True Worship

 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

One reason why modern worship music is so distasteful to me sometimes is that is is neither in spirit or in truth. It seems to be mostly emotional music that strives to stir people's emotions in church. That music can touch us emotionally is well understood. All music, whether classical or pop or country works because it touches people in the seat of their emotions.

I want to go out on a limb right here. If you do not speak in tongues, how can you worship in the Spirit? God is Spirit and we worship God in the Spirit. Just saying.

Worshiping in truth simply means it is Bible based. Not romantic based. Not ChatGPT generated. I hate singing romantic love songs to Jesus. So I don't sing those songs. I can worship in spirit and in truth and feel nothing.

Just as the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets, so the spirit of the song is subject to the songwriters. If you are not saved and if you have never been born again and if you are not Spirit filled why do you think that you can write worship music?

I wonder what the Father would say about this so-called worship music that we sing in church. He is still seeking those who worship Him His way.

Be Not Deceived

"And I saw one of his heads as though it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to continue for forty two months." Rev.13:3-5

You may wonder how AI and the virtual world could play out in Bible prophecy. He is an example in which AI could easily pull off this stunt. The beast raised from the dead causing the whole world to marvel. And to worship. They will admire the beast and the dragon.

Note that there is a time limit on the beast's ability to speak. 42 months. During this time the beast speaks great things.

Our faith is the only defense against the onslaught of demonic AI power. Only those not in the Lamb's book of life will worship this blasphemer.

Note that people will worship both the fake image and the creator of that image. It matters who you worship.

Be not deceived by the wonders of high tech. 

 

Clearing Off My Desk

 Pastor shook my hand twice yesterday. It doesn't take much to keep me happy.

Brothers may be decent shade tree mechanics. But I hired professionals when I really need to get my vehicle fixed right.

The world around us has changed. We have not changed. On one hand we stay true to our faith. On the other hand we stand out as odd to the rest of society.

Visitors come to one of our services dressed casually. We wear our Sunday best every service. I used to think that people who dressed up for work might not want to dress up for church. No no one dresses up for anything. Except their wedding.

I see groups of girls talking at church. I see groups of guys talking at church. Unless they are engaged I rarely see couples talking at church.

We have bake sales to raise money for our boot camp. I make cookies for the bake sales. I have cookies in the freezer now. I do not have to make cookies this week.

The word for today is Psalm 37:25.

"I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."

God bless all of you faithful people who visit my blog.

Life After Motherhood

 Pastor talked about mothers this morning. He focused on young mothers or mothers of young children. I wonder if the benefits of motherhood are so short lived that once we are grown we tend to forget. Mothers of young children are just starting out in life. Grandmothers have memories but little else. They spend a lot of time reminiscing about days past when being a mother mattered.

How can grandma find importance in life? I think that she needs to find it outside of her family. Find a place to serve others. Find a way to help others. Use what you learned to instruct others who have no mother to call on. Do something that gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. But rocking the cradle only lasts a short time. Then what?

God Restores

 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God." Joel 2:25-26

God has promised to restore to us things that we have lost. Even though we lost them because of our own doing and even though we lost something because God sent His great army against us. In this verse God promises to restore years, and the good that those lost years would have produced.

Another thing that God promises to restore is joy.

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation..." Psalm 51:12

The Christian life is to be a life of joy unspeakable and the praise that joy produces.

Another thing God restores is what the Bible calls twice as much.

"And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Job 42:10

God restored Job's health and wealth and family. There is hope that God can restore to us double what we have lost too.

God At Work

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Rom.8:28

First, all things are working. God is not idle even when we seem to be idle. He is always at work. AI and robots are not the only things that never stop or take a break. God never sleeps and He is always working.

Second, it's all about love. We love God because He first loved us. Our relationship with God is not just rules and laws. It's familial love that unites us with our heavenly Father.

Third, It's all about His work, not our ideas or plans. His kingdom, His plans, His will being done by us here on earth. Those who do God's will can rest assured that God will see them through.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 2Cor. 4:17

Once again there is God at work. God is always working to take care of those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Even when I don't see it, He's working. Even when I don't feel it, He's working.

Enduring, Not Running

 "Old people don't get healthy. Old people die." So says the prophet Charles Barkley. We live in a world where until the day that we die we think that we can be healthier or fitter, or stronger. We diet and exercise like it makes a difference. The only way we stop trying is when a health crisis happens and then we are forced to stop. We cannot just say, enough of this, and stop as an act of your will.

