Declining Evil

It is true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I had better leave my cloak than lose my character; it is not needful that I should be rich, but it is imperative upon me to be pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent, no shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin. ~Spurgeon

The Three-fold Task of the Preacher

The simple, straight-forward, three-fold task of the preacher...

1 Timothy 4:13

Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

Thus, the preacher is to...

• READ the Word ("public reading of the Scripture" - communication of  the Gospel) 

• DECLARE the Word ("exhortation" - call to godliness effected and produced by the Gospel)

• EXPLAIN the Word ("teaching/doctrine" - clear exposition and explanation of the Gospel)

 This is what is meant by "Expository Preaching"

Why Go To Church?

A church goer wrote to the editor of a newspaper and stated that it did not make sense to go to church every Sunday. He said, 

“I have gone to church for 30 years and during this time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for my life, except for one or the other, I can not remember the most of them … So, I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are also wasting their time.” 

To the delight of the editor in chief of the newspaper, this started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” -  during which time he received several letters, the following being one which he decided to publish in response:

“I have been married for over 30 years. During this time my wife has cooked some 3,000 meals. But for my life, except for one or the other, I can not remember most of them, but one thing I know, they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my job. If my wife had not given me these meals, I and our children would be malnourished or dead. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for the feeding of my soul and my family, we would be in terrible spiritual condition.“

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"

Appreciate and Esteem Your Spiritual Leaders? What Does That Look Like?

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

What does it mean to “appreciate” and “esteem” those who have charge over us in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)?  A number of things, the very least of which is the regular, punctual and serious attendance of the preaching ministry.

Regular. There are persons whose attendance at services is as impossible to depend as upon the blowing of the wind. How disheartening this is to both preacher and congregation!

Punctual. Late attendance is a great annoyance to orderly worshippers, disrespectful to the minister, and an insult to God.

Serious. Come from the closet to the sanctuary. The fire of devotion should be kindled at home. Remember where you are, whose Presence is with you, and what is your business in the house of God.

Will you prepare yourself to worship God and bring Him glory by appreciating and esteeming your spiritual leaders in this  way?

- adapted from a sermon by John Angel James (1785—1859)

Are You Dependable to the Body of Christ?

In last week's sermon (Acts 14:21-28), I closed with some practical ways in which a Christian can demonstrate dependability to the Body of Christ.  There are just a few here and I would love to have you add to the list! Hopefully these will stimulate more ways in your own thinking.

1. Be there; be present (at church services); show up and be involved in everything you can; not simply as a spectator; ask to be a part of service, event or meeting. What was the last thing you specifically did for the local gathering of the saints? (and do not say, “I showed up!”)

2. Read your Bible with the intention of sharing what you read with other believers for the purpose of encouragement and refinement.

3.   Pray daily for your fellow church goers; asking often what you might pray for them.

4. Offer your help, services, time or resources to help another believer in a project.  Offer to watch another couples’ children so they can go out; purpose to take another believer out for coffee or meet for breakfast.

5. Encourage believers who are faithfully serving the church body in their efforts.  Express and attitude of gratitude for your church leaders, for the specific ministry and undertakings of people in the church.  When was the last time you thanked the church treasurer for treasuring; the church greeting for greeting; the church nursery coordinator for coordinating?

I dare you (okay…exhort you in the Lord) to come up with five more and do them!

What is Love to Christ?

What is Love to Christ?

by Thomas Doolitle (Puritan Preacher – 1630-1707)

Love shows the true character of a man, according to the object which he loves more than anything else: for as is the love, so is the man. According to his love, so might you confidently designate the man. If he is a lover of honor, he is an ambitious man; a lover of pleasure, a sensual man; and if he chiefly love the world, he is a covetous man. If a man loves righteousness, he is a religious man; if the things above, a heavenly-minded man; and if he love Christ with a pre-eminent love, he is a sincere man: "Rightly do they love you.," Song of Songs 1:4.

If Christ has our love, he has our all; and Christ never has what he deserves from us, till he has our love. True love withholds nothing from Christ, when it is sincerely set upon him. If we actually love him, he will have our time, and he will have our service, and he will have the use of all our resources, and gifts, and graces; indeed, then he shall have our possessions, freedom, and our very lives, whenever he calls for them. In the same way, when God loves any of us, he will withhold nothing from us that is good for us. He does not hold back his own only begotten Son, Romans 8:32. When Christ loves us, he gives us everything we need-- his merits to justify us, his Spirit to sanctify us, his grace to adorn us, and his glory to crown us. Therefore, when any of us love Christ sincerely, we lay everything down at his feet, and give up all to be at his command and service: "And they loved not their lives unto the death," Revelation 12:11.

Just a little food for thought about....love!

Another busy day with moving so I thought this simple list provided enough profundity to consider throughout the day.  Blessings!

God is...

Psalm 47:7
For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm.

It's been a few days since I have last posted and this is largely due to the fact that we are in the midst of a move; actually moving three households into one larger home.  Needless to say, there has been plenty to do, plenty to plan, and (to my own spiritual demise) plenty to worry about (yes, I am working on NOT worrying).

