Relooking at the 5 steps

The five steps of salvation are a nice, easy little memory tool to help us learn God's plan for salvation. The problem with reducing the great truth of God’s salvation to just five simple words takes away from that dynamic transformation that needs to occur in every believer’s life. While the idea of hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized are all found in scripture, they fall flat when we exclude Jesus Christ from the process and when we take that most passive definition of each word because when we do that, we minimize the gift that God is giving us. Over my following few blogs, I want us to explore those five words because, in those five words, there is a depth that we need to understand if we're going to allow God to take control of our lives and if we're going to allow God to use our lives for his glory. Our selfishness often gets in the way of our usefulness, and we need to understand that we have a purpose, and our goal is to glorify God, not to seek our comfort and not to seek our glory. Our aim is to figure out a way to hold God up to a world that desperately needs Him because our world is lost. Let's start with the word hear. To hear does not mean to acknowledge a sound. To hear means to be confronted with the truth being presented to you. You can't believe it unless you hear it. We are talking about that absolute truth that there is a God and that there is a maker, and if there is a God and there is a maker, then I am the created, and He is the one who has charge, and He is the one who is in control. Yes, He has given us free will. Yes, He has given us a choice, but I need to be confronted, I need to hear, I need to stand in front of that truth that's right there and acknowledge I am not all there is. There is one so much greater than I that I have difficulty comprehending His greatness and power. I have a purpose, and it is serving Him. When we talk about hearing, we're talking about being confronted with that truth and having to look at it in our uncleanness, being confronted with His Holiness. We must look at our inadequacy against His power. Then we can begin to understand when we hear that something is desperately wrong with the way we live our lives. There's something desperately wrong with how the world is living because when we hear the word of God and the creator of this universe, it throws us to our knees and causes us to begin searching for something greater. Too many times, Christians have lost the ability to hear. They listen to the noise. They can even repeat the words. They seldom take the time to meditate and contemplate God's profound nature and truth. When they talk about salvation, the beginning should always include there is a God, He is the creator, He is God, and I am not, and I need to listen, I need to hear, and I need to contemplate the holiness and truth that He gives to me. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Thinking of Others

I restarted this blog to inform you about my cancer journey and the lessons I was learning along the way. There are so many lessons I have learned and so many more I am still learning. I believe everything that happens in our lives is meant to teach us something about God, or it is intended to point us to God. Some lessons are easy to understand and see during the experience; other lessons take time to process and take time to unfold. One of the easy lessons to see was the lesson of humility and dependence. At one point in the treatment in the hospital, I lost all control over my bodily functions. As a grown man, it was humbling to ask for help, but Julie's help only made me love her more and more. In our walk with Christ, there are times we are helpless, and the service we receive from the believers, while humbling us, only draws us closer to The Body and Christ. I am getting stronger now, and, in many ways, I can take care of myself now, but I must never forget the journey and the lesson of humility. Humility is not one of the celebrated virtues in our society, but it is one of the identifiable characteristics of Christ, and as such, it needs to be present in all His followers. In Philippians 2:8, Paul says Christ humbled Himself. Notice that this was not something that was done to Him. Instead, this is what He did Himself. Pride and arrogance destroy so many relationships and create so many barriers. Christ came to destroy those barriers, and a humble spirit is a part of the unification process. Live your life for the glory of God. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Fifty-one Days

Do you remember the road trips you would take as a child? I remember sleeping on the floorboard in the summer and sleeping in that space next to the back window in the winter. Times have changed, and our kids and grandchildren can’t do that anymore, but there is still one thing about long road trips that is still the same; at some point, somebody is going to ask, how much longer? The answer would often come back, just a little longer, and then there would be some form of encouragement to sit back and enjoy the ride. Today marks forty-nine days of quarantine. Julie and I only have fifty-one days of quarantine left before we get to be in the presence of those we love. We miss the fellowship of the believers. We miss holding our kids and grandkids. We miss having face-to-face conversations. We miss the crowd’s laughter and the sheer joy of being with others. Yes, there is a joy that comes from being with others, and a greater joy will come when we are finally in the presence of Jesus Christ, The Father, and The Spirit. I don’t know how much longer it is until we hear the trumpet call, but I can say it will happen in just a little while, so sit back, enjoy the ride, and glorify God that this life is not all there is. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Worthy

We live in a world where you must earn the good things you receive; at least, that was how I was raised. If you wanted to go to Six Flags with the youth group, you had to earn money by mowing the field or some other chore. I knew some kids who just had everything handed to them, but in my world, if you wanted something of value, you earned it. If you wanted good grades, you worked hard for them. If you wanted recognition in sports, band, or any other activity, you worked hard, hoping you were noticed. When it comes to your work life, work hard, and if you see something that needs to be done, do it. Making yourself indispensable was an unspoken rule, and then you will be successful. In relationships, I tried to follow the same guidelines. If I did enough good things, then I would be loved. The sad part of those guidelines, when it comes to relationships and accomplishments, deep down inside, you know you are not as good as people think you are, and if they ever knew who you really were, they wouldn’t love you, and they may not even like you. I am so happy that this world and God’s world are so different. Did you know God loves you even when you fail? Did you know God knows who you are deep inside of your darkest parts, and He still loves you? That is hard to believe because we don’t even love who we are in our darkest parts. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying; God does not love the evil and hateful things we do, but God loves us. God hurts for us, He longs for us, and He wants what is best for us. One of the most significant passages in the Bible is Romans 5:8, which says “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” So the next time you start beating yourself up because you are not good enough and believe nobody cares for you or loves you, remember this “God loves you, and He has demonstrated His love by giving you the most valuable gift He could ever give.” You are worth the price that was paid. Get up, shake off the world, and live a life worthy of His love. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Hooey Bag

