Monthly Archives: October 2010

If you are a *social drinker*…

 “Social” is an interesting word. It can be a noun, as in “church social,” referring to a gathering of people to socialize. Usually, it is an adjective–“social studies, ” “social club,” “social butterfly,” and “social grace.” “Social” modifies another word to form a phrase ordinarily found only in the constraints of religious discussion. The phrase is “social drinking.”

Social drinking implies situations such as guests in the home, friends at a meal or bar, or business dinner or pary where a typically smaller amount of alcohol is consumed. Certainly, this is an issue that often gets swept under the church-house rug, where silent pulpits, bulletins, and Bible classes turn the collective head on the subject. Well, fools go where angels fear to tread. Therefore, allow me to ask a few questions about “social drinking.” What constitutes the limit on social drinking? In other words, when does one cross the social line in social drinking? If one of the drinkers has two rather than one, is it still social drinking? Three rather than two? Four rather than three? When is it excessive? Who, of the other drinkers, is to be the judge of that (Christians are encouraged to use “righteous judgment,” John 7:24)?

Often, there are those in the “social drinking” crowd who try not to miss a shot, hit, refill, or round. For all the sippers, there are guzzlers, too. Yet, what makes four wrong and one right? What positive social messages does it send? Sophistication? Success? With social drinking, what is the Christian hoping to achieve? A soul-winning opportunity? A Christ-like influence? A demonstration of the transformed life (cf. Romans 12:1-2)? Or, is it simply anohter way of conforming, bowing to the social pressures of a worldly-minded society? It does not edify the body of Christ (Romans 14:19. Could it rather often simply be a way to seek the acceptance and approval of secular friends, co-workers, and employers (cf. James 4:4)? Are there negative social implications? YES! It can send a conflicting message to non-Christian or new-Christian fellow-drinkers, to whom we express disdain and condemnation for drunkenness (Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:7-8). Also, the social landscape is changing. Social drinking, to high school and college party-goers, stretches all the way to bald-faced drunkenness.

It is not uncommon to hear stories of “social drinkers” passed out or worse from drinking or even alcohol poisoning. Can we envision a soul-winner sitting down to a Bible study with a lost person with a mixed drink in hand? Or a preacher gesturing carefully during his sermon as he holds his glass of wine? Or an elder pleading with a wayward Christian to come home, laying his shot of whiskey down long enough to pray with them? Or a church fellowship, complete with the deacon of bartending on hand? Far greater social destruction has come from alcohol than social salvation (i.e., medical benefits, etc.).

The Bible does preach moderation and self-control in all things (Galatians 5:23). But, are we sure that this is tacit endorsement of something so filled with potentially negative side-effects, socially as well as physically? Certainly, you will ultimately decide on which side of the ledger social drinking falls. But consider this a loving plea. Be careful with the precious commodities you possess as God’s child–your inlfuence, example, holiness, and righteousness. “Respect what is right in the sigh of all men” (Romans 12:17b).

–Neal Pollard

Have you overlooked these people?

 There are some people hard to overlook.  There’s the lady wearing the big hat with a potted plant on it.  There’s the older man with the bushy white hair and plaid sports coat.  There’s the six year old that stands six-foot-three.  There are also those people that it may be easy to overlook.  We don’t mean to or want to, but seem to.  Sometimes, we overlook them because they keep to themselves and don’t really want to be seen.  Others, however, are so unassuming that they are easy to miss.  There are instances, unfortunately, where we are too caught up in ourselves or our circle of friends so that we fail for lack of trying.

Consider the following “types” or categories of people that we cannot afford to overlook:

  • THE POOR.  We have them with us always (Mark 14:7).  The Lord wants us to care about them and care for them (1 Jn. 3:14ff).  They likely lack influence or the ability to do anything for you, but they need your attention.
  • THE NEW CHRISTIAN.  They are highly impressionable and vulnerable.  They start their Christian walk standing at the fringe and need us to “pull them in” the fellowship.  Their faith is fledgling.  Their new life may have them feeling lonely and strange.  Let’s not leave these babes at the baptistery steps to fend for themselves.
  • THE ELDERLY.  Their peer group is shrinking.  They often are widowed.  They grew up in a completely different age, but they have those basic human needs–including companionship.  They still possess a great capacity to love, feel, and share.  Don’t pass by the hoary head.
  • SMALL CHILDREN.  You may have to stoop down or slow down to notice them, but they are there.  You may extend your hand to shake theirs and see them disappear into mom’s skirt or run the other way.  No matter.  Your notice of them will not be unnoticed to them.  They will remember you for remembering them.
  • TEENAGERS.  Outwardly, they look aloof, unconcerned, occupied, or, at times, uninterested in your attention.  Yet, many times, they are looking for identity, struggling with self-confidence, and coping with major life changes.  They need notice. 
  • THE NEWCOMER.  They have uprooted and chanced to leave the familiar for the unfamiliar.  Imagine yourself in their shoes, now in a new setting and faced with fitting into a new family.  That’s not easy!  Practice the golden rule.  Let them in.
  • THE STRANGER.  They are the visitor, often straight off the street.  They are processing their first impression.  You may pause and look at them, not know what to do or say, and keep moving.  Please don’t do that!  Greet them.  Welcome them.  Find out about them.  Tell them about yourself.  Make sure they leave you no longer a stranger.  Overlook them and they may not return…ever.  If they are a non-Christian or wayward Christian, they may find in you a lifeline that changes their eternity.
  • THE STEADY.  The quiet worker, the “always there,” and the disciple behind the scenes may enjoy escaping the “lime light,” but they yearn for and desire the human connection, too.  Let us never take them for granted.  Without them, we would greatly suffer.

We all do it, but let’s not take comfort in it.  Notice even those that we may mistake for the “little people.”  Remember, that God sees no “little people.”  He sees souls.  So must we!

–Neal Pollard

Common errors about deacons

While there is sufficient textual proof that the church was organized with elders as overseers and deacons as special servants (1 Tim. 3:1-12; Ti. 1:5-11; Phil. 1:1; etc.), God never intended one Christian to do the work of another.  Why do we not have a choir to do our singing for us in worship?  In part, it is because one Christian cannot obey what God commands all to do.  Likewise, deacons cannot obey what God intends the whole church to do.  All of us are to minister and serve (Matt. 20:26; Rom. 16:1; Gal. 5:13).  It may be helpful, thinking along these lines, to remember what deacons are not. 

Deacons are not junior elders.  Elders are overseers and shepherds.  Deacons are special servants.  A deacon’s authority is limited to that which elders delegate to him.  We may know that intellectually, but we must remember it practically.

Deacons are not the church’s indentured servants.  Their job is not just physical in nature.  A simple reading of 1 Timothy 3:8-13 shows that they are to be spiritually strong men.  Some tasks in the church are physical, but the men are to be spiritual.  Though servants, they are not the church’s slaves to be considered as pawns or self-serving tools.  They are spiritual warriors tasked by God’s mighty shepherds to strengthen His church.

Deacons are not less important than elders.  This kind of thinking leads to pride, strife and jealousy.  The body of Christ has different members, but all are vital.  1 Corinthians 12:13-14 emphasizes that each member is indispensable.  Service to Christ offsets any need for power struggles.

Deacons are not in elder training.  Men who work as deacons may and should (if possible) develop qualities that will help them later be elders, should desire to serve God as best they can, and should develop real relationships with the people they serve, but serving as a deacon is not some sort of “elder training.”  The work is about working where they are asked to work.

Deacons are not flying solo.  Good deacons themselves will be “great delegators.”  They are great enlisters.  They take responsibility for their area of work, but they involve as many people as possible.  As members, we should be less the critic and more the coworker.  If a deacon asks for your help, give it to them! 

It is exciting to see men take up the cross of service.  Never forget that Satan is always lurking in the shadows.  He wants nothing good and productive done within the congregations of God’s people.  What a blow to him when we become more efficient and aware of how God wants His church to work and operate.  Part of that includes remembering what deacons are not.  — Neal Pollard

Apology hotline

  JESSE JACOBS HAS created an apology hotline that makes it possible to apologize without actually talking to the person you’ve wronged…People who are unable or unwilling to unburden their conscience in person call the hotline and leave a message on an answering machine. Each week, 30 to 50 calls are logged, as people apologize for things from adultery to embezzlement. “The hotline offers participants a chance to alleviate their guilt and, to some degree, to own up to their misdeeds,” said Jacobs.

