A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 29: 5. "Traps & Antecedents"

Proverbs 29: 5     A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.

Proverbs 29:5.  First, the grammar issue.  In Proverbs 29: 5, does the pronoun his refer to the neighbor or to the guy who flatters the neighbor?  

We English teachers call this an “unclear antecedent.”  The word antecedent means the cause that produces the effect, the person to whom the pronoun refers. 

Stay with me, now.

When someone showers you with flattery, that is with compliments that you haven’t earned, what that someone may be doing is pulling down your guard, getting your to weaken your defenses, buttering you up before they stick you in the oven.  The flatter-er may be trying to distract you from the trap they want to spring on you.

In the mind of the trickster, the net is for you.  You are the prey.  You are the reason for the trap.  As far as the flatter-er is concerned, you are the antecedent.

But (and here’s the beautiful clarity of the Bible’s ambiguity), when you walk in righteousness according to the Spirit, God confuses your enemies’ plans.  They intend for you to be the antecedent; you are the reason for the trap.  God makes them the antecedent; and the tricksters get caught in their own nets.  

When you love the Lord and you walk according to His purpose and His calling in your life, then God makes all things work together for your good.  All things.  

So, when the praise is insincere, when the compliments have an ulterior motive, when the pats on your back are probing for a good spot to stick the knife----- even then---- God will cause all of that to work to your benefit.

When people try to distract you while they put a stumbling block in your path, don’t go off.  Just say, “Thank you, Lord, for sending them with a stepping stone to take me higher.” 

When someone “promotes” you into a situation they’ve arranged to guarantee your failure, don’t ball up into a fetal knot and wait for your doom. Just say, “Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to push beyond my comfort zone, to grow in knowledge, to increase my skills, to expand my circle of resources, and to excel for Your glory.”

Now, not every compliment is  a trick.  Sometimes praise is just simply sincere praise.  But, you don’t have to stress over whether it’s sincere or not.  

Praise can encourage and inspire you, but compliments should never decide your actions. 

Let God lead you according to His plan.

What I’m saying is: If Jesus is the reason, the cause, the author, the antecedent of your actions; then it won't matter what the other reasons/ antecedents are.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

THE STRANGE MATH OF MARRIAGE

The latest in our 4^th Sunday sermon series on Relationships. 
The message is called THE STRANGE MATH OF MARRIAGE

Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church
Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to:

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
 

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 29: 4

Proverbs 29: 4     The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it. (NKJV)

The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it. (KJV)

Proverbs 29: 4.  Some translations of Proverbs 29: 4 use the word bribes.  Other versions use the term gifts.

It’s easy to see why a leader who takes bribes would undermine the progress of his people.  .  Leaders who auction off their influence and judgment will obviously exploit and oppress anyone who can’t meet their price.

But the corruption of gifts is much more subtle.  Gifts don’t necessarily buy influence, but they do influence access. Gift-givers become “friends” of the administration, and trusted “advisers” to the leadership.  At first gifts are simply accepted, but then they can become expected, then requested, then required.   Once we get to that point, access to leadership becomes possible only for those who can meet the price.  So then, call it a gift or call it a bribe; the damage is all the same.

A bribe-corrupted leaders will overthrow the progress of the group/ community/ municipality/ company/ church. 

Now, the reality is that leaders and organizations need supporters, and they need income.   The task for us leaders is to make sure that our judgment is not determined by the income of our supporters, but it is not an easy balance.

Go too far one way and you open yourself up to corruption, and you hurt your people.  Go too far the other way and you block legitimate blessings, and you hurt your people.

The safe zone exists within the bounds of justice. 

Pastors should listen to the good, tithe-payers who contribute generously to our appreciations; but we have to equally minister to the entire congregation and community----including the non-giving, the seldom-attending, the never-shouting, and the not-actual-a-member-but-need-to-talk-to-somebody so I’m calling anyway.

For their own good and for the good of their constituency, elected officials can’t only be influenced by the campaign check-signing, tax-paying, productive citizens.  They also need to hear from and consider the views of those who didn’t vote for them, those who didn’t vote, those who don’t pay taxes, those who don’t agree with their views, and those who don’t make (a good enough) contribution to the community.

We have to be sure that support (or the lack of it) does not affect how we define justice.

Sometimes the majority is wrong.

Exodus 23: 2     You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.

Sometimes the sympathetic underdog is wrong.

Exodus 23: 3     You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.

Sometimes the non-contributor is right.

Exodus 23: 6     “You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.

The point isn’t whether or not you got/ will get a gift out of the decision.  The point is to decide justly.

Leviticus 19: 15     ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.

Stay within the boundaries of justice and money won’t corrupt you.  Step outside of justice and money won’t save you, and it won’t protect the people from you.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 29: 3. "Deep to Street"

Proverbs 29: 3     Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, but a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.