Matt 7:21-23 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (NIV) Pride is a deceptive sin because pride is often hidden behind good deeds and outstanding accomplishments. We bloat ourselves with titles and degrees to look good to others. We fill our “hooey bag” with all kinds of things the world, and even the church, admires. When I look inside my “hooey bag,” I am carrying and relying on many things that don’t matter. Here are some of the things inside of my bag: A degree from L.C.C. with additional graduate studies, served on the L.T.C. board for over seventeen years; eight of those years, I was the vice chairman, and in four of those years, I was the chairman, I was a faculty instructor for Walk Thru the Bible for several years and conducted nearly one hundred seminars across the world. I served on the board of C.W.J.C and F.C.A. I was named to the Outstanding Young Men of America and Who’s Who in the West. I taught Bible at L.C.H.S. and served in ministry for over forty years. I was in Kiwanis and was the president of the local chapter of Rotary. I am the Chairman of the Red River Family Encampment and the associate director. I have taught at Red River (in one capacity or another) for over 30 years. L.C.U. awarded me the K.C. Moser award, and I have other things in my “hooey bag.” My “hooey bag” is heavy and full of things that made me feel important, but ultimately my “hooey bag” was just an oversized weight that kept people from seeing me and me from seeing people. Recently I have lost forty pounds and a lot of hair. I don’t look like I did when all of this started, and the process has been the most painful thing ever. When Julie and I got home from six weeks in hospital facilities, I discovered that I needed to set aside my “hooey bag”; something greater needed to take its place. You wonder if you make a difference as a minister and even a man. As we turned the corner to the block we live on, there was the most significant thing I could have ever seen: friends taking time out of their day to welcome us home. They knew they couldn’t come close to us, hug us, or even come inside. They just came to give us their presence, the greatest present they could give us. On my garage entrance was a banner full of the names of people who wanted to reach out to us. The next day in the mail, I received another banner from Red River full of the names of people who just wanted to reach out. The essential things in life are not the awards you receive or even the money and stuff you have accumulated. The most critical thing in life is the people you touch for the glory of God. People matter to God, and as His child, people matter to us. One person at a time, that is how Christ reached out most effectively, and if we want to be known by Him, we need to be reaching out, One person at a time, for His glory. In Him, J. Tom Washburn

Repentance

As I went through the process over the last month, the one word that was continually in my mind was repentance. We all know that repentance means to turn around, and we have all equated repentance with the words “I’m sorry.” Repentance is so much more. The process of Stem cell harvesting and transplant reminded me and taught me so much about repentance and I feel the needed to write this blog. When my stem cells were harvested, I had a tough time. I became catatonic, unable to move or talk, and my jaw locked up, and my tongue swelled up, and all this took place because I was calcium deficient. I was missing one essential substance. It took three days to gather all the cells needed for a successful transplant, but each of those cells were required to be cleaned so they would produce a positive result. The stem cells were not the only thing that needed to be cleaned; my immune system also needed to be cleaned (or killed), so I was given a high dose of Chemotherapy to kill my unhealthy immune system. After a day or two, they put back the cleaned stem cells and they began to find their place and do their work. This process isn’t easy, but my body must work the way that God intended for it to work. You may be thinking, what does any of this have to do with repentance? As I started this article, most of us have thought of repentance as removing the unwanted foam from a frou-frou coffee. Repentance is much more and much more profound. Repentance is the desire and the action of removing not the unwanted foam of evil but the root of evil in our lives. It involves the complex process of identifying and eliminating sin’s deep and persistent cause. It is hard and often painful. It can mean replacing our blood with the blood of Jesus Christ flowing through our veins, and for that to happen, we may have to take a high dose of humility and regret before His new cells can begin to do their work. You see, repentance is not a “get past this event”; repentance is the transformation of life for the glory of God. After repentance, what you will find is life and life abundant. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Good on the Outside

We all strive to look good on the outside. We take care of our hair so that others will take notice of us. We wear nice and, at times, uncomfortable clothes so we can fit in with the right crowd. We buy moisturizers, makeup, and concealers so people won’t see our actual flaws. We go to the gym so we can grow big muscles that we will only use at the gym and so that others will be impressed by how strong we are. We spend much time working on our outsides because that is easier than working on our insides. Jesus didn’t care about the way people looked on the outside. Jesus didn’t care how many birthdays you had seen. Jesus didn’t care about the color of your skin or the numbers in your bank account. Jesus saw beyond the surface and wanted to heal the inside. One overriding sin can cause all kinds of trouble. You see, a single sin never stays a single sin. When King David lusted, that sin sent fingers into almost every part of David’s character and his soul. Just one sin controlled David so much that he became an adulterer, liar, and murderer, and he included others in his sin. The same thing can happen to all of us. Sin always leaves a mark, and it can only be overcome by the power of Jesus Christ. Before this cancer journey, I looked good on the outside. I had no idea how much was wrong on the inside. My cancer, Multiple Myeloma, was causing all kinds of issues throughout my entire body. This little cancer made my bones weak, giving me anemia and kidney issues. This little cancer was starving the rest of my body of healthy red blood cells. The Doctors could have chosen only to attack each symptom, not the disease. The symptoms might have gone away for a short time, but they would have returned because the root of the issue remained. With my body, the Doctors are attacking the root issue, and the other problems seem to improve as the root issue is addressed. I will carry some of the residual scars, maybe for the rest of my life, but they are just a reminder of the healing that has taken place. In your spiritual walk, you must figure out the root sin that allows all other sins to access your life. Often time people lie because pride is their ruler. People take from others because they have never dealt with greed. Just as I will be taking pills for some time to come, all of us need to take prayer as a prescription from God to help us grow in our walk with Him. In Him J. Tom Washburn