Churches and their pastors always think, and often say, that there is a second wave of revival coming. That God will pour out His Spirit on us again. That we will once again see masses of new converts and signs and wonders in every service. And most pastors will not stop until they are dead or incapacitated.

Revival is exciting when it happens. Talk of revival when you are old is annoying. Some people mistake rattle or noise for revival. If our only concern is for the world outside our building we will not even try to minister to those inside the building. We seem to have adopted the seeker sensitive mandate which didn't work for most and doesn't work for the long run.

"But he who endure to the end shall be saved." Matt.24:13  Not he who runs across the finish line.

Ted Turner Knows Now

 Ted Turner has died. One thing that you will not hear talked about in remembering him is that he is a backslider. Like many people, he used a crisis in life as an excuse to turn his back on Christ in bitterness of soul.

I'm sure this was not on the top of Mr. Turner's mind through life. But he did live in the Bible belt so I am also sure that he was reminded from time to time of his need of a savior.

Well, old Mr. Turner knows now. Unfortunately now it is too late to do anything to correct that omission.

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement." Heb.9:27

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mark 8:36

Your reasons for forsaking the faith of your fathers may make perfect sense to you in the moment. But those excuses will sound hollow and empty when you stand before Christ.

It Makes Me Wonder

 There are laws put in place by God that govern how life is lived on planet Earth. These laws set limits on what we can do and on how far we can go. For example, two plus two always equals four no matter where you live or when you live. We call it supernatural when God steps outside the natural laws to do things that otherwise are impossible.

The sun belt states are bumping up against the lack of water that low taxes and cheap land cannot solve. What worked for many years is starting to not work today. Cities and states are desperately trying to change their course of action before it is too late.

Inter stellar space travel is impossible because of the basic laws of physics. The universe is too big and the environment in space is too hostile for us to travel to distant galaxies. Travel at the speed of light is impossible. The laws of physics put a limit on space and time. No amount of engineering can overcome the limits of physics.

But there is always the God factor. God is not limited in space or time by the laws of physics. He travels between time and place like light. Instantaneously. The rapture will happen in the blink of an eye. One moment here, the next moment there. Giving unlocks resources much beyond what we give. Divine healing heals illness that doctors cannot heal. We call these divine interventions miracles.

Sometimes I wonder if churches are governed by unknown laws too. There seem to be limits on size and influence. We spend a lot of time and money just maintaining the body of Christ. You think that your pastor is busy and unavailable now, what if your church was two or three time bigger than it currently is now. It makes me wonder.

A Supernatural World

 I am amazed by how much we know from the Bible and take for granted that stumps some experts and theologians. Much of the church world are Sadducees.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." Mat. 22:29

"The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection..." Mat.22:23

The Sadducees were natural minded. They did not believe in anything supernatural. I know people in my church now who are like that. The do not believe in angels or demons or speaking in tongues. They have a head knowledge and they often believe that science trumps faith.

I wonder how much of our theological underpinning is based on faulty understanding? We have no problem believing that sinners can be saved. But we do not do any of the things that ought to accompany faith.

"And these signs shall follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ...they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mk.16:17-18

Let God be true, and every man a liar.

A Lesson On Predestination

 "Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard?" 1Sam 23:11

Theologians discuss free will as it pertains to predestination. Do things happen in life according to God's predetermined plan? The answer is not always. God knows the end from the beginning, but He only knows the possibilities of what could happen. Foreknowledge is not predestination.

In our text David asks God two questions. Will Saul come here to kill me? Will these men hand me over to Saul if he comes? God told David yes, Saul will come and yes, the men will turn you over to Saul. But in the end, David escapes, Saul calls off the attack, and the local men did nothing. God knew the possibilities, but He did not orchestrate the outcome.

Did God plan for Adam and Eve to fail? No, God knew what could happen and God made plans for the possibilities of what could happen. But at any time Eve could have told the serpent no or Adam could have taken dominion over the serpent. God will not violate man's will.

So the lesson is that there are times when God steps in to make sure things happen a certain way. But most of the time God lets us do what we do to see if we will serve Him or not. 

One more thought. God does change His mind. He never changes, but He does change His mind.

