“To Err is Human, To Forgive is Div………Well, It’s Just Flat Out Hard Sometimes”!

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Do you want to be a good ‘forgiver’?? Most people would answer, “Yes”, to that question. But the reality is that we only get better at it when we practice it! And you know what that means, right? Somebody has offended you; someone has betrayed you, someone has wounded you. These offenses that come our way might be trivial in nature or they may have left some very deep wounds and if not ‘tended’ to in a positive way, carry the possibility of being permanent. Either way, when forgiveness is required, it’s just kinda hard.

It’s just a fact of life that we’re going to get offended……..and we’re going to offend others, as well. Jesus, in the training of the Twelve told them that “offenses must come”. The kingdom of God is really all about relationships…..that’s why they’re so hard. The greatest blessings and rewards in life are relational…….and the greatest frustrations are relational, as well.

There was a guy years ago that was a complete ‘thorn in my flesh’. His mission in life was to torment me and make me as miserable as he could. He was actually being fairly successful at it, although I never did get in the flesh with him…..but man, I wanted to!! It was way back when the church was small and I was working another job. I sat at my lunch break and wrote down 18 things that I needed to confront him about. These were 18 legitimate things too…..not ‘trumped up’ things; for instance, after one of our conversations he peeled out with his car throwing dirt and gravel all over me. Yep…..that kind of stuff! My plan was to go to him and confront him about these 18 things….and just being candid, here…..he really did need to be confronted of some of those things….and in love, of course, which just makes it harder. On my drive home that day the Lord started showing me all the things that He’d forgiven me for. It really made my ‘little list’ of 18 seem kind of trivial. I often think of some of those things and realize, again, that the Lord was allowing the testing, and giving us the opportunity to behave and react like He would.

Here are a few things that’ll make you a good forgiver:

Just know that offenses are coming; it really does help to come to that realization.
Set your mind/heart now to forgive anyone who offends/betrays you.
Put the ‘value’ on your relationships…..like the Father has! It’ll change everything!
Pray for the people that hurt you! It does as much, or more, for you than it does them!

Here’s a few of my own quotes about forgiveness:

“Forgive somebody, you’ll both be glad you did!”

“It’s never wrong to forgive……it’s always right!”

“Forgiveness is not a ‘feeling’ you have….it’s a ‘choice’ you make”

“Anytime we forgive, a minimum of two people are set free!”

“Unforgiveness puts you in prison…..but the ‘key’ to the cell door is always in your possession!”

“Of everyone in the picture of woundedness and betrayal….no one has has much to gain as ‘the forgiver’!!”

(*Feel free to use any of those quotes (in fact, please do)….but I’d appreciate it if you’d credit me with them)

So, to finish the title quote, “To err is human, to forgive, divine!”

To forgive and to become a ‘good forgiver’ is proof that we’re becoming like Jesus!

Party at the Prison!

September 1, 2015September 1, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Seems like an unlikely place to have a party! But it can be done…and was done. I was invited out to the Northfork Correctional Facility a few days ago by Jim Taylor. The prison is located in my hometown, Sayre, Oklahoma. The Northfork Facility is about 15 years old and populated with inmates from California. Incidentally, the contract with California is expiring and they are now in the process of transporting inmates back to their home state.

Jim’s been faithfully going out the prison once or twice a week for, now over 15 years! There’s been a lot of ‘fruit’ because of his efforts there. There’s no telling how many inmates have come to know the Lord as a result of Jim’s diligence.

This day was a special day...and I’m grateful that Jim invited me to be a part. There were 5 guys that we were going to baptize! We went in about 8 am and gathered in the room with about 30 inmates where they have their church meetings. I was impressed, right off, by the positive atmosphere in the room. The attitude and demeanor of the guys there was pretty amazing. I’ve been in plenty of churches that didn’t have as good a feel as the room in that prison did!