 

The apology hotline may seem to offer some relief from guilt, but this is not how Jesus instructed His followers to handle conflict. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us to deal with conflict by taking the initiative and going to the offended brother to apologize for the offense (see also Matt. 18). In fact, Jesus taught that the problem of human estrangement is so serious that we should even interrupt our worship to go on a personal mission of reconciliation (Matt. 5:24). The Master encouraged His followers to be reconciled with one another eagerly, aggressively, quickly, and personally (v.25). 

Are any of your relationships broken or estranged because of something you said or did? Take the initiative. Go now and do all you can to be reconciled. (Marvin Williams) 

“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison” (Matt. 5:23-25). — Mike Benson

  

Your face could stop a clock

 Have you ever meant to say something that didn’t come out just the way you wanted it to? Being a preacher it seems that I have a constant problem of “foot in mouth”. I have heard other folks do the same thing, some times a complement that didn’t come off just the way we wanted it to. Sometimes a word of correction that came off much harsher than we had intended.

I received this little story from a friend of mine in Missouri (Raymond), which illustrates the problem. A bashful young man asked a friend for advice on what to talk about on a date. The friend said to flatter the girl, “Tell her when you see her face, time stands still.” What the rattled young man said to his date was; “Your face would stop a clock.”

How do you get into messes like that and more important, how do you get out again? Most of the time it is as simple as saying, I’m sorry, that was not what I meant to say. Notice what Paul writes in Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt.” I don’t know about you, but I need an almost constant reminding of that principle. Why, because I often don’t do so well at accomplishing it.

May our God guide you in all that you think and say!

Russ Lawson

Quitting the church

       A man who had not attended one service of the church in four years told me he had never thought of “quitting” the church.  I reminded him that he had:

 1) Withdrawn his presence from the worship services.  He had failed to sing, pray with fellow Christians, to partake of the Lord=s memorial supper and the fellowship of the saints.

2) Refused to give his moral support to the activities of the congregation.

3) Withdrawn his financial support, for he had not given one dime to help carry on the Lord’s work.
Then I asked, “What else would you have to do in order to ‘quit’ the church?  In case you ever decide that you no longer desire to be a member, what other steps will be necessary to ‘quit’ the church?”

     As the true status dawned upon him, his expression reflected his sober thoughts.  He replied, “Why, Brother Nichols, I have quit already, haven’t I?  Well, I surely didn’t mean to!  And I don’t know when I did it…but I’ve quit the Lord and His church!  I’ll tell you right now…I’m coming back.”  He did, too.  At the next service, he was restored and three years later, he was still faithful.

     Dear reader, how about you?  Have you quit the Lord and His church without resolving to do so?  Perhaps no one deliberately decides to quit, but many carelessly drift into backsliding.

     If you quit attending services, quit boosting the program of activities planned by the elders and quit giving as God has prospered you to enable the congregation to meet its budget, you need to be restored.

“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching”  (Hebrews 10:25)

By Gus Nichols

Common church problems

“What did he mean by that?”  “Those elders never get it right!”  “You know our preacher.   What else would you expect?”  “That deacon is destined to fail.”  “Those people at church!” “They don’t like me.”

What would it be like to work with a congregation that had people who openly flaunted their sexual immorality, that was divisive, that even was guilty of worshiping pagan idols, that had members who were filled with sinful pride and arrogance, whose wealthy members neglected and mistreated the poor members, and who saw spiritual works and involvement as a competition?  That was not a nightmare for the apostle Paul.  It was a reality.  The church was in Corinth, and he wrote multiple letters to them.  The first one preserved by God in the Bible addressed a variety of problems including the above-mentioned ones.  Then, in the epistle we know as 2 Corinthians, Paul conducts a follow up in which he commends their penitent spirit and encourages them to find comfort in Christ despite trials.  No fewer than four times, Paul speaks of having confidence in them.  As he viewed their reformation of character, he said, “I have confidence in you” (2 Cor. 2:3).  Later, he says, “Great is my confidence in you” (2 Cor. 7:4).  A few verses later, he says, “I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you” (2 Cor. 7:16).  He even relates Titus’ “great confidence” in Corinth (2 Cor. 8:22). 
Paul is often credited for his master psychology, his knowledge of how to treat the brethren to “get the most” out of them.  Yet, if Paul was this disingenuous manipulator, he would not draw heaven’s praise nor would he have found sustained success.  The right conclusion is that Paul really did have confidence in his brethren.  That does not mean that he thought they would never let him down or that he was gullible and naïve.  It did not mean that he did not reprove and rebuke in appropriate measures.  But, it did mean that Paul had faith in the average Christian’s ability to know and do “the right thing.” 
Every church has its stumbling blocks, but no congregation could survive for any length of time made up entirely of them.  Most congregations have a healthy number of building blocks and we do well to address them as Paul did Corinth.  Do we have faith in each other?  Or do we assume the worst motives and intentions on the part of others?  Not only is that somewhat paranoid and miserable, but it is quite un-Paul-like.  Let us have confidence in the other fellow.  And let us strive to be worthy of others’ confidence in us!
Neal Pollard

