Thoughts For A Sunday Night

 When they introduce classical music they always tell who the composer was first, and then they tell who performed the piece. When they announce a pop song of any genre they first tell who performed or sang the song, and rarely if ever do they tell who wrote the song.

Some sermons go to great lengths to tell us about the Bible story. Who wrote it, when it was written. What they were thinking. Only then do they tell how to apply the Bible to everyday life. Some sermons get to the point of how to apply it and they might not ever dissect the verse to explain the details of the historic writer.

In music there is no right or wrong way to describe a song. In preaching there is no right or wrong way to preach a sermon. As long as the song is performed. As long as the sermon is preached.

I think about things like this.

My Thought

 I had a thought today. I wondered how hard it must be for a pastor, who has served his church for a long time, to say something new or fresh that he hasn't already said hundreds of times already. The preachable parts of the Bible have probably all been preached on. Nothing new has been added to the biblical cannon for a long time. And yet there we are, three times a week, listening for the voice of God from an ancient book and though a veteran pastor.

The only thing that makes the Bible relevant and fresh is the Holy Spirit who is the spirit of truth. A relationship with Christ who is the word made flesh and being filled with the Spirit of God causes old words to come alive again.

I go to church every time listening for God's voice and seeing if God will speak to me again. Often He does. Other times I eat the fish and spit out the bones.

Pray for your pastor that the word will be made flesh through his life and his ministry and that he will be encouraged to bring us sermons that are apples of gold in pitchers of silver. Amen.

PS: Not everything in the Bible is preachable. It is all God's word. It is all true. But some things and some passages just don't work as a three point sermon. Just saying.

Missing Pastor Mitchell

 Back in ancient days pastor Mitchell used to take the pastors and evangelists out to breakfast after prayer every morning. That is until someone suggested that he and the guys could make breakfast for everyone at the church. Pastor agreed and to this day guys cook breakfast at the church for all of the pastors, evangelists, missionaries and visiting preacher who are there.

Like any group of guys, the talk around the table inevitable drifted to sports, politics, or the weather. Until pastor Mitchell got out his Bible and suggested that they talk about the Bible and spiritual things. It used to amaze me how right on pastor was and how wacky some of the guests were. I used to go home and study just to see if I was right or wrong!

I miss those spiritual talks with a wellspring of wisdom like pastor Mitchell.

Winning Souls, Or Making Disciples?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Mat. 28:19

I wonder if, in our zeal to win souls, we are more focused on saying the sinners prayer with them, and less on winning them over to faith in Christ? We can get people to pray, and we can fill out the convert card. But have they been born again, or just prayed a prayer?

I wonder if getting people filled with the Holy Spirt with the evidence of speaking in tongues is as much to connect them to God as it is to get them to be Pentecostal? Speaking in tongues is the evidence of the infilling with the Holy Spirit. An unmistakable sign. Tongues does not save you, but it identifies you as a true believer in Christ. Without speaking in tongues, something vital is missing.

Water baptism is important. Jesus said it is part of our job to baptize those who have been saved in water. Baptizing people is not a religious ritual, it is a powerful event when the filth of a sinful life is washed away. It identifies us to the church and to our friends and family that I am a real Christian.

If you answered an alter call and got saved, good for you. Some do the same thing and nothing happens. No miracle of God takes place. Discipleship is the process of living out the Christian life in a local church.

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth," Gal. 3:1

 

Attend Church But Not Born Again

 Our country is filled with good people who attend Christian churches but who have never been born again. They read the Bible. They sing religious songs. They give money in the offering. But they have never been born again.

Born again is the miracle that happens when Christ comes into your heart. When Jesus comes in, everything changes. If nothing in your life has changed and you are basically the same person, except that now you go to church, maybe you have never been born again.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2Cor. 5:17 KJV

Being born again involve a time just like being born involves a specific time and place. Not the first time you visited a church, But the day and hour when Jesus saved you from sin. For me it was December the 8th, 1973. At the Door in Prescott, AZ. 

All things become new. A new way of thinking, a new way of talking, a new way of living, and a new song to sing.

"He has put a new song in my mouth-praise to our God; ..." Psalm 40:3

Being born again ought to be visible and obvious to all around you. If you are no different than the world around you, something is missing.

Being born again is not about becoming a better person, it is about being changed by a miracle of God. A new creature in Christ.

I wonder how many people in our church have never been born again?

