Post Conference Thoughts

 Now that conference in Prescott is over I have come to some decisions that I hope will make living here easier for me.

1. I cannot watch or care about the Prescott church any more. That is a part of a life that I no longer live. And though it is familiar, it is all behind me now. I have moved on from the Prescott church and I am now a part of the body of Christ in San Antonio.

2. I have good memories of the many years that I lived in Prescott. I am in the process of making new memories here. I intend to live here for many years should Jesus tarry. I will enjoy the memories I have but I will not dwell on them anymore.

3. I will never attend conference in Prescott again. I have moved on. They have moved on. 

4. I thought about watching some more of the conference services. I will not do that. It is of no interest to me.

So that about sums it up. While I do not have deep roots and history in San Antonio this is where I call home now. In the two years of living here I have begun to put down roots here. Only the rapture will be strong enough to uproot me from my new home.

Prescott Conference Announcements

 If you are interested or curious as to what happened at conference in Prescott you can visit the Prescott Potter's House website and click on the conference announcements tab and they will be listed there.

Topical or Expository Preaching?

 Here are some thoughts from my preaching 101 series. I was not a good pastor. But I could put together a sermon.

Expository preaching is boring. The Bible is an ancient book. Explaining the Bible is boring. It is the letter without the spirit.  The people mentioned in the Bible have been dead for thousands of years. Once you have read their stories you realize that it never changes. So explaining what Moses or David or Paul or even Jesus felt or thought or the motivation behind their actions is old news. It always turns out the same. Old time radio preachers tend to be expository preachers. They talk a lot but say nothing that is of any help today.

Topical preaching is basically taking one subject or one topic and studying the Bible to find how to apply the living Word to real life situations. Pastor Mitchell tended to be a topical preacher. You could learn how to live a Christian life by listening to his sermons. Good preaching applies the Bible to the modern world. This is preaching that the Holy Spirit can use to touch people.

Doctrine is only dead and dry when you only explain it and neglect to apply it.

Pentecostals seem to think that all they need to do is set themselves on fire with the Holy Ghost and people will flock to watch them burn. That might work for an evangelist.  If you are going to shepherd God's flock you have to be deeper than your salvation story. You must rightly divide the word of truth. You must be able to help common people apply God's word to their circumstances here and now.

Death to self is when you want a new 4x4 and she wants a pretty necklace and you buy the necklace.

Solomon And His Instagram Worthy Romance

 If you are a Bible student you know doubt have read the Song of Solomon. I had a couple of thoughts involving this story in the Bible.

First, have you ever wondered why Solomon had so many wives and concubines? How many is not important. It was a different culture than we are accustomed to. But Solomon went overboard in romance and marriage. I wonder if Solomon had a lust problem? He could not keep his eyes and his royal hands off of the ladies. Solomon put Frank Sinatra to shame.

Second, I wonder about the young girl in the Song of Solomon. Was she a real girl? Was she really one of Solomon's conquests? Or was the girl in the story an Instagram girl, a figment of Solomon's imagination? Maybe she was a composite of the top of the list romances that Solomon enjoyed? You will be sadly disappointed to think that your romance needs to match the epic romance of the Song.

Finally, when you live in a fantasy world the real world will never satisfy you. Porn does this to people today. Hollywood romance does it too. The shallow world of modern music and television paint a picture that no real person would ever be able to match up to. I think the reason Solomon kept marrying young girls was he was looking for the perfect girl that lived in his vivid imagination. Only a king or a very rich and powerful man could pursue this fantasy. 

That's my thoughts. Jesus talked about Solomon but never quoted him. Solomon is a picture of excessive wealth and privilege with no restraint. For a great king and and a man who God spoke to he is not someone to pattern your life after.

Faith is Faith

 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

I recently heard a scientist say that faith is believing in something for which you have no actual or scientific evidence. People believe that there is life in the solar system even though there is zero evidence that life as we know it could exist. Evolutionists believe based on their book by Charles Darwin.

We believe in a God we have never seen and in a book that was written thousands of years ago. The Christian life is a life of faith. 

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." 2Corinthians 5:7

Evolutionists are praised for their faith but we are criticized for our faith. We have the evidence of a changed life. They have evidence of fossils that change nothing.

It is the hatred of certain people for God that causes them to be ridiculous in their conclusions. 

"And this is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

It is the moral choices that people make that make them not only hide from God, but hate Him. This makes God just in His assessment and actions toward evil people.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." Romans 1:18

This is the nature of sinful men and women. Without Christ we live as rebels and enemies of God. To the bitter end.

"But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands..." Revelation 9:20

"Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions..." Romans 1:24,26

God loves us and will help us. But remember, the first word of the Gospel is repent.

On Marriage

 We had a surprise wedding during the service last night. A young man, on his way for further Army training, stopped by to marry his sweetheart. It was simple and nice. It was the first wedding in our new building.

My prayer has been for a revival of marriage in our church. For young men to find the courage to court the girls who interests them. For young women to be interested and willing to be a wife and find fulfillment in serving.

We used to take marriage for granted. But in my lifetime marriage has been under attack. The Devil has targeted marriage. The Left has despised and undercut marriage. Only older folks seem to view marriage as something to be desired and cherished.

Pastor Rubi preached a sermon on marriage. It was refreshing to hear the Biblical truth about marriage. 

Dating is a cheap imitation of courtship. Dating is a distraction and a source of temptation. Men and women cannot be just friends. Get married and let your spouse be your friend. Men and women only have one thing in mind, and marriage is the key that unlocks that door.

A university degree and a successful career is no substitute for the joy and peace and satisfaction you find in marriage. A pet is no substitution for a spouse. Being married is the best and the hardest thing you will do in life.

Christmas Happenings

 The holiday season is definitely upon us. Here are just a couple of things that I thought I would share about what is happening here.

We had a big outreach near the Alamo Saturday night. Skits, singing, testimonies, and over 30 people who we prayed with for salvation. They reported favor and that everyone was open to us and they all seemed happy to be there.

Tonight our children's church put on their Christmas show. Lots of singing. A little acting. A good turnout. I was glad to have been there.

Our Fellowship is good at what we do. We struggle a little bit when we try to adopt the culture. I'm talking about Christmas carols. We sang some in church today. That ain't they way I heard them sung. We tried.

God is helping us and blessing our church in so many ways. To God be the glory, great things He has done.