The Hamilton Minute

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth…”  Ephesians 4:16 (KJV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

It's not by chance that Jesus refers to his Church as “The Body.”  Just as it is with our physical bodies every member has a distinct role and function to fulfill.

Unfortunately, in the era of celebrity Christianity we’ve reduced the concept of ministry solely to what occurs in what is often little more than Sunday productions and performances.

The key to thriving in God’s Kingdom is understanding that every member in The Body of Christ is vital called to ministry.

They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?"

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

These words were shared between Cleopas and his companion on the seven mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus as Jesus, in resurrected form, used the Hebrew scriptures to reveal himself to them as the Messiah.

There are at least 109 distinct biblical prophecies the Messiah has to fulfill. The mathematical probability of such a feat occurring is astoundingly absurd.  Yet that absurdity is satisfied in Jesus the Messiah.

Come let us adore Him.

"Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.”  1 Samuel 17:38 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

40 days of twice daily taunting from Goliath sent Saul and the Israelite army reeling in fear.  But David’s passion for YHWH, conviction, and full persuasion stirred King Saul.

When people are on fire for God it often provokes others to glob on to that fire.

But we must be careful to resist the well-meaning overtures of the flame-less by-standers.

Saul meant well, but his armor couldn’t help.  It would only slow David down.

"Salt [is] good: but if the salt has lost its savour, how will it be seasoned?” Luke 14:34 (NKJV).

Matt Walsh wrote a piece for the Daily Wire where he said,

The contemporary American Christian is the most open-minded person to have ever existed.  He’s so open minded you can hardly tell he’s Christian, or has a mind at all…

He has for a long time been open to the idea that marriage isn’t permanent and sex isn’t meant exclusively for marriage.  He’s basically open to whatever notions are popular…

He is open, and where he is not open, he is silent.

“And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.”  Mark 11:13 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.

From a distance, the fig leaves gave Jesus the impression that there was fruit on the tree.  Upon closer inspection, the tree was fruitless.

Perfect church attendance and ministry activity cannot replace actual Christ-like fruit produced in our lives.

From a distance, it can appear as though we’re bearing fruit but what would we find with a closer look?

Are we content with fruitful appearance or do we yearn for the real thing?

“Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see…'”  Excerpt from 2 Kings 6:17 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.

One morning, Elisha’s young servant went out first thing and saw the Syrian army surrounding Elisha’s home town. The servant was racked with fear and cried out to Elisha, “What will we do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid.  There are more with us than are with them.”  Then Elisha prayed, "LORD, open this young man’s eyes.” The servant then saw mountain full of horses and chariots of fire!

As opposition mounts in our lives, fear not, the LORD - who is in us and with us - is greater than the hostility present in the world.

"Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”  John 15:2

No one likes to suffer difficult circumstances.  In this era of easy believe-ism it's often conveyed, “If life isn’t always smooth we’re doing something wrong.”

The Scripture teaches us, however, that our LORD often meets fruitful branches with additional pruning.  The pruning is not punishment.  Its actually to make us even more fruitful.

If you’re in a rough spot right now, take heart.  What may feel like the squeeze to end all squeezes could very well be the LORD’s pruning for additional fruitfulness.

When the LORD prunes us He does so for our good.

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged; and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” Proverbs 16:6 (KJV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

We live in a day when churches are filled with people ready to hear and receive God’s mercy. Unfortunately, however, it is often accompanied by a de-emphasis or concealment of the truth of God’s Word.

Paul, the salvation-by-grace-through-faith Apostle, was asked if salvation is solely a product of grace what benefit then does the law provide. Paul responded, “Without the law, I wouldn’t have known God’s righteous standard and how far away from it I was.”

Any presentation of God’s mercy absent of God’s truth is no Gospel at all.

Iniquity is purged by mercy and truth.

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Psalm 119:89 (ESV)

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The American republic was founded on the principle that rights are given to us by God, not man.  As a result, men nor government can take them away. That’s why our Declaration of Independence refers to our rights as inalienable rights.

Government’s role then is to protect the rights that God has given to us.

The first freedom listed in the bill of rights, which government is entrusted to protect, is religious liberty.  The founders did this because they know that free exercise of religion is the fulcrum for all liberty.

Wherever the flame of religious liberty is extinguished, all liberty is imperiled.

"There were added that day about 3000 souls."

My name is Abraham Hamilton III and this is the Hamilton Minute.

The day of Pentecost concluded with 3000 converts being added to the initial body of 120 believers.  Then that 3120 spent time together daily going to the temple and interacting in each other’s homes. They devoted themselves continually to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, sharing meals together and praying together.