Truth For A Crazy World

 Disney made us believe that animals are almost human. That wild animals can be tamed, and that they have human feeling and intellect and emotions. Disney gave us the myth of prince charming coming to save the damsel in distress. And living happily ever after.

AI wants us to believe that machines are almost human. That a machine can think, and reason, and deduce, and feel. They want us to believe that a machine is faster than man, smarter than man, wiser than man, and more valuable than man.

I suspect that those who reject the gospel will believe any crazy idea that man or science can dream up.  That if it is on film it must be real. That if it is science based it must be true.

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself. In it we find not only rules to live by, but hope and power to live a victorious life now. The Holy Spirit makes the Bible alive and relevant today. It shows us truth and it exposes lies. One day God will balance the books and give mankind and nations the wages that they have earned. Unless you are born again your wages will be terrible. Ask the Lord Jesus to help you today.

Signs And Wonders

 "Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles." Acts 2:43

I have noticed over the years how some pastors try to put the weight of responsibility for the success of the church on the people in the church. It's up to them to win souls and to pay the bills. And I agree that there is a part to play for the people in the pews.

But today I noticed again the important part that leaders play in ministry. It says in this text that sign and wonders were done through the apostles, not the people. The KJV says signs and wonders were done by the apostles. Through or by, it was the apostles who were the conduits for the miraculous.

Signs and wonders is not, put up your sign and wonder how it will work. It is a demonstration of the Spirit and power of God. Divine healing for example. The burden for this is the burden of the apostles and pastors and evangelists. The people were in awe and fear because of the demonstration seen from the leaders.

Pray for your pastor that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit and that his prayers would heal the sick.

Reprobate Minds

 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting." Romans 1:28

Debased in the KJV is the word reprobate. God gave a God rejecting world over to a reprobate mind. What does this mean? The word reprobate literally means to fail the test. It is a word from the metallurgy world. The idea is to test a precious metal to see if it is real or fake. If it is found to be fake it is rejected and looked down upon.

"Thy silver is become dross..." Isaiah 1:22

This word is then applied to people who, having been tested by God, are rejected by God.

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Titus 1:16

So God tests people in various ways. He tests conduct. He tests motives. He tests attitudes. He tests knowledge. He wants to see how we measure up to His standards. The mind which God cannot approve must be rejected. God makes righteous judgement so that we are without excuse.

The NKJV say that a reprobate mind will do things which are not fitting. They will do things that are crazy or that do not make sense. They will come up with wacky ideas that make society scratch their heads.

One more thought. We can do things to guarantee that God will accept us.

"Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates?" 2Cor. 13:5

If God tests us, you can be sure that He tests everyone, saved or not.

MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN. You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.

Prayer

"pray without ceasing." 1Thes. 5:17

Tonight pastor preached to challenge us to morning prayer. There is Bible references to morning prayer. I am not a morning person. So while I pray all day long, I will find a way to start my day with prayer in the morning. It may not be early morning. But I will talk to the Lord before I do anything else. And then I will pray all day long as I usually do.

Why is morning prayer so important? Why can't evening prayer work? I am a night owl and a part of an early bird church.

Stuck In The Past?

Way back in time, back when Reagan was president, Evangelicals got chummy with conservative Republican politicians. They formed the Moral Majority and similar groups. They waved the anti abortion banner and the school choice banner and the pro family banner and they found other areas where they could find common ground Between Evangelicals and conservative Republicans.

Unfortunately, those cold war days are long over. Reagan is dead and gone. The Moral Majority has disbanded. But the Evangelicals find they are still beating the same old drums and fighting the same old wars that brought them into the political limelight for a moment.

I'm sure that abortion is a bad idea. But it stopped being  hot button issue years ago. The Bible is clear on human sexuality. But gay marriage is the law today. The cold war is long over. But, sit in some churches and you would think that you have gone back in time.

You have to wonder when the Pope is talking about issues from Rome that pastors don't mention ever in their pulpits. We get hung up on social media and smart phones. Old news! AI and LLMs are what's happening in the tech world today. Should we be worried? What does the Bible say about today?

If we do not speak to modern issues, how is the world supposed to know what is right and what is wrong? People are still lost and wandering in the darkness of sin. Let's be a light that shines in the darkness and that doesn't throw up barricades to people who need help and who have crazy ideas.

Enough of the Rush Limbaugh conservativism and the Ronald Reagan charisma. Preach God's word in such a way that, no matter what, we will make Heaven our home.

 

A Season and In Season

 A season is a unique period of time when we do specific things. We only do those things during that season. We think it strange when people do things out of season. But in church we forget this rule.

