Communion Service Thoughts

 We had a communion service tonight. Yes, we did it on a Sunday night, not on Easter Sunday morning. Why? The short answer is you would have to ask our pastor. I think that pastor thinks it is too religious or too churchy. It's not hard core enough or something. Maybe he is afraid that people will feel too religious and not be on fire for God. It might surprise him to find out that Christianity is a religion and that we are religious people who love the pomp and circumstance of religion.

We also do not have a communion set to serve from. We make it work, but it is really not very impressive. Those sets are not very expensive. And it might make communion be a little more organized and a lot less chaotic. In the church where I grew up they had a travel sized communion set to use when visiting those who could not be there in person. I'm sure we do not have one of those in pastor's office.

At least we finally had communion and we who served managed to serve everyone. They say we take communion seriously, but our actions do not agree with our words.

The Effects Of Sin

I am beginning to think that most of the crazy health and wellness fads we are bombarded with begin in the gay community. These are guys who are so scared to death of AIDS and HIV that they will try anything to beat the rap that their lifestyle exposes them too. Also, when God uses the word confusion with reference to homosexual activity it tells me that leaders who come up with goofy ideas often turn out to be gay men. 

God is not mocked. Sin has consequences. Those effects are not just eternal damnation in Hell. It is affecting the physical and emotional and mental and psychological life now.

What is interesting to me is how crazy business leaders and not liked or supported by the unsaved world either. This is an issue that normal people recognize as a problem that needs to be solved.

There is not a supplement available today that can take away sin. Only repentance and faith in Jesus Christ can do that.

Bribing God

 "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe." Deut. 10:17

Pastor used this verse in his sermon this morning. He used it one way, but it jumped out at me in a different way. Especially the idea that God cannot be bribed.

Have you ever heard a preacher tell you that if you give X dollars in this offering, God will give you 100X dollars in return? They use this as a ploy to raise money and to entice you to give. But it made me wonder if this is just trying to bribe God.

A bribe is money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgement or conduct of a person in a position of trust. This according to the dictionary.

Are we being asked to give money in order to get God to do something for us? Sounds a lot like a bribe to me. A presumptuous one at that.

Our text tells us that God shows no partiality. He is not moved by our status of position. And that God does not take bribes.

Give and trust God with what's left and you will be fine.

Church Picnic

 We were all set to have our spring church picnic. Until the weather forecast changed our plans. There is a good chance of wind and rain tomorrow so they cancelled our picnic. This is disappointing. We put a lot of effort and a lot of money into these picnic. Guys buy hundreds of dollars worth of meat to grill. Desert makers try to come up with award winning deserts. It is a big deal for our church.

This is an example of something that is typical of bigger churches. If we were a small church, under 100 people, we could shift gears and have an indoor picnic at the church building. But big churches cannot shift gears like that. So we will have our Overcomers Prayer tomorrow morning. But no picnic.

Now we have to wait until next fall for our next chance at a church picnic.

One more thought. If it was up to me we would have the picnic rain or shine. Just saying.

An Easy Thought

 An easy idea to discus today. Do angels have wings? Do they fly to get around?

The only angelic beings described as having wings are the Seraphim.

"Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." Is.6:2

No other description of angels anywhere else in the Bible describes angels as having wings. They do not fly, they just are. Kind of like light itself.

It is only in the minds of some artists and some theologians that angels have wings. Do your own Bible study. Look up every reference on the word angel. They do not have wings.

See, I told you this would be easy.

The Returning Worker

 The return of workers from ministry to once again being a part of their mother church has a unique set of challenges. 

1. Those pulled from their church for moral failure need to get right with God, and learn to submit to their pastor and their brethren. Like any backslider who comes back, they will go through a time when they feel nothing and they question why they should stay at all. They no doubt have marriage issues and family issues to deal with. They definitely have spiritual issues to deal with. They may find themselves in the wilderness wondering what to do now.

2. Those who return because of illness or discouragement have a different set of issues to deal with. Of course the illness issue means getting treated for that illness and getting well. But still, they will struggle over feeling like a failure who could have succeeded if only their body had not betrayed them. Those who were discouraged no doubt feel like a failure. They feel like they might have wasted those years they spent being a disciple. They might feel like why try, or what now. They dream about what they could have done if they had gone to university and started a career. They can blame their pastor and their church for leading them down an emotional path that didn't work.

A returning man who finds his place and who finds ministry opportunity in his mother church is rare indeed. A returning man who isn't bitter is rare indeed. And if he is not too old, a returning man may be given another chance.

That Old Serpent

 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Rev.12:9

"And the Lord God said unto the woman, what is this that you have done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Gen.3:13

It is interesting that the serpent arrives in the Garden of Eden in the early days of creation and from the moment that we see him he is actively deceiving people to rebel against God. I believe that the serpent in Genesis chapter three and the old serpent in Revelation chapter 12 are the same being. 

How the serpent got into the garden is the wrong question. He traveled a lot and it seems that when he was cast out of heaven he was cast to the earth. Since his dreams of being like god were smashed, he uses that idea to entice humans into an impossible idea. You shall be like God through secret knowledge.

"For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Gen.3:5

I believe that the judgement on the serpent in Genesis chapter 3 of slithering like a snake is actually talking about being earth-bound and having an earthly perspective. That the way to the heights of heaven was cut off for the serpent. It doesn't mean he could never go there. We see him somewhere in the heavenly realm in Job chapter one.

"And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." Job 1:6

Note that in this verse Satan is not called Lucifer, and he is given no special treatment or status in this group. He is a spiritual being, but he has lost all of his previous glory. Look at Satan's answer when the Lord asks him where he has been.

"...Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Job1"7b

While the sons of God traverse the heavenly realms, Satan is earthbound. And he busies himself accusing and deceiving and harassing humans like Job or you and I.

One more thought. Look at the judgement on the serpent in Genesis again.

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Gen.3:15

This first is a prophecy about Christ. The seed of the women, suffered and died, but in so doing destroyed Satan's power and usurped his right to rule. Also note that in life, the heel that is wounded becomes the weapon that will  destroy the one who hurt you.

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10:19

I do not think that it was a snake talking to Eve. I believe it was Satan, deceiving her even with his appearance.

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2Cor. 11:14

Sin robbed Lucifer of his God like appearance just like it robbed Adam and Eve of their God like appearance. Sin makes big audacious promises that are like a well designed trap to lure men and women into destruction