First time para plane ride

Last night  I was invited to ride in a para plane. 

There were several problems getting the engine started and keeping it running; what was really disconcerting were the problems with the drag chute.  As the owner of this contraption worked on the engine and chute I silently asked myself how much faith I had in him.   If both the engine and chute failed, we would drop from the sky like a rock.

My silent questions about this man’s skill, judgment, and concern for my safety led me to think about faith in God.  How much faith do we really have in deity?  Do we have enough faith to truly trust in God?  Will we trust Him when it comes to health problems?  Do we have enough faith in Him to see us through difficult economic times?  Is our faith sufficient to give us confidence when we face death?  Do we have enough faith to both truly live and die for Him?

The engine finally started and continued to run, we got off the ground, the chute worked as it should have, and I had an amazing ride.  Fall colors were beautiful from the air, we got to buzz a house and corn field, and even did a “touch and go” landing.

Remember, we “walk by faith” and “not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).  Faith may sometimes be weak (Mk. 9:24), but never let it fail.

Free money – getting money for free

    If you are like anything like I am, you are disgusted with the way our country behaves and is heading.  There always seems to be and increasing severity and amount of sin, immorality, lack of morals, etc.  Because of the tremendous amount of sin found in America, it can get very discouraging and makes us wonder if people can be reached and if there is any hope out there.  

    I heard a very encouraging and true event on the news about a week or two ago (you may have heard it yourself).  There was a lady who was at the grocery store and was just waiting in line for her turn to check out.  She soon noticed an envelope was being passed down the line.  When it finally reached her, she curiously took a look inside.  What she found inside was a 50 dollar bill and a note which said something along these lines, “Take it if you need it, if not, please pass it on.”  Not needing the money herself, she passed it on.  This was not the most shocking part of the story though, as she passed it behind her and watched as others began to look in the envelope and read the note, not only were people not taking the money, but some people were actually adding money.
    This story had to do with the hard economic times we are facing and how some people are doing little things to help.  It is great (in some ways) to see how people are responding to these difficulties.  Despite how much sin there is in our country, I find we (myself included) need a little reminder that there are good people out there.  Sometimes it can be hard to talk with people about Christ because of how immoral most people have become, because of the influence of evolution and atheism, and because we are afraid of rejection.  We can get discouraged and may not see the point or believe the time spent in outreach is valuable.  The envelope story told above is a great example that there are good people out there and there is hope despite how dark our world has become. 
    As is common during hard times, people are looking for help, and in many cases this includes God.  People are looking for God, so it is up to us to make sure they find Him.  There are good people out there, and because of the economy, who knows how many more people will be open to the gospel.  This is a great time for evangelism.  Let’s get out there and see what doors the Lord opens for us.

Brett Petrillo

 

Illustration for the importance of teachers

There is a beautiful legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner.

 The first person presented was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because of his humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor.

 The second person was a celebrated physician. The king was told that this doctor was highly deserving of the honor because he had rendered faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years.

 The third person was a distinguished judge. The king was told that the judge was worthy because he was noted for his wisdom, his fairness, and his brilliant decisions.

 The fourth person presented was an elderly woman. Everyone was quite surprised to see her there, because her manner was quite humble, as was her dress. She hardly looked the part of someone who would be honored as the greatest subject in the kingdom. What chance could she possibly have, when compared to the other three, who had accomplished so much? Even so, there was something about her the look of love in her face, the understanding in her eyes, her quiet confidence.