After a few minutes of meeting the guys there Jim asked me to say a few words. I was reminded of how the Lord spoke to me nearly 20 years ago before the prison was even there. When the city started talking about the possibility of a prison in Sayre….we started praying. We had no idea, at first, what the will of the Lord would be concerning a prison but we just kept praying anyway. The Lord spoke very prophetically to us about the prison….and how there would be a move of the Spirit there that would be documented by national news organizations. All that hasn’t been fulfilled as of yet….but it’s definitely in progress.

After the baptisms several of the guys got up and gave short testimonies. They were all sincere, heartfelt and ‘right on the money’ as far as Scriptural content. All in all it was a great time….and proof, again, that the Lord is not limited in who, how or where He does what He does!

It was definitely a ‘party at the prison’!!

It’s ‘Atmospheric’, ……There’s No Question About It!

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

Some time back I taught 150 some odd messages on the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I saw, by teaching ‘systematically’ (verse by verse), so many profound and life altering things in the process that I’d never seen before. It changed me….obviously for the better and I believe it changed the entire Trinity Family.

One of those things that became apparent was in the way that Jesus related to people; how He talked to them and how He loved them. But I began to notice a pattern with Jesus. And as important as the ‘words’ were that Jesus spoke I became convinced that more often than not….it wasn’t His words that made the difference in many of the stories recorded in the gospels. There was something in the atmosphere that was the difference-maker!

One good example was when Jesus came by Matthew, the tax-collector. Jesus was just walking by and said, “Follow Me”. And Matthew dropped everything and did just that. What would cause Matthew to do that? It seems like an easy question for us, being that we know Who Jesus was….but Matthew didn’t have the advantage of knowing that like you and I do. Jesus was already a controversial figure and the entire population was ‘polarized’ as a result of Who He was….and how He did what He did.

My opinion on this is that the atmosphere wherever Jesus went was 100% charged with “agape”, unconditional love. It was an atmosphere void of any condemnation, whatsoever! Everybody hated and despised the tax collectors. Could it be that the reason Matthew ‘followed’ Jesus is that he felt, not only ‘accepted’ in that moment, but ‘valued’ as well (probably for the first time in his entire life!)?? I believe so! His encounter with Jesus changed his life forever……just like a similar encounter will change your life forever.

The ‘atmosphere’ around Jesus was ‘inviting’. It ‘drew’ people in and that’s why He always had a crowd of sinners and tax collectors around Him. That’s what agape does! That atmosphere around Jesus is exactly the atmosphere that’s being produced around you!! But it can only be produced by our deepening relationship with the Father. It’s nothing you can ‘work up’. But it’s a natural by-product of our connection with the Father.

Love Gives

August 25, 2015August 25, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / Leave a comment

In all my years of ministry I’ve taught on, literally, hundreds of Bible chapters and verses. And at the same time there are still hundreds more that I haven’t made it to yet. Only recently I taught on the entire 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. I’ve referenced and referred to it a hundred times or more….but never before have I taught exclusively on Chapter 13 until recently. Most everyone knows that chapter. It’s referred to by many as “The Love Chapter”, which is an accurately ‘fitting’ name. It gives the characteristics of love….not just any love and not a superficial love by any means. Nope, the kind of love Paul is talking about is ‘agape’, or unconditional…it’s the highest quality of love that exists. It’s the kind of love that the Father has for us and the exact kind of love that He is desperately seeking to produce in us. …..And if you’ll look at the characteristics of ‘love’ described there you’ll find that it describes Jesus (Who is the express image of the Father!) to a “T”!

If my count is correct there are 16 traits of ‘agape’ listed in the chapter. It would be productive for anyone to look at those 16 in depth and see how you’re doing in the ‘process’ of being conformed into the image of Jesus. After all….it’s our heart that He wants to conform to be like Him. And this ‘love’ thing….well, it’s the gauge!

One of the characteristics of love, and the 7th on the list, is “Love does not seek it’s own”. And while I don’t claim to have the full understanding of that I do think I have a little insight. One of the incredible attributes of God, the Father, is that he loves extravagantly and expects nothing in return! I’m sure that you might have some reservations about that….but think about it for a minute. If we give love just so we can get it in return…..it’s not really agape. It’s love with a ‘hook’ to it! Loving with a ‘hook’ pollutes the ‘real thing’!

