement, he trusted in the LORD. In verse 12, when loneliness was his only friend, he trusted in the LORD. In verse 13, when slander was the only good word he heard, he trusted in the LORD. The only thing that got him through his times of trouble was that he trusted in the LORD. What does it mean to trust the LORD?

First, trust means that you will rely on His timing. Verse 15 says, “My times are in thy hand…” When life’s only gift seems to be trouble, you are going to have to trust that the LORD’s timing is correct. I’ve often said, the LORD is never late, He is rarely early, but He is always on time. Throughout every hardship I’ve faced, I have always seen the LORD come through at the right time. Trust means that you understand that the LORD’s timing is always right. You may not feel like He is going to come through, but your “times” must be placed in His hand.

Second, trust means that you will trust His presence. Verse 16 says, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant…” There is only one way you are going to get God’s face to shine upon you, and that is by spending time in the closet of prayer. David didn’t run to man in his time of trouble, but he ran to the closet of prayer and trusted the presence of God. Stop running to everyone else and telling your problems to them, but run to God in prayer and pour your heart out to Him. In times of trouble, let your actions mirror the words of the old song, I Must Tell Jesus.

Third, trust means that you will trust His reputation. Verse 17 says, “Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee…” David didn’t run to all that he had done throughout the past to make it through troubles, but he trusted that the God Who promised to be there for him would come through as He did in the past. My friend, you are going to have to trust the LORD’s reputation. He has never forsaken anyone in the past, and He is not about ready to start with you now. He promised that He would always be there for you in your time of trouble, so trust the LORD’s reputation and realize He has always been there and will continue to be there.

Fourth, trust means that you will trust His vindication. Verse 18 says, “Let the lying lips be put to silence…” When your troubles come from others, you are going to have to trust that the LORD will take care of the battle for you. God says that vengeance belongs to Him, so trust His Word that He will vindicate you in His timing. Christian, I don’t know what you are facing, but I do know the only way you are going to make it is through trusting the LORD.

1 Corinthians 14:26
“How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”

Every business or organization had better have a modus operandi if they want to succeed with their agenda or goals. You will never succeed by doing things without a basis to guide how you operate or have methods to show you how to do things. The degree of your success depends on your modus operandi.

Likewise, the Christian life and the church must have a modus operandi if they want to succeed. God did not leave us without instructions on how to operate. In fact, the Scriptures are filled with God’s modus operandi for the Christian and church. You will find God’s modus operandi for the Christian and church in 1 Corinthians. Three times God uses the phrase, “Let all things…” This phrase is the basis which shows us how God wants us to operate. Let me show you God’s modus operandi.

First, do everything to build others. The verse above says, “Let all things be done unto edifying.” Everything we do in the Christian life is to edify or build others. There are certain principles in Scriptures God gives which should guide the Christian. For instance, God’s direction is always forward, and his purpose is always to build others. If you get God’s direction right and purpose accomplished, you will find that you will influence many for right. Everything you do for Christ should always have the purpose of building others. If you keep your purpose right, you will find it much easier to keep your direction right.

Second, don’t let the end justify the means. 1 Corinthians 14:40 says, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” It’s interesting that God tells us to build others first, but He follows up by teaching us to be sure we do it right. In other words, God is teaching us not to do something with the wrong methods for the purpose of building others. Yes, you should try to build people, but don’t do it at the expense of sacrificing truth and right. God wants things done His way, and to sacrifice truth to get more people to build is wrong. In fact, you will fail miserably in your attempt to build people if you forsake the methods God gives to do it. His methods are as much a part of building people as is His purpose. God’s modus operandi is to build people while doing it the right way.

Third, don’t run over people to succeed. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all your things be done with charity.” You can have a great heart to grow for the sake of helping more people, but don’t run over those whom you are trying to help for the sake of growth. If we are not careful, our zeal to help others will cause us to hurt the ones we are trying to help. If you do everything with charity, you will find your love for people will keep you from doing things that harm them.