 The king was intrigued, to say the least, and somewhat puzzled by her presence. He asked who she was. The answer came: “You see the philanthropist, the doctor, and the judge? Well, she was their teacher!”

 It was James who wrote, “Brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers.” (James 3:1, GOD’S WORD). He points out that teachers will be judged more severely. He could just as easily have said that teachers have a greater responsibility, a greater challenge, a greater opportunity to affect the lives of people in a negative way. It is impossible to teach without using words, and with greater use of words comes a greater danger that the words will do harm.

 But thanks be to God that there are those who face that challenge and assume that responsibility and make a diligent effort to use their words as an opportunity to affect the lives of people in a positive way. Those of you who are teachers — who can begin to measure the tremendous effect that you are having in the lives of the children (and adults) in your classrooms? You may not see the results of your efforts for years. In fact, you may never get to see the results. But you do make a difference.

 Those of you who are schoolteachers are teaching not only the basics of education, but you are teaching values and character. Those of you who are Bible class teachers are filling the minds and hearts of our children with stories of faith that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Those of you who are preachers are strengthening the family of God and bringing salvation to the lost.

 So, my hat is off to all of you who are teachers because you make a difference!

 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach.” (Romans 12:6-7)

Alan Smith

Robert Lane named his baby son *Winner*

In 1958, a New York City father named Robert Lane decided to call his baby son “Winner.” The Lanes, who lived in a housing project in Harlem, already had several children, each with a fairly typical name. But, Robert Lane apparently had a special feeling about this boy. Winner Lane: How could he fail with a name like that?

Three years later, the Lanes had another baby boy, their seventh and last child. 

For reasons that no one can quite pin down today, Robert decided to name this boy “Loser.” Robert wasn’t unhappy about the new baby; he just seemed to get a kick out of the name. First a Winner, now a Loser. But if Winner Lane could hardly be expected to fail, could Loser Lane possibly succeed?

Loser Lane did in fact succeed. He went to prep school on a scholarship, graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, and joined the New York Police Department, where he made detective and, eventually, sergeant. Although he never hid his name, many people were uncomfortable using it. To his police colleagues today, he is known as “Lou.”

As for his brother, the most noteworthy achievement of Winner Lane, now in his late 40s, is the sheer length of his criminal record: more than 30 arrests for burglary, domestic violence, trespassing, resisting arrest, and other mayhem. *

Names can reveal one’s character and even shape it.  Names can provide a goal for which a person may strive to achieve.  Or, one can fail to live up to a name that he has been given.

What’s in a name?  There is conviction in a name that we all wear due to our wrong choices: sinner.  “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

What’s in a name?  There is SALVATION in the Name of JESUS. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:21).  When we respond in trusting obedience believing in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turning from our sins 
in repentance (2 Corinthians 7:9-10), repentance His name before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in His name, Jesus gives us a new name: CHRISTIAN.

Wearing the name “Christian” indicates that we have been forgiven of our sins and it also gives us a goal for which to strive: Christlikeness.  God has promised that as a Christian walks in the light of His Word, that He will continue to cleanse that one of his sins (1 John 1:7).

What’s YOUR name?  Labels can hurt; titles can reward.  But the name above every name is JESUS and He wants to be your Savior so that He can give you a NEW name, a name filled with glory and honor as well as responsibility, the name Christian.”

Won’t YOU become a Christian today?

– Connor McLean** and David A. Sargent, Minister

Church theft, Arlington, Washington

To see the 62-year-old woman being fingerprinted must have been a surprise. To hear her explanation of why she committed the felony must have been even more astounding to those booking her.

The woman from Arlington, Washington was not named in the March 19, 2009 “HeraldNet,” the online news journal in Everett, WA. She served as an administrative assistant with a church from early 2000 until February of 2008. During that time she admitted to taking over $73,000 from church funds. As she showed tearful remorse during her confession, she “guessed that Satan had a big part in the theft.”

Stealing money from a church will make news headlines. Blaming that act on the devil is also a sure way to draw attention. What do we who believe in the reality of Satan make of her defense?

Jesus exposed the motives