Proverbs 29: 3.  You ever have one of those conversations with your father in which you pause, tilt your head, turn your ear a little toward him, and squint your eyes because you’re thinking, “What the crap is Daddy talking about?”

I’ve had lots of moments like that and I think that Solomon’s son had lots of those moments, too, one being at Proverbs 29: 3.

“Daddy.  Daddy?  Seriously, how you just jump from whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice to ‘hang with hoes and lose your money’?   You can’t just go from deep to street like that.”

But that is the nature of Biblical wisdom, the wisdom of God.   The same God who knows the deepest theological principles also knows the secrets of a successful family and understands how to survive and excel in a cruel, cruel world. 

That’s why Jesus made the following statement in His ordination & commissioning sermon to the disciples:  “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10: 16) 

An honest, Bible-based  theology is equally practicable at the altar, at the dinner table, and on the corner.

When we forget that and we isolate godly thinking into certain exclusively “religious” situations, we leave ourselves vulnerable and ignorant, weak and naiive, prey to all the people and spirits who want to exploit and destroy us.

But, if you recognize, for example, that the way you practice your sexuality has spiritual implications (1 Corinthians 6: 11-20); then you are equipped to make the wise choice to do the right thing.  That kind of living-by-the-Book wisdom causes your Father to rejoice.

Without living-by-the-Book wisdom in every aspect of your life, you’ll get caught up, corrupted, and bankrupted socially, sexually, and financially.

So since our Father who art in Heaven does actually know what He’s talking about, it’s in your and my best interest to live in a way that make Him rejoice.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 29: 2. "Good & Good At"

Proverbs 29: 2     When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan.

Proverbs 29: 2.  Choosing a good leader means more than choosing someone who’s good at the tasks of leadership.  Choosing a good leader means choosing someone who is also good.

Popularity, administrative expertise, and charisma are important qualities for leaders.  Leaders have to be able to gather followers, get things done, and inspire groups.  That’s necessary, but  it’s not enough.  History is full of examples of people who were good at leading, but were not good people (Hitler, Herod, Ghengis Khan, Charles Manson, Bernie Madoff, Lucifer).

Elevating such people to high authority always seems like a good idea at the time.

Jeremiah 5: 31     The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so.   But what will you do in the end?

But in the end, the people themselves will cry and mourn under the weight of corruption and oppression.  The sinfulness of leaders will be felt in the pain of their followers.

We then must choose leaders who are good at and also good.

Good leaders speak the truth in love.  They care more for the people and the mission than they do for traditional lines of division.  Good leaders are humble because they see their role as that of chief servant rather than as chief beneficiary.  Good leaders understand their place as stewards of a Divine appointment for which they must answer to God Himself.

But, it is not always easy to follow a good leader. 

Good leaders sometimes offend us by their unwillingness to tell us what we want to hear.  Good leaders promote the long term over the immediate.  They call for sacrifice where the people have become selfish.  And they lead by their example of personal sacrifice.  (Be wary of leaders who draw from everyone’s wallet but their own.)   

In the end, people under the authority of one who is both good and good at leading will rejoice because when the favor and grace of God rests on the leader, that favor and grace touches those he/she leads.

Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116
 

SOME THINGS IN THE CHURCH NEED TO STOP--NOW!

The New Testament church of Corinth was a fellowship full of great potential and great problems.  Sorta like the church I pastor.

Through the opening of 1 Corinthians, God spoke to me of the principles that underlie or undermine the success of a church.  This is a very direct and personal message, a sermon for my congregation that may help yours.

The message is simple.  THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN THE CHURCH THAT NEED TO STOP---NOW!
Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to:
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116
 

A WORD TO THE WISE. Proverbs 29: 1. "You Got One Mo' Time"

Proverbs 29: 1     He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Proverbs 29: 1.  “You got one mo’ time to ‘forget’ to do what I told you.”

That’s what my father and mother would say to me.

What my father and mother meant was, “You DO NOT have even one more time to ‘forget’ to do what I told you.”

So, the next time I forgot to water the hogs, mow the yard on Saturday morning, put gas in the car after I went out, or check whether grandma and grandpa needed some more wood cut---- the very next time, I got a whoopin’ and I got grounded.  No prelude.  No negotiation.  Any questions my parents asked at that point were purely rhetorical.  Any excuse I offered was pointless.

The consequences were sudden and without remedy.

When God reveals our sin to us it is for our own good.  He wants to bless us, but He won’t bless our sin.  So our sin is in the way between us and the blessing God has for us.

Conviction and rebuke are the sound of God shouting, “Hey, put that down so I can bless you.”

After a while God says, “You got one mo’ time to not put that down when I tell you.”

And you know what that really means.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

SO OBAMA WON THE ELECTION. NOW WHAT?

The presidential election of 2012 revealed large divides within the Christian church.  Some believers see the re-election of President Barack Obama as an expression of God’s grace and vindication.  Other believers interpret that the election results as a national rejection of God and the beginning of an age of spiritual darkness.