God’s modus operandi is simple; make your purpose to build people, don’t sacrifice who you are to do it, and don’t run over them to accomplish it. If you do things God’s way, you will find that in the end more people are helped, and fewer people will be hurt. Let this modus operandi be your guide to keep your purpose, methods and focus right.

1 Corinthians 1:10
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

One of the major components to a happy marriage is for both husband and wife to work together as one flesh. Ephesians 5:31 says, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.” This verse makes it very clear that God intended for the husband and wife to work together. If you are going to enjoy your marriage, you are going to have to guard against those things that would cause division in it. The best way to guard against those things that would divide your marriage is to do the things that would cause your marriage to be “one flesh.” God shows us some things in this chapter that will help your marriage to work as “one flesh.”

First, you must think the same way. The verse above says, “… that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind…” I know it seems impossible for married couples to think alike, but you must if you want your marriage to be happy. Everyone knows that men and women think differently; so, how do we get to the point where we both think the same way? In the verse above, God is talking more about the destination than the origination. He is saying that you both need to come to the same conclusion. This means that you are going to have to have dialogue if you want to have the same mind. You cannot think alike if you don’t talk together. Conversation is not one-sided, but it is both husband and wife talking through their differences. You will never be of the same mind if you don’t talk about the differences you have.

Moreover, if you are going to think alike, you are going to have to do things together. I have learned that the best way to start thinking alike is by spending time together. You will notice that many older couples think alike because they have spent so much time together. Don’t allow your minds to drift apart because you never spend time together. Purposely spend time together so you can start thinking alike.

Second, you must say the same thing. The verse above says, “…that ye all speak the same thing…” One of the purposes of dialogue is to determine what you are going to say. Once you get the same mind, you need to be sure you are both saying the same things. Don’t become a couple who contradict each other in public. Have you ever been in that uncomfortable situation where a couple contradicted each other and the tension rises? This happens because they were not saying the same thing. Don’t let your mouth be the cause of division.

Third, you must have the same judgment. The verse above talks about being “joined together…in the same judgment.” In other words, you need to come together in your decision making to avoid divisions in your marriage. Someone has to make the final decision, and according to the Scriptures it should be the husband; however, it is good to get the same mind before you make that decision. Talk about your decisions together. Don’t be a couple who go rogue on each other. Communicate before you decide.

If your marriage is going to be strong, you must avoid those things that cause division. Employ these three things in your marriage and you will find yourself having the same mind.

Romans 12:2
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

We are commanded in the verse above to renew our mind. This means that the old mind thinks contrary to the way God wants us to think. You will find that the way to having a renewed mind is to be transformed by living the “good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” The thinking of the renewed mind will be evidenced in four ways.

First, the thinking of the renewed mind keeps itself in proper perspective. Verse 3 shows that the renewed mind will not “think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” In other words, the old mind thinks everything revolves around itself; whereas, the person who thinks through a renewed mind realizes they are not the only one in the body of Christ. The person with a renewed mind will not think that they have the answer to everything and that they are not the answer for everyone. When you allow your mind to be transformed into the renewed mind, you will quickly get a proper perspective of who you are, and your need for Christ and others.

Second, the thinking of the renewed mind understands its gifts. It is important that you understand the gifts God has given you because you will be able to maximize God’s ability to work through you by using them properly. Verse 3 says, “God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Everyone has a gift in some area for the sole purpose of being a contributor to the work of God. The sooner you realize the gift God has given you, the more quickly you will be able to contribute to your church and find God’s will for your life.

Third, the thinking of the renewed mind understands the contributions that others can make. Verse 6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…” My friend, do you realize that others can help in the work of the LORD? I’m afraid that we often get into the superhero mindset that we are the only hope for the local church. Every person in your local church has a way that they can contribute through the gifts God has given them. If you never allow others to use their gifts, your church will never reach its community for Christ.