But through all of this God has been teaching me what it means to wait on Him, and those are good lessons to learn.  As I am able, I will get back to posting.  Blessings!

You Are A Christian!

It is such a blessing to be a born-again, regenerate, child of God.  It is also a blessing to carry the designation, "Christian" - "one of those....followers of Christ."  May our lives exude with Christ, that others could not help but say, "You are a Christian!"  What a testimony!  What monumental praise to our Elder Brother and Lord, to bear such a striking resemblance to Him that others cannot help but say, "You are a Christian!"  

And then, we answer, "Yes, I am a Christian, blood-bought by Him and loving to serve Him and His people! Let me tell you of Him and of His church for whom He gave His very life!  Let me invite you to join me and my brothers and sisters in Christ at church or at one of our Bible studies so that you may see that they are Christians too!"

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

This morning I simply offer you a hymn text to ponder.  We sing this text at Hope CBC, and, as can happen when you become familar with a hymn tune, you can sometimes tune out the depth of the meaning of the text.  Therefore, I would ask you to make this text a part of your devotional life this week.  We will sing it on Sunday as part of our worship to God.

Some background on "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" by William Cowper from Cyberhymnal.org:

Words: Will­iam Cow­per, in Twen­ty-six Let­ters on Re­li­gious Sub­jects, by John New­ton, 1774. It is re­port­ed­ly the last hymn Cow­per ev­er wrote, with a fas­cin­at­ing (though un­sub­stan­ti­at­ed) story be­hind it.

Cow­per oft­en strug­gled with de­press­ion and doubt. One night he de­cid­ed to com­mit su­i­cide by drown­ing him­self. He called a cab and told the driv­er to take him to the Thames Riv­er. How­ev­er, thick fog came down and pre­vent­ed them from find­ing the riv­er (ano­ther ver­sion of the story has the driv­er get­ting lost de­liber­ate­ly). After driv­ing around lost for a while, the cab­by fin­al­ly stopped and let Cow­per out. To Cowper’s sur­prise, he found him­self on his own door­step: God had sent the fog to keep him from kill­ing him­self. Even in our black­est mo­ments, God watch­es over us.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

Why Men Are Bored With Church

I came across an article on a blog that referred to a book by David Murrow entitled, Why Men Hate Going to Church.  This intrigued me and got me considering.

   

Look around on a Sunday morning at most any church in America, and you will see more women present than men. Why? Men are bored with church. Statistics show most men who attend church are men who grew up in church. Church does not generally attract athletes, sportsmen, construction workers or a vast array of any men in our culture. This quote from David Murrow’s book, Why Men Hating Going to Church, sums up the problem:

Tell me, when did feminine gifts become synonymous with Christian goodness?

Early Christians were known for risk taking, power, aggression and heroic sacrifice. But somewhere in church history, somebody monkeyed with the definition of a Christian!

Today, a good Christian is known mostly for meekness, sensitivity, passivity and sweetness. This standard of Christian behavior is very tough on men (even those who are sold out to Jesus) while it’s easier for women to achieve.

Men have gotten this message: You’re flawed the way God made you. You need an extreme makeover.

And we wonder why men hate going to church.

LET ME BE CLEAR:   

As I list Murrow’s five reasons why most men do not connect with the church, I am not saying I agree, or agree fully with each rationale.  This is particularly true with number 4 and the dress code issue.  But I do believe it makes us think about some of the trends and tendencies in our church.  What do you think?

Here are some reasons why most men do not connect with church according to Murrow:

1. Men are not challenged at church.

Challenge is the love language of men. Men thrive on challenges. Men want to save the world, defeat the enemy and kill the dragon.

Most church messages are focused on relationships and love, things men need to hear but lack the hardcore challenge that motivates them.

2. Church decor is feminine.

Flowers and pastels dominate the decor in most churches. There are scenic pictures of meadows, flowing curtains and pleasant music. Church does not provide an environment men would choose in their spare time.

3. Prayers are weak.

Listen to the things we ask God to do: "Lord, keep us safe. Give us a safe trip. Bless our food. Protect our families."

Security is a high priority for women but not men. Our prayers reflect women’s needs, but not men’s.

4. Our dress code is still too proper.

This is getting better in some churches, but a man should be able to go to church dressed like he was going to Home Depot … and fit right in.

Lots of men not only don’t want to wear a tie, they don’t want to wear a polo shirt either. Men should feel comfortable in their cap and sleeveless shirt.

(Pastor Ed note – The Old Testaments priests were to clean and prepare themselves before coming to the temple to worship and make sacrifices.  True, we are not Levitical priests, but we are a kingdom of priests unto our God who are to offer up sacrifices of praise to Him.  To come to God in some unkempt or unclean manner is not seeking to offer our best to God.  I do not see the need for men to necessarily wear suits and ties, but caps and sleeveless shirts seem to be too far a swing the other direction).

 5. Jesus is depicted as wimpy.

The Jesus of the Bible was a confrontational outlaw in His culture. He didn’t conform. He never backed down. He was a force to be reckoned with who threatened the Jews and the Romans. Jesus is rarely depicted that way in modern churches.

I say we change this! What do you say?