The 3120 that made up the early church came from Turkey, the middle east and Africa, and included Arabs and Romans.  In addition to the geographic and ethnic diversity, they also spoke different languages.  Yet they were made one family in Christ Jesus.

Scripture has the answer to the issues we face today.

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert place” Acts 8:26.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the height of a Holy Spirit outpouring in Samaria, where the Gospel was being preached with great power and droves of people were converting to follow Christ, the LORD instructed Philip to leave Samaria and head south to Gaza.

Philip didn’t know a divine appointment awaited him.

Through his ministry to the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Gospel would spread to Africa.

He left the crowd. To serve one.

I call this step down faith. It's easy to step up for the attention and applause of the masses, but do we have step down faith?

“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”  Proverbs 29:2 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

During Congressional questioning Congressman Seth Moulton asked U.S. Central Commander General Frank McKenzie,

You went from 2,500 troops in April to 650 in July, and then turned around and put 5,000 back into Kabul. Why didn’t you plan for an evacuation and leave enough troops on the ground to conduct it?

To which the General responded, “I’m going to fall back on the orders I received.”

The White House ordered the troop draw down without a care for the Americans still in country or the Afghan allies who also needed to get out. Though the generals warned against it.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you.”  Luke 6:26(a) (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Several NBA stars are publicly expressing their COVID injection hesitation. Christian Orlando Magic star Jonathan Isaac is among them. After he astutely shared his reasoning, including his age, physical fitness level, and presence of antibodies in his system due to having had COVID previously, Forbes published a hit piece on him saying,

There is a bigger problem for the Magic here, one that goes back to Isaac’s entry into the league. He is deeply and vocally religious, which is not a bad thing in itself but has left him largely out of step with his teammates.

Get it? Deep and vocal Christian conviction is problematic.

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."  Luke 15:20 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

When the the Prodigal Son parable is discussed the focus is usually placed on the young son who squandered his inheritance, yet returned home when “he came to himself.” But, if you look closely at the biblical text you will see it actually reveals the inexhaustible love of The Father.

Jesus’ story-telling reveals that this was no usual earthly father. When the young  son squandered all, brought shame upon himself and his family, The Father sees him from a distance, runs to him and restores him. That’s our heavenly Father.

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but [only] one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  Luke 10:41(b)-42 (NASB).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

After Jesus resurrected their brother, Lazarus, Martha and Mary, hosted a dinner party in their Bethany home. You can imagine the excitement and the buzz that swirled through the town and the number of people who came because the Rabbi had returned.

Martha busied herself with preparations. Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, basking in his teaching.

Life’s demands can easily consume our focus, but one thing is necessary: that we remain at Jesus’ feet, anchored in His word!

"And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned’” Exodus 3:3.

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

In the burning bush encounter Scripture records that it began as Moses kept Jethro’s flock Exodus 3:1.

“When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am'" Exodus 3:4.

Notice, God didn’t speak to Moses until He gave full attention to what God was trying to show him.

Diligent attention to daily duty is necessary.  We must be careful, however, not to allow duty to become an idol.  Are our hearts still sensitive to God? Can God still get our attention?

"For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though they be many are one body, so it is with Christ.  For the body does not consist of one member, but of many."

My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Look briefly at one of your fingers.

You've just witness one of the greatest displays of God's creative intent there is.  No other person in all the world, even an identical twin, shares your fingerprint.

God specifically designed each of us to be unique.  That means we shouldn't try to carbon-copy anyone else in the Christian faith.

If God made you an arm in His body, or a kneecap, praise be to our glorious God for drawing us to become a part of His body.

How freeing it is to realize that we were never meant to copy anyone but Jesus.

“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” Hebrews 10:35 (ESV).

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

Sometimes there’s a delay between crying out to God in prayer and seeing those prayers answered.

It is imperative for us in those times that we don’t waver in our confidence in our God.

The next verse goes on to say, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Hebrews 10:36 (ESV).

You see, the delay between supplication and delivered answer is one of the ways God develops endurance in us.

He desires that the roots of our faith grow down deep, that we become trees planted by rivers of living water … steadfast, immovable, always abounding in His work. In this we grow beyond superficial Christianity.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”

My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.

At the climax of the account when Jesus restored Peter’s personal relationship with him, and Peter’s call to ministry, He saw John following them.

Jesus had just predicted that Peter would give his life for the Gospel, when Peter said, “What about John, LORD?”

Jesus responded, “What does he have to do with your calling? You follow me.”

With those words, Jesus hit a consistent flaw of the human condition.  We derive value and self-worth by comparing ourselves to other people.

Your ups, your downs, your failures, your victories were never meant to be compared to other people.

We have been called to serve an audience of One. The only approval you need is His.