The Kingdom of God is a house divided, and that just won’t do.  This message explores that divide head on an offers a prescription from the Word of God.   Pastor Graves presents and answers the question:
SO OBAMA WON THE ELECTION.  NOW WHAT?

Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com  
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to:

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.
Montgomery, AL 36116 

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 28: 28. "The Triumph of Evil"

Proverbs 28: 28     When the wicked arise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Proverbs 28: 28.  Not every line in the book of Proverbs is direct advice.  Some statements are simply factual observations about how life works.

Proverbs 28: 28 states a true principle that is also a sad fact.  When we see wrong continually done at high levels of power and influence the general response of the public is to stop doing right at our level of power and influence.   Then, when the bad people lose their audience, or get arrested, or lose the election--- then we see an upsurge in charity and good works.  It becomes O.K. again to live the way God told us to.

That’s what happens.  That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.

One of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite quotes was a statement by an 18^th century Irish political philosopher named Edmund Burke.  He said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

We assume that when evil rises good men/ people are supposed to rebel against the evil people in power.  From the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement to the Arab Spring, there’s certainly an honored place for protest.

But.

Evil doesn’t triumph mainly because good people don’t march against it.  Evil mainly triumphs because good people stop doing good to each other.

An official government policy of segregation fails where the people of the community simply choose to cross racial lines and treat each other as equals.

A decades-long ban on officially sanctioned prayer in schools ceases to be a spiritual stronghold when the churches produce such bold Christian children that every child at the cafeteria table bows his/her head and thanks God before eating, that children lay hands on one another and pray for broken legs and runny noses.

A heartless rule criminalizing homelessness loses its teeth when the churches and the Christians open their doors to strangers.

The controversy over government-funded abortion devolves into a moot point when we teach our sons and daughters the biological truth about their bodies, raise them to value the sanctity of their sexual selves, and stop enabling and excusing their sins so we don’t have to feel bad about ours.

If we stopped hiding when wicked people, ideas, or policies rise---- then evil would not triumph.

It is an act of dishonor for the people of God, for a person of God to wait for the culture or the Congress to change before doing what God has called us to do.  That’s what generally happens.    But it shouldn’t be that way.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.

 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6: 9-12, NIV)

To misquote Edmund Burke:  All that is necessary for triumph over evil is that good men & women do what they are supposed to do.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves
If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 28: 27

Proverbs 28: 27     He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.

Proverbs 28:27.   God promises that if you use some of whatever wealth you have to help those who have less than you, then God promises to make sure that you always have enough.   Enough.  Not necessarily a whole bunch.  It is a promise of sufficiency, not necessarily of luxurious prosperity.

The assurance of sufficiency means that if you do the right things then you can increase your level of prosperity.  But, it doesn’t mean that you can be generous and stupid.

If you make $2,000 a month and you use $100 to help a needy family, but then you spend $1,200 on a diamond encrusted cell phone cover when you haven’t paid your $800 rent;  that’s $100 of generosity and $2,000 of stupidity. God does not promise to make up for the $2,000 worth of stupid.

As you walk through the Word of God (especially in the condensed advice of Proverbs), you see what might seem to be mutually exclusive principles.  But, the promises and programs of God are complementary not contradictory .  You are to be charitable and wise, loving and self-disciplined. 

Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”  (Matthew 10: 16)

 

Be good to people and also be smart with your money.

The last half of Proverbs 28: 27 expresses the same principle but in reverse.   What about those who are good with their money but evil to people?

 

We know that there are people who don’t give a thought or a care to the poor and needy in our society.  We also know that some of those people are rich.   Some of them rose through economic ranks on a foundation of charity and then forgot those they’d left behind.  Some of them never cared to begin with. 

Wealth that is gathered without humility is cursed by God--- cursed repeatedly and in multiple ways.

In Daniel chapters 4 & 5, King Nebuchadnezzar kept his money but lost his sanity. 

In 2 Kings 20: 12-19, Hezekiah’s legacy was cut short even after his life had been extended.  The kingdom was lost to his son. 

In Jesus’ parable in Luke 12, a rich man said: And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

^But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ (Luke 12: 19, 20)

God applies many curses/ consequences to those who hide their eyes from the poor.  Financial trouble can happen, but there are also many other curses that can't be calculated in dollars.  You don’t want to find out what they are by experience. 

Be wise according to the wisdom of God.  Be humble and compassionate toward the poor.

Do right and do right by others.  God’ll have your back.

---Anderson T. Graves II

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is the pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church

Call/ fax: 334-288-0577
Email us at hallmemorialcme1@aol.com
Friend Pastor Graves at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

If you want to be a blessing to this ministry, contributions may be made by check or money order.

Mail all contributions to :

Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Rd.,
Montgomery, AL 36116