“For God so loved the world that He GAVE….” Love gives……and expects absolutely nothing in return! Of course….it is nice to get love back in proportion. That’s just the icing on the cake!

“God’s love is perfect……but it’s not ‘perfected’ until we ‘choose’ to love Him back!” – AT

Make no mistake about it…..Love Gives!!

Childlike ……. Childish, Two Totally Different Things!

August 19, 2015August 19, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

I mean….vastly different!! A child can be both and it’s really no big deal. It’s even expected for little kids to be childish in the way they think and behave. After all, they’re new at this thing we call life. And, any parent will tell you that it’s a process; it just takes time to grow them up, and mature them in their understanding and in the way they think, reason and act. One of the mistakes most of us parents have made is to expect too much of them at too early an age. Well, you know, we were new at this parenting thing ourselves and it’s a pretty long learning process for us as well. But we can get better….I can personally vouch for that.

It’s one thing for a child to be childish….but it’s an altogether different situation when adults continue to be childish. To be childlike seems to be a trait to be desired, at least from a Biblical standpoint. Jesus talked a lot about children. He instructed in one place, “in malice be children”. The nugget there is that children naturally have clean hearts. Their hearts haven’t been polluted with the negativity and junk that the world throws at us. A ‘childlike’ faith appears to be the very best faith, the purest….and the most sincere and authentic. Childlike is good!

There was a problem in the early church. Paul addressed it more than once; “I’d like to feed you solid food….but you’re still on milk”. The problem exists today, and maybe to an even greater degree. Immature believers seem to stay in a ‘me-me-me’ mode. It’s always gotta be about them. I have plenty of patience for someone who’s new in the kingdom and making immature statements and mistakes. But my patience runs pretty low for those who’ve been around for a long time and still act like babies. They’re nearly always the ones who cause the trouble with their complaining, gossiping, backbiting and whining.

We’ve decided around our place (Trinity Fellowship) that we are going to expect it of one another to go ahead and ‘grow up’. The entire demeanor of the church, worldwide, would change if everyone would decide that. And maybe just maybe….the outside world would begin to respect us. Until we grow up….we really don’t deserve it!

Get over your childishness! We’ll give you enough time and grace for that. But I hope you never get over your ‘childlikeness’!!

I Fought the Law….and the Law Won!

August 14, 2015March 7, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 5 Comments

You’ve surely heard that old song; I remember it from when I was a teenager. I had no idea who did the song until I looked it up. It was written by Sonny Curtis of “The Crickets” (Buddy Holly’s Band). They recorded it in 1959 not long after Buddy Holly had died but the song went absolutely nowhere. It’s still a good song if you ask me.Turns out it was later done, and brought to popularity by Bobby Fuller in 1966 (click any of the highlighted links to watch video). There’ve been others who recorded it more recently if you’re interested: The Clash or Green Day and at least a dozen others.

Well so much for a little trivia but this blog’s not about the song but about the song title. If you’re a regular reader of my blogs (and if you’re not….WHY ain’t ‘ya?! lol) you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m a music lover. I see a song title from time to time and think, “Now that’d be good blog title”. That’s the case with “I Fought The Law and the Law Won”.

There’s a growing controversy in religious circles today over ‘grace’ versus ‘law’. It’s no small controversy by anyone’s standards. In fact my opinion is that it’s one of the main, and most important, issues facing the church in this critical hour. It’s no new argument; It’s been going on since Jesus showed up. In fact, He’s the one that ignited the whole controversy to begin with….and it has only escalated since. Jesus ushered in this thing we call ‘grace’. It wasn’t just a teaching He did. No, it was much more than that. Grace displayed His very nature…and the very nature of the Father. And today, just like it did then, it ticked off the religious legalists to no end!

