The Message Leaders Forget

 

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

The gods are come down

In the likeness of men

And straight away Paul had perceived

There was a problem.

 

From the very outset

He tried to nip it in the bud

As any modern-day apostle

Also should.

 

Barnabas became Jupiter

And Paul they called Mercurius

And they were just about ready

To make a huge fuss.

 

They were going to sacrifice

The oxen they brought

But the apostles rent their clothes

And of the living God taught.

 

Why do you do these things?

They sincerely asked

And scarce had restrained them

In this herculean task.

 

Herein is a lesson

For our modern-day gurus

Who often mislead the people,

Even me and you.

 

Taking some of the glory

That belongs to God

And often their followers don’t see

That they are frauds. 

Unlike Paul and Barnabas

Who knew their place

And to accept any of God’s glory

Would be a disgrace.

 

There is much gullibility

Among Christians today

That allow so-called modern-day apostles

To over them hold sway.

 

They are seen like trees

Like that blind man of old

Who had to receive a second touch

From Jesus, we are told.

 

Oh, that they were mature

Like Barnabas and Paul

And point out to such followers

They made the wrong call.

 

For there is only one God

And always will be

And that one God reveals Himself

In the blessed Trinity.

 

An apostle is no greater

Than the least in the pew,

No believer is more significant

When in God’s view.

 

There is an equality

That should be very obvious

Once we are part of that oneness

That exists in Christ Jesus.

 

We are one in Christ

As he is one in the Father

And the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Makes us one together.

 

And as I end this poem

It is wise that I repeat

The verse with which I started;

Please do not delete.

 

 

Acts 14:15

 

We also are men

Of like passions with you,

And preach unto you

That ye should turn from these vanities

 Unto the living God,

Which made heaven,

And earth,

And the sea,

And all things that are therein.

 

Stewart Russell © August 9, 2025

 

Nothing

 

 

 

Sometimes our scholarship

Goes right to our head,

And we replace the explicit word

For what we think instead...

 

And give scholastic interpretations

Where none was required

To render a meaning

That our religious sect desires.

 

Simple words like “all”

Will throw us down

And drive us to Greek and Hebrew

As we try dancing around.

 

Maybe another time

We will have a look at “all”

But it is the word “nothing”

With which I am enthralled.

 

Once we couldn’t use a word

To explain the meaning of the word,

That by any teacher

Would be considered absurd.

The dictionary defines nothing

As “nothing at all”

Maybe such dictionaries

Need to be recalled.

 

I have a different view

From what some would advance,

A universal understanding

Needs not be enhanced.

 

Nothing means “nothing”!

That is what “nothing” means,

There is nothing more to “nothing”

And nothing more to be gleaned.

 

Who shall separate us

From the love of God?

What type of question is herein asked

If you said rhetorical, you I applaud.

Eight questions are asked

In a single verse

And the obvious answer is “nothing”.

No apology for being terse.

 

 The opening question is who

But all of the others imply what,

Go now to Romans 8 verse 35

And find the exact spot.

 

Sometimes the word “nothing”

Can be difficult to understand

So the writer goes on

With a clearly thought out plan.

 

Two more verses are used

Read verses 38 and 39

And “nothing” is the answer

That comes back every time.

 

In this Paul was persuaded

That the answer was “nothing”

But it is too good to be true

So we can’t stop digging.

Okay nothing Is understood

But what about no one?

And to this I would like to say

Come on, be gone!

 

But as a good teacher

Paul would never do that

So he enlightens one and all

With yet another fact.

 

Nor any other creature

Is his answer to this,

That should cover everyone

Unless there is something I missed.

 

But some are still desperate

And in one last attempt

Will suggest the person himself,

That’s the “who” they present.

 

Paul’s response to that

Is “nor any other creature” again

So be happy in Jesus

And avoid this stress and strain.

 

Nothing means nothing

Please understand

That God is more than able

To accomplish His plan.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Present with the Lord

 

 

“Absent from the body

And present with the Lord”

What does it mean

In the context of God’s word?

 

Maybe we read in too much

Maybe we read too little,

Perhaps we should take it as it is:

Every jot and tittle.

 

What was Paul saying

Regarding this sentiment?

We need to check its context

To see the apostle’s intent.