Truth Made Light

 "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven golden lampstands which you saw are the seven churches." Rev.1:20

Pastor Mitchell taught us that based on this verse, truth is made light through the church. Here are some thoughts on this idea.

First, I see the personal touch. Jesus himself gave the understanding of this vision to John. It was not an angel. Jesus identified himself to John and talked with him.

Next I see a great responsibility. It is not only the pastor of a local church but also the local church that must show forth the light of truth and revelation. While the pastor is the angel, the lampstand is the people.

Finally, these words are for local, specific churches. This is not just a vision for the universal church of all time. This truth is actually revealed in a local church. This is why being connected by attendance and tithing is so important. It is important for the pastor to preach the Word. It is important for the people to live that Word out before a watching world.

Imitation Worship

 "...For they think that they will be heard for their many words." Mat.6:7b

There has come to my mind an understanding of why modern church music bothers me. It all became clear when I felt drawn to this verse. Jesus told them not to use vain repetitions when they pray like the heathen do. So Jesus said that we are not to mimic or copy the worship and prayer of the unsaved world.

Modern church music is written by unsaved people, meant to copy the entertainment world, and it goes on and on and on and on.

Let me make it clear for you who are ignorant of the Bible. This is not about the structure or arrangement of songs. It has to do with the repetitive nature along with the weak lyrics. We sing the same thing over and over. Like God will be impressed if we sing something ad nauseum. And it has to do with the corny love songs like a man would sing to a woman. And it has to do with treating worship as a show.

"...you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corner of the streets, that they may be seen by men." Mat. 6:5

The worship wars may be over. But those who worship must worship in Spirit and in truth; not in repetition and entertainment.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Where Did Cain Get His Wife? Silly Question.

"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." Gen.1:28a

It seems silly to think that Adam and Eve, who lived over 900 years, only had three children. Cain, Abel, and Seth.

"After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters." Gen.5:4

Listen, Adam and Eve had many children, but only through Seth is the line to Christ preserved. Cain had many children, Seth had many children. And so on. And there are vast periods of time between events in the Bible. From Cain to Seth was about 100 years. You can have a lot of children in 100 years.

This is another reason why the Bible is no good as a science book. It only covers things that point to Christ.

And BTW, by the time Cain left and got married, there were plenty of offspring to populate the area. They were all related, but not close enough to cause problems.

We get into trouble trying to fit a big God into our small world view.

Bill Coolidge RIP

 I heard that Bill Coolidge has died. He was a disciple in pastor Mitchell's church. He was a pastor in our Fellowship. He joined the rebels in 1990 and he dropped off of my radar then. I had not heard anything about Bill until today when I heard that he had died last week.

Bill was never a good friend of mine. Bill was never a pastoral friend of mine. Bill is revered by those he pastored. No one mentioning pastor Bill even mentioned pastor Mitchell or the Prescott church.

This is a common thread among those who left. They never mention Prescott or pastor Mitchell. It's like they tore those pages out of their book and never bring it up. And yet the Prescott rebels all find each other and are as thick as thieves. Prescott is the only thing they have in common and pastor Mitchell is the reason any of them were pastoring. They give him and us zero credit.

You think you can leave and it doesn't matter but it does. This has given me a reason to reminisce about someone who I knew before he was famous. 

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Random Thoughts

Here are a couple of things that I have been studying lately. These are not make or break things. These are not earth shaking things. But these are things that help me put to rest theological questions for which there are no clear Biblical answers.

1. Angels do not have wings. They are not in Heaven floating around like children. They are beings who do God's will and who minister to God's people. 

2. The serpent that tempted Eve was not a snake. The judgement was not to slither on the ground. I have written about this before previously.

3. Wayman Mitchel was unique. A certain man for a certain time. No one will ever take his place. 

4. The gap theory between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 explains a lot and ties up a lot of loose ends.

5. The Bible is a book detailing the coming of Christ. From beginning to end.

Making Room

"A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Prov. 18:16

In June of 1977 my wife and I were launched from Prescott to take over the church in Chandler, AZ. Thus began our almost 20 year venture in trying to be a pastor. This finally ended in 1994 when we gave up and moved back to Prescott.

If a man's gift makes room for him then are we to understand that the lack of room means there is no gift?

There comes a point when more praying and more fasting and more outreach and more study do not change the outcome and you have to face facts as they are. 

The good news is that all things work for good and enduring to the end is still important.