Christmas is a unique season of the year. Unique food, unique music, unique celebrations that we only do at Christmas time. Put a tree up in June and your family will think you are crazy!

Conference is a unique period of time for our Fellowship. Whether in Prescott or in one of the regional conferences, we only have conference at conference time. We have conference crowds. We hear conference sermons. We go all in for the week of conference. We do not have conference year round.

When you live somewhere with changing seasons you schedule most of your outreaches during the milder weather. You do not go door to door in a blizzard or in a monsoon rainstorm. You may shiver through an outdoor concert, but visitors will be home and cozy in their warm clothes. You may brave the blazing heat, but most people will stay in the AC.

Marriage goes through seasons. Families go through seasons. There is school season and football season and ski season. It doesn't take a PhD to understand that things work best when done in season. 

God is always fresh and in season. Today is a good day to get saved.

Times and Seasons

 "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Eccl.3:1

Our home Bible study will focus on this verse and the idea of Times and Seasons. I found something interesting about these two words. The word season is the Hebrew word translated as time; and the word time is the Hebrew word translated as season. A cursory search of the concordance tells me that these two words carry almost the same meaning.

A season is an appointed time. Time in general or time as a unit of time of various lengths or a season of time. The word translated season is only translated as season in this verse. Otherwise it is time. The word time is a commonly used word for time.

One idea that comes to my mind here is that there are certain things that the Holy Spirit does at certain times or in certain seasons. God follows His plan and directs His purpose perfectly. Just like you only get sweet corn or tomatoes at a certain time or in a particular season. There is a time and a season to everything God does.

Ecclesiastes goes on to tell us a long list of things that follow God's schedule. Miracles are when God steps out of time to change the circumstances  in a moment of time. Salvation happens according to God's time, not ours.

"For He says, in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2Cor.6:2

The Dinosaurs

I saw the title of a video explaining what really happened to the dinosaurs. We have their fossils. But there are no dinosaurs on Earth today. Either the Flood theory s false, and evolution is true; or we misunderstand the flood.

I have a theory on what happened to the dinosaurs and to other creatures for which there is scientific proof that they used to live but are not here today. My theory is that not every creature made it onto Noah's ark. Those on board were there by couples, male and female. But that does not mean that every creature alive at that time was represented on the ark. Maybe the dinosaurs were too big. Maybe the dinosaurs were too slow. Maybe the dinosaurs were too evil and God kept them off the ark. But for whatever reason, no dinosaurs were on Noah's ark. I think God kept them off of the ark on purpose.

The Bible does not list by name or species every animal on the ark. There were enough so that in the process of time the Earth could once again be filled and subdued. 

The bible never claims to be a science book. It is a book about God. Who He is, how He works, what He does, and how we are to live in light of God. The gospel is good news to the great and the small, to the rich and the poor, to all nations and races and people. It is simple so that we have no excuse. Pride alone says it's not for me.

"So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in." Genesis 7:16

Breaking Bread

 "Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem." Luke 24:13

Our pastor preached on food and fellowship last night. I wanted to share some thoughts on this topic.

First, when we gather together, even if only two people, Jesus is there with us.

"So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus himself drew near and went with them." v. 15

Second, the Bible is a valuable tool for study and the knowledge of Christ.

"And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." v. 27

Third, miracles of revelation can happen when we share a meal.

"Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight." v. 30-31

Our home Bible studies are part study, part fellowship, and a lot of food. Breaking bread can be a key to spiritual experience.

"And they said to one another, did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the scriptures to us?" v. 32

Home Bible Study Time Again

Our home Bible study groups start back up this Friday. I am looking forward to seeing who will continue with us from before, and who will join us for the first time. I enjoy the fellowship and the friendship these home small group meetings afford me. When you live alone you appreciate chances to get together with others.

Small groups give shy persons a chance to speak up or to share their thoughts that a big group does not allow. Some people will never speak out in adult Sunday school. They might feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts in a more intimate setting.

A number of our assistant leaders are now full fledged home group leaders of their own. We miss them, but they deserve a chance to stretch their wings a little to see how they do.

God help us as we get together to bear one another's burdens and to love those who are not like us at all. God help our group leaders to share God's word with us. God bless those who have opened their homes to host a group. 

God Keeps Good Books

 Eugenics is the system by which those in power manipulate society by eliminating bad people and by promoting good people. It was used by the Nazi's to eliminate undesirable folks like Jews and the disabled. To weed out the poor and the insane. To use forced sterilization and by killing those found undesirable. It also was a means to promote those found desirable and superior.