The Jews in Jesus’ day could not digest this grace thing. They were sticklers for the Law. They knew it well and even though they couldn’t keep the Law (no man could keep the law; no one has ever been made righteous by the Law; if you violated even one facet of the law you were guilty of violating the ‘whole’ law), it didn’t stop them from trying to enforce it on everyone else. But Jesus was doing something entirely different. It was centered on love…not just an ordinary, superficial kind of love but a love that is unconditional, indestructible and life-giving!

The Law says that you have to keep the long list of good things to do to be accepted by God. But grace says that you’re already accepted and valued by God, Himself. You’re His Sons and Daughters, by His own choice. It’s not a result of your own doing but because of what Jesus did! He has already ‘fulfilled the Law’! (because you and I couldn’t!)

You can attempt to keep the Law but you won’t get it done! If you ‘fight the Law’….the Law always wins…you always lose!

The only way you can win….is to accept, and live in, what’s already been done for you! That’s what we call GRACE!

*You might want to check out one of my previous blogs: “It Ain’t Grace’s Fault”

Listen Up!!

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 1 Comment

Listening is something that can, and ought to, be developed. I, for one, want to be a better listener. I just wrote a blog recently titled, “Listen More, Learn More!”. (click link to read) It’s a reminder to me to work harder at listening and not to feel the need to be the ‘talker’ all the time.

Most of us, when thinking about prayer, are normally thinking about all the things that should ask God for. But I’ve learned down through the years that what the Lord has to say to me might just be more important than what I think I need to ask Him for. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely important to ‘let our requests be made known to God’, as the Bible says. But if prayer is actually communicating with God, and we understand that any productive communication includes a good balance of talking and listening….then it should become clear that our communication with the Father would include our listening to what He has to say to us.

The challenge then becomes, “How do I hear what He’s saying to me?”. Great question! We should first realize that God is not limited to speaking to us with an audible voice. He can,….and I’ve heard a good number of people who say that they have heard the audible voice of God. I have no reason to disbelieve them. But God can speak to us in a myriad of ways. He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible. He speaks through preachers and teachers. He speaks through our circumstances. He speaks through our friends and even our children. He speaks through dreams and visions. He speaks through the ‘still, small voice’. He speaks through words of knowledge, words of wisdom and prophetic words…..and on, and on, and on!

It just makes sense to listen to what the Lord is saying to us. It probably won’t happen unless we make it a priority. But be assured….if you do make it a priority….He will speak to you! It won’t just revolutionize your prayer life….it’ll revolutionize your ‘whole’ life!

So, Listen Up!

You’ve Gotta Quit Calling Yourself a “Sinner”!

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 6 Comments

Sad to say but it’s a popular opinion among Christians in the Bible Belt. I hear it often, “I’m still a sinner”, or “I’m just and old sinner, saved by grace”. For anyone born-again that statement is not just a little wrong….it’s a lot wrong! It’s got an ugly ‘whang’ to it if you ask me. And the reason it “just don’t set well” with me is that it’s a slap in the face to the Father and to the work that Jesus completed. It’s a topic of great controversy around the church today.

Jesus either finished the work…or He didn’t! He didn’t say, “It is finished, but….”!….and then leave us a long list of things we have to do to complete that work. He just simply said, “It is finished”! And so it was! His Word tells us clearly that we are born again of ‘incorruptible seed’. You’ve been washed, you’ve been sanctified, you’ve been justified.…at least that’s what the Bible says about you! So, you’ve been ‘infused’ with the DNA of God, Himself! You have the seed of perfection growing inside of you. Your very nature has been transformed. You’re being conformed into the image of Jesus. And to still declare that you’re a sinner is just flat out wrong…..it’s incorrect theology!

I would agree that we often fall short in how it all fleshes out. But the reality is…..you’re already forgiven. I know that’s hard to encompass (and you’ve probably been told different) but it just ‘showcases’ the grace and the goodness of God! We’re His sons and daughters now! If you’ll receive the ‘truth’ of that…it’ll change everything for you.

Your nature now is one of righteousness…you’re not a sinner.