Fourth, the thinking of the renewed mind understands a body concept. Verse 4 says, “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:” The person who thinks through the renewed mind wants to work with others like the body works with itself. You must stop trying to do everything by yourself and allow others to help. If the hand tried to do everything, the body would go nowhere because the feet could not walk. If the feet took over the body and tried to do everything, the hands could not pick things up and work. The whole body working together is what allows you to be able to fulfill your potential. Likewise, when every Christian thinks through the renewed mind, the church body will function together and be able to fulfill the potential God has for it to reach its community.

Are you thinking through a renewed mind? The sooner you accept that everyone has something they can contribute, the sooner you will be able to work as a team; thus, enabling the body of Christ to function properly to reach the lost for Him.

Romans 1:4
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”

Often in Christianity, we focus much on the sins of the flesh. No doubt, most of what we hear about are actions that our flesh commits, but the Scriptures go further than just cleaning up the outside. God is just as concerned with your spirit as He is with your flesh.

Anyone who has ever worked with young people understands that the spirit can sometimes dictate a different perception of someone than their actions. A young person can do right, but sometimes their spirit is not congruent with their actions; this is why parents tell their children that they had better straighten up their attitude before they have to help them with an attitude adjustment. The youth may physically perform the right actions, but their spirit is doing the opposite of their flesh.

The verse above talks about the “spirit of holiness.” God wants the Christian to live a holy life, but He also wants their spirit to be in agreement with their holy living. There are several observations we can learn about having the spirit of holiness.

First, your spirit reveals what is going on in the heart. Just because a Christian does right doesn’t mean they are right with God. There are many Christians who go through the motions of Christianity whose spirit is not right. The reason the spirit is not right is because the spirit is a reflection of the heart. For instance, you can be in attendance in a church service and not really be in attendance because your spirit is not there. You can physically hear the preaching of God’s Word, but not listen with your spirit. It is important for you to understand that your spirit dictates what is going on in the heart.

Second, your actions can only camouflage the spirit for so long. Have you ever painted a wall, and when the paint dried the color you painted over bled through? That is what happens with your spirit. You can paint over your spirit with holy actions, but eventually your spirit bleeds through. You may think you can cover your heart with actions, but your spirit is bleeding through. Don’t think for a second that you can go through life fooling everyone about how good of a Christian you are when your spirit is one of the flesh more than it is of holiness. You may dress right, look right and talk right, but if you don’t have the spirit of holiness, it will bleed through to your lifestyle.

Third, it is more important to get your spirit right than it is your actions. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” God knows that if you get your spirit right, your actions will follow. I have seen people clean up their actions and not their spirit and eventually fail in the Christian life; however, I have never seen someone get their spirit right without getting their actions right. If your spirit gets right, your actions will naturally follow.

My friend, let me encourage you to look at your spirit. Do you have a spirit of holiness? Does your spirit want to please God, or are your serving the LORD out of obligation? Let me encourage you to clean up your spirit because you will be amazed how your flesh follows.

Acts 21:21
“And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.”

We often fall prey to the critics who say that those who stand firmly on the old paths are so divisive. They often say that if we would stop being so divisive that we could all get along. Sadly, their cry for unity is simply a ploy to destroy us.

Throughout history there has always been those who were called divisive for their strong stand for the old paths. When J. Frank Norris died, the famous independent Baptist pastor who pastored two large churches at one time, his haters said that because the divider had died that maybe they could all get along. When Jack Hyles died, the famed pastor who built the largest Sunday school, many of those who hated his strong stand said that we could finally get along because the instigator of division died. These who hate the strong stand for the old paths will always call those who perpetuate that stand as a divider.

However, this call for unity has been debunked in the Scripture. When Paul arrived at the church in Jerusalem, the Christians gladly received him. After their greetings, James addressed Paul’s strong stand against the error of the modern religious leaders. They told Paul that if he would just take the Jewish vow, he could prove that their criticisms were false. They said in verse 24, if he took the Jewish oath that all “those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.” Paul’s critics said that the “multitude must needs come together…” Paul listened to their call for compromise but quickly found out that compromise still didn’t unify him with the critics.