AI was founded on eugenic principals. And it is the elites who engineer and fund AI who will decide who lives and who needs to die. AI won't kill anyone. But arrogant tech bros could.

One thing that those who play God forget. Even with a chip in your brain, you still get old and die. Transhumanists think they can beat the rap. They can't.

God is in heaven laughing at the insanity of the tech gods and the crappy way they think to run the world.

"The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bow shall be broken. A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked." Psalm 37:12-16

God keeps good books. He will repay.

A Brief History of Marriage

 When God brought Eve to Adam and Adam recognized who she was, there was no romance and there was no wedding. And yet we accept as fact that Adam and Eve were a married couple. In the Bible there are many occurrences where men and women are together as a married couple without any legally or emotionally binding ceremony. We accept that these people were indeed married, but nothing is mentioned about a wedding.

The first recorded marriage took place about 2350 BC in ancient Mesopotamia. By this time in human history marriage was already an accepted and established institution. But this is the first actual record of a marriage.

My point is that marriage is not a Christian institution at all. People have been getting married as long as there have been people. All eras, all locations, all kinds of people for as long as we know have been getting married.

The first recorded marriage in America was in Jamestown in 1608.

In the past, marriage was more a legal apparatus and a social arrangement, not a romantic one. Romance in marriage is a rather modern addendum to marriage.

The Bible gives us ancient truths that can easily be applied to the modern world about marriage. And God know who is really married and who is playing games.

What's your excuse for not being married and never getting married? You have the weight of all of human history against your selfish decision.

The Coming Crisis

I see a crisis brewing in our Fellowship. As we of the first generation of people who were saved in the early wave of revival age out, including some of our older pastors, a new group of young, zealous, enthusiastic pastors take the reigns of leadership. There could arise a conflict between the I'm hanging on for dear life, or the old wine is better group, and the new wine, all in, go for broke young guys.

We who have been around and are still here cannot do what we used to do anymore. We are not on the cutting edge of evangelism anymore. We are too busy enduring to the end to be involved in what makes a church grow. And the pool of brand new converts is not as big as it once was so that there are not as many new people to do what needs to be done.

The way that I see it is that a pastor can do one of two things with this scenario. First, he can blow the bugle and holler charge and lead the troops to war. And ignore or abuse the elders in the church. Or, he can use wisdom and minister to everyone in his church where they are. Run with the runners. Sit with the elders. Lead the outreach, visit the sick and infirm. A wise pastor will see what is in front of him and try hard to help everyone, not despise the old folks and cater only to our youth.

One big myth is that the elders among us are a treasure trove of wisdom to tap. We are not quite sure of the how or why of the past, much less what we ought to do going forward. A pastor who lives in the past will become frustrated in his ministry, wishing it could be like it used to be in the good old days.

There seems to be a crisis coming. Are we prepared to handle it?

When Evil Is Beautiful

 In the world of evil there seems to be a progression. In the beginning evil looked evil. Evil worked by fear. We are afraid of monsters and demons that look like monsters and demons. So evil progressed from monstrous to beautiful.

Why are demons portrayed as beautiful? Monsters want to take something from us. A beautiful monster will get us to give it to them freely. Beauty invokes desire. Desire, by nature, requires something worth having. The devil know this. He can be monstrous if need be. But he can also be beautiful if necessary.

"And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light." 2Cor. 11:14

Just because something is beautiful and desirable does not make it right to have or good for us. Satan did not tempt Eve by being monstrous. He beguiled her with smooth words and enticed her with a beautiful appearance. Some things never change. Desire has destroyed more souls than fear ever could.

A Lesson

When everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis. Or so it seems.  It's like the boy who cried wolf. People stop hearing even when the warning becomes real. This is a lesson that every preacher of the Gospel should learn.

Does God repeat Himself in the Bible? Sure He does. With a span of sometimes centuries between the times He spoke. When we read the bible we see themes and patterns emerging and we do well to heed those words. But let a preacher preach on the same subject or give the same warning time after time and soon, no one will hear that preacher anymore. Especially if nothing in life really changes.

Don't be the boy who cried wolf. Don't be the preacher who tries to light the same fire every time. Don't be the husband who makes the same promises or the wife who makes the same threats day after day.

It's he who endures to the end who will in the end be saved. Not him who runs the fastest of who climbs the highest. Endurance takes time. And patience. And wisdom.