Archive for the ‘Christian’ Category
The New Testament Church
Much has been written over the years about “restoring the New Testament Church”. Much has been preached on that subject and many battles have been fought over the “right way” to accomplish that goal. There is no doubt that the church has drifted from her moorings over the two thousand years which span the current time and that of Jesus the Christ and His Apostles. In MY mind, the important question to ask is not “how many songs were interspersed with the sermon and Communion” or whether or not they used instruments to accompany their singing, but rather the question should be “What did the Church DO that made her the church?” To many the answer to that question is sought in the area of “praise and worship” or “religious ceremony”. Read the rest of this entry »
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Men Of God
Yesterday I found an article linked from a friend’s Facebook status. It was entitled “Where Are All The Men?” I found the subject matter interesting and “clicked through”. It starts out talking about a Facebook page called “Praying People” and the fact that about 81% of the “fans” of that page are female. From there the author goes on to remark on the disparate numbers of women vs men in the church. This is a phenomenon I’ve noticed in churches, although not in the ones where we minister. Back about 1997 I took part in a city wide gathering of church leaders. When the deacons were asked to stand there were three men standing amoungst the crowd of women. Those three were men from our congregation, the rest of the city’s deacons (at that particular meeting) were all women. Read the rest of this entry »
Boys vs Men
Boys live only for themselves; men fully enjoy life’s pleasure but also live for a higher purpose. Boys try to find themselves in what they buy; men find themselves in what they do. Boys base their identity on what they consume; men base their identity on what they create. Growing up doesn’t have to mean donning a gray flannel suit. It really means taking an active role in the world instead of a passive one. Making an impact. And creating your world instead of consuming it.–Brett McKay
Wow! I just got that from a friend on Facebook. Good stuff there, and a lot to reflect on. Really, there is a LOT of difference between men and boys – and little has to do with age. Read the rest of this entry »
Feed My Sheep
Soon after Jesus’ resurrection, He was talking with the apostle Peter. Here’s how the little exchange went:
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. John 21:15-17
That passage gives a lot to reflect on, but here I want to consider the aspect of Jesus’ charge to Peter. To me it is interesting that three times He told Peter to take charge of His sheep. He said, “Feed My lambs.”, “Take care of My sheep.” and “Feed My sheep.” It is interesting to me because later we see Peter passing on that charge. He wrote:
Little Pitchers Have Big Ears
Family lore tells us that one time my parents were discussing some matter of grave importance while traveling down the road. One of them remembered that they were not alone and said, “Little pitchers have big ears.” A little voice from the back seat, where my sister was playing with her dolls, piped up saying, “I have big ears!”
One never knows when a child is listening. One never knows what message is being picked up by “little pitchers”. Our actions, our attitudes, our words – they all reach the ears and eyes of the children around us. What an awesome responsibility we face as parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers and every other category of person who interacts with a child. Jesus Himself warned against causing the little ones to stumble.
True Strength
What is strength? One might argue that strength is the physical ability to exert sufficient influence upon a material object in order to cause it to move. An old saying, “Might makes right” assumes that pure physical strength is, in and of itself, a virtue – ignoring the fact that might exerted for wrong does not transform that wrong to right and merely compounds the wrong committed.
The truth of the matter is, it takes more pure strength to control one’s self than it does to pound an entire city into submission. The physically strong man who has no moral force of self control is a moral weakling and is not worthy of admiration because that flaw causes him to lose that which differentiates a real man from a beast. A real man has self control whereas a beast works by instinct, seeking by brute force to gain primacy over others. Read the rest of this entry »
The Healthcare Bill – Some Thoughts
Well, the Congress critters did it – at least some of them did. They maneuvered and connived and double dealt and underhandedly passed the so called “Obamacare” “Health Reform Bill”. If it is such a good idea – why was there so much opposition to the bill by common folks? And if it’s such a good idea, why do they not obligate Congress and the President to sign on to it – rather than providing their own first class service that is not available to the “great unwashed masses”? Read the rest of this entry »
Further Thoughts On Freedom
The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Those words ring true not only for religious freedom (the object of the comment above) but also for freedom in general. God made man a free being. He designed us for freedom and gave us the ability to think and reason and choose. This is not an easy life to live – but it is the one for which He designed us. In fact, the very freedom and the ability to choose present problems to many people who can not understand that if we have no choice but to do good that our obedience is empty and hollow, mechanical in nature rather than stemming from a heart that is desirous of pleasing one’s Creator.
The other evening we were discussing the problem of sin and evil with a new Christian. Read the rest of this entry »
The Cycle of Democracy
I’ve read this before, but it arrived in my e-mail inbox yesterday and I got that round tuit to read it again today.
The Cycle of Democracy follows this sequence:
- From bondage to spiritual faith;
- From spiritual faith to great courage;
- From courage to liberty (rule of law);
- From liberty to abundance;
- From abundance to complacency;
- From complacency to apathy;
- From apathy to dependence;
- From dependence back into bondage (rule of men).
(Attributed to Frasier Tytler)
It reminds me of the story of the little boy who asked his mother, “Mommy, is it true that God made Adam from the dust of the earth?” Read the rest of this entry »
The source of sin
And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, 19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” – Mark 7:18-23
For millennia people have sought ways to be ceremonially pure. Their conscience has burned and caused distress because they know that they do not match up with the Divine ideal. God, through The Law of Moses, helped them to search out this tendency – and find that mankind is incapable of attaining purity by elimination of externals. The Lord spoke to His people and told them that He was fed up with their ceremonies and celebrations and fasts – that He wanted a people who sought after justice and mercy rather than being obsesses with sacrifices.
The key to all this? Man is not defiled by that which he eats or drinks, he is defiled by that which comes out from within him. When his thoughts lead him to do that which is against God’s nature – that is what defiles him. Even today people search ways to eliminate externals. “If there is no opportunity to sin there will be no sin” is the rationale. But sin does not come from opportunity, it comes from desire.