And somewhere along the way you need to quit calling yourself ‘that’!!

There’s Just Something About ‘That Name’!!

July 30, 2015April 13, 2020 / Andy R Taylor / 4 Comments

After we had moved from the ranch in the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma, we still went to church for a time in Allison, Texas. This particular Sunday we had come back the 30 miles to our house. Our great friends, Daryle and Carrie Perry and their daughter Micah came to our house for lunch. After lunch we were just sitting around, hanging out and visiting when one of our boys yelled at us from our bedroom. Clay, who at the time was about 2, had taken the lid off the toothpaste and in trying to taste it had swallowed the lid. He was choking and gasping for air when I got into the room. You can imagine the panic that ensued!

By now we’re all in the room as I grabbed him and tried to reach in his mouth for the lid. No luck! I handed Clay to Carrie who is a very proficient nurse and she did everything she knew to do to dislodge the lid…..but to no avail. Just so you can grasp the chaos of the situation, there was total panic on all of us. It was the worst feeling you could possibly imagine. Clay had turned blue and the clock was ticking!

I grabbed him from Carrie and went to the floor with him. I reached into his mouth as deep as I possibly could (Afterward I had bite marks high upon my wrist!) and could just barely touch the lid with the tip of my finger. There was just no way I was going to be able to get it out that way. Clay had become limp and blue…and beginning to be lifeless. The situation was getting dimmer! Out of total fear of the worst-case scenario, and utter desperation I yelled at the top of my lungs, “In the Name of Jesus, Come Out!!”.

I no sooner got the words out when that toothpaste lid shot out of Clay’s mouth like a missile onto the floor! He took in a huge breath of air and immediately everything was OK! We all just sat down on the floor crying….out of relief.

The Name of Jesus has power! Using that Name ‘saved the day’ for us there on the bedroom floor 25 years ago (and a lot of other times since then, too!), and It’ll save the day for you too!

Trials…….They’re Just Part of the Deal!

July 29, 2015August 8, 2015 / Andy R Taylor / 2 Comments

Life is full of ups and downs, that’s for sure. No one really has a problem with the ‘ups’….least wise I haven’t heard anybody griping about them. Nope, it’s the ‘downs’ that we don’t enjoy all that much. But, really, it’s just a fact of life that we’re going to go through some extremely trying times in the course of our lives.

The trials of life can really take a toll on us. In fact there are many out there who are experiencing some big-time ill effects from the hard things they’ve had to endure. And in some of those cases…..they just can’t seem to break out of the pattern. There’s no way I’d minimize the seriousness, and hopeless state, of those trapped in a life of discouragement and defeat. We’ve all had the pressure and temptation to stay there ourselves. But, what if those trials of life were somehow beneficial to us over the long-haul? What if there is some redemptive value in going through the tough times? And, just what if those unpleasant circumstances were a whole lot better for us than we could ever imagine?

I believe it’s a high possibility that these storms of life can have some extremely positive effects on us if we’ll respond in the right way. I’m no expert here. I’ve flunked more of life’s tests than most. But I can honestly see how those hard things have helped me in the long-run. Your question would be…..“How’s that?”.

I’ve learned that my first response at the start of a trial should be…..to run to the Father. It’s not always my first thought (sometimes I have to have someone remind me!)…..but it’s always the right thing to do! Running ‘from’ God never works. Running ‘to’ Him always does! I’ve made a short list of why/how these hard things can be vital to us as we grow up in the Lord.

1) When we reach the ‘end’ of ourselves we’re more prone to start to put our trust in the Lord. That’s a very ‘good thing’!

2) Our faith gets tested. *God doesn’t test us so He can find out how strong our faith is…..He tests us so that we can find that out!!

3) We mature through the trials of life.

4) We learn patience and obedience through the tough times.

5) We learn, firsthand, that we really are ‘more than conquerors’!

The list could go on and on

James wrote in his letter, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…”. By faith we can face our challenges and be encouraged that we’re going to be better than we were. And what’s more important…..we’ll be more like Him!