 

Death is no big deal

If you have the blessed hope,

In the midst of this life’s strife

The born-again will cope.

 

Two bodies are in perspective:

One present and one future

And if we read from verse 1

We get a better picture.

 

That picture is better framed

In 2^nd Corinthians 5:

Two bodies are highlighted:

And in both we are alive.

 

 

In the very first verse

Both bodies are mentioned

And throughout these ten verses

Paul paints the comparison.

 

The body we now possess

Paul calls our earthly house

And this tabernacle is put off

When we can no longer rouse.

 

The sleep of death is upon us;

We are naked, Paul says,

Our tabernacle will begin to dissolve

From our dying day.

 

In this tabernacle we groan

Desiring to be better clothed

For in this life we are burdened

With life’s heavy load.

 

 

Paul did not long to be naked

As in physical death

But for something far better:

To wit: his eternal rest.

 

This assurance is borne out

In the word confident as used:

You can check verse 8

If you so choose.

 

This assurance is given

In the earnest of the Spirit

That indwells the born-again believer

Establishing God’s divine edict.

 

While at home in the body

We are absent from the Lord

Hence, walking by faith and not by sight

Shows confidence in the Word.

 

When the believer wakes up

What is the first thing he will see?

His new house in the heavens

For all eternity.

 

Of course, some believe

This is immediately on dying

But given the overall picture,

That one I am not buying.

 

 

However, as we grapple with this

We need never fall out

For the fact regarding a new body

Can never be in doubt.

 

Our timing is in question

Not the validity of God’s plan

And he will bring it to pass

By His Almighty hand.

Whether it be immediate

Or whenever the Lord returns,

There is nothing wrong right now

If after it we yearn.

 

We’ll have a new body

Praise the Lord!

We’ll have a new home.

 

Stewart Russell © May 16, 2021

 

It Is Jesus Who Died

 

 

Why am I saying this?

You will probably ask

And my response is straight-up,

That's not a difficult task.

 

This reminder is timely

Given today’s emphasis,

We are running all over the place

And Jesus we have missed.

 

Some worship Saturday

And others worship Sunday,

Notice that the “on” is missing:

A day is our way.

 

The day is what’s critical

And don’t you ever forget

Or else you may wake up in hell-

What a terrible regret!

 

 

The Sunday law is coming

What discomfort for some!

They will lose their holy Sabbath

And be put on the run.

 

The Sunday worshippers:

They have a different fear,

Hence, they put all their eggs

In a basket of prayer.

 

Prayer obsesses them

And is their panic button

Which they will quickly depress

When something threatens.

 

They must summons God

Like 911 to the scene,

Often, they are so desperate

They actually scream.

 

Hurry up Father God!

You must do something fast,

Life is quickly ebbing away

We are not likely to last.

 

 

Often, they fill God in

As though He doesn’t know

And throw in a bargain or two

With “Your word says so”.

 

Some worship a day

Some: an obsession with prayer,

Some trust in their leader

As though he is the way.

 

But this is nothing new

As is recorded in the Bible

And the Apostle Paul addressed it

In the 1^st Corinthian epistle.

 

Some followed Apollos

And some followed Paul

Some even followed Cephas

But these were not all.

 

Some followed Christ-

Their argument was strong

But Paul in his discernment knew

Their motive was wrong.

 

 

Three questions he asked:

Was Paul crucified?

Is Christ divided?

In Paul’s name, were you baptized?

 

I changed the order

To make the second the first:

Was Paul crucified for you?

In what are you immersed?

 

Hence, the title of this poem

“It Is Jesus Who Died”,

With his blood our ransom he paid

When he was crucified.

 

It’s time to shift the focus

From a particular day,

It’s time to focus on Christ Jesus

As the one and only way.

  

Better to trust in God

Than rely on what others pray

For it is Jesus whom He sent

To open up the way.

 

Let Jesus be the centre

Of what we think and say and do

For it is Jesus who died

Not only for me but also you.

 

Stewart Russell © October 9, 2021

 

 

Could It Be?

 

 

 Could it be that we have missed it?

I mean, what we should be doing now,

Could it be we are wrong focused

Emphasizing the wrong thing somehow?

 

Some are so bent on prophecy

That all they focus on is heaven,

Meanwhile, the world needs evangelizing

And telling that their sins can be forgiven.