Friend, moving never wins. The critics of the old paths can cry that we need to stop being divisive, but you will never win by moving. You must always understand that the first person who moves is the one who loses. You may try to get along by backing off on your strong stand, but you will soon find out that they will move further away even if you move.

Moreover, the critic’s goal is your destruction. When Paul moved, they were not happy that he kept the Jewish vow as they did; instead, their whole goal was to see him killed. You have to understand that, to the enemy, who you are represents the personal stand you have taken. You can reach out in an attempt to get along, but you will find that they will never reach back. Their goal is your destruction. Their mentality is that if you are destroyed, they can then prove that you were not right.

What is the answer? The answer is to continue to stand for truth. Stop listening to the critics voices who demand you tone down the rhetoric and keep standing for truth. There must always be a voice in the wilderness that cries aloud for the old paths. My friend, I truly understand that the critic’s voice is never palatable. I understand the desire that they would accept you, but you must understand that it will never happen. If you changed, you would prove their point that what you believe is wrong. If the old paths are right, and they are, you must continue to stand in spite of the critics call for unity. If your stand for right causes division, so be it. Your continued stand is the only thing that will keep the old paths alive in this present generation.

Acts 13:10
“And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”

Have you ever heard of someone accused of bending the rules? To bend the rules would be to twist what they say for the sake of not being guilty of breaking them. The only reason a person would bend the rules is for personal gain.

It is a powerful indictment for God to describe Elymas as a person who perverts “the right ways of the Lord.” To “pervert” something means to distort, twist or corrupt. In other words to “pervert the right ways of the Lord” means that someone is twisting, distorting or corrupting His ways. Elymas the sorcerer perverted the ways of the LORD for his personal gain; however, what God describes as perverting the “right ways” is not what most people would expect. God shows four ways Elymas perverted His ways.

First, he perverted them through subtlety. In other words, he was very deceitful in his actions. He didn’t pervert these ways openly, but he hid the truth from those whom he influenced. My question for you would be, are you perverting the right ways by being deceitful? Christians ought to be people who are not secretive about what they are doing. For instance, in my home there are two words that we live by to keep deceit from destroying it. Those two words are: “no secrets.” This brings me to question you; are you withholding something from your spouse or parents? Christians should be transparent in their actions. Anything that must be done in secret is founded in deceit and is wrong.

Second, he perverted the right ways through mischief. The word “mischief” means, to hurt others through playful misbehavior. In other words, Elymas used teasing words to hurt the Gospel. You must be careful with the words you use. Words are powerful, and when the words you say are hurtful, you are guilty of perverting the right ways. Be careful about tearing people down in a playful manner. Moreover, you don’t have to belittle people to fight sin. Degrading people because they commit sin is not what the LORD would have you do. Call sin what it is, and let the Scriptures do the work in the heart of the individual.

Third, he perverted the right ways by not being saved. Elymas was called a “child of the devil.” Let me ask you, are you saved? Are you portraying to be saved, but inside know you are not. Don’t be like Elymas who portrayed to be a religious person, but was knowingly lost. If you have doubts about your salvation, get them settled. There is no place for a person in the service of the LORD to doubt their salvation. You are perverting the ways of the LORD when you do this.

Fourth, he perverted the right ways by being an “enemy of righteousness.” In other words, he openly worked against the works of God. Many Christians have become an “enemy of righteousness” by fighting the holiness standards God has placed in His Word. Just because you don’t like the standard God established for holiness doesn’t give you a right to fight against it. If you choose to fight against God’s standards, you are fighting against God.

Are you perverting the “right ways” of God? God’s children are to be people of truth. Be careful that you don’t allow yourself to become God’s enemy by allowing these four things into your life.