 

Some look for the coming of Jesus

And feel that His coming is soon

But if they genuinely think so,

Would they not be preparing to meet the groom?

 

 

Some are focusing on the Middle East

They say, the key to end times is Israel,

Meanwhile the Bible says,

Jesus is coming for a prepared people.

 

Their eyes are riveted on the news headlines

They are looking for prophetic fulfillment,

Such would clarify the Biblical timeline

And give a clearer understanding of its content.

 

Others have been caught up with date setting

Based on the happenings in the world

And every time that they get it wrong

They appear more silly and absurd.

 

Don’t you recall the Thessalonians?

They too were focused on the Lord’s return,

They felt he would return in their day

And many their living refused to earn.

 

St Paul had to be very strict with them

And issued a serious admonition

That if they continually refused to work

Then their lot should be starvation.

 

No doubt there are many young believers

Who are refusing to work

Believing that the Lord will soon return,

All manner of work they shirk.

 

After all what does it really matter

To be heavily involved in everyday affairs

When the prophetic reading of the times

Indicates that Jesus will soon appear?

 

 

 

 

When Israel became a nation again

Jesus’ return was less than a generation away,

Seventy-one years have passed since then

And we are still looking for that day.

 

One prediction was during or before 1988

Based on a generation being forty years,

The generation period was adjusted twice

But still Jesus did not appear.

 

Some predicted the year 2000

 The focus had then turned to Y2K,

And given this would complete 2000 years

The millennial reign would be one year away.

 

Could it be we are wrong focused

And missing what we are supposed to do,

And pretexting Jesus’ eye-opener

“The harvest is plenteous but the labors few”?

 

The Lord’s return is important

But his command to us is important too,

“Go ye into the world and preach the Gospel”

Should be every Christian’s view.

 

 

We should look forward to Jesus’ coming

But the when is not our business,

Being salt and light in a very dark world

Should be the Christian’s litmus test.

 

Some are eager for the Lord to return

But what about those to be evangelized?

The Gospel must reach the ends of the earth

Before his coming and that we must recognize.

 

Could it be? I ask again,

Is not the Christian church wrong focused,

Caught in the trap of denominational sects

Instead of telling the world about Jesus?

 

Stop looking in the heavens for signs

Concentrate on the Holy Word,

Do not interpret the Word by today’s headlines

That is outrageously absurd.

 

Instead let the Word interpret the Word

 Corroborate scripture with scripture,

It is likely we would see much better then

And better understand the prophetic picture.

 

Stewart Russell © October 2019

 

Unspeakable Joy

 

 

What is this unspeakable joy

That in God’s word is mentioned?

Is it any different from the joy

That grabs the world’s attention?

It is a peculiar joy

That rises above our suffering:

A Divine attribute that reminds us

Of the Holy Spirit’s reassuring.

Reassuring us through life

With its many ups and downs,

Giving a radiance through our suffering

Instead of a defeatist’s frown.

A joy that cannot be explained

But is effective, supportive and deep

That in the midst of our suffering

Brings us blessed sleep.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit

That grows not on any tree,

That is given to the born again

The evidence of the Trinity.

The pillow for every trial

On which to lay one’s head,

Not the spirit of depression

But unspeakable joy instead

It is the joy of the Lord

And in trials it is our strength

That encourages unshaken resolve

No matter the intensity or length.

In his epistle to the Philippians

Paul elaborates on this joy

And with confidence in the Holy Spirit

Radiated such wherever deployed.

Under house arrest it was evident

And all involved could attest,

It appears when trials came calling

The apostle was at his best.

James was also convinced

And in the book that bears his name,

To count it as joy when temptations come

Also became his refrain.

The apostle Peter highlights this joy

And combines with faith its worth,

In the first epistle and chapter 1

Have a look at the eighth verse.

Given his descriptive limitations

He refers to this joy as “unspeakable”

And as an indication of its source

“Full of glory” speaks to its Principal.

The giver of this joy is God

And it can only be had from him,

He gives it to every born again believer

To aid in our struggle against sin.

I will conclude with an ad

 To promote this unspeakable joy,

A reminder to every believer

Its motivation to employ.

Are you feeling depressed

By life’s crushing load?

Let the joy of the Lord be your strength

And whatever your trial, be bold!

Stewart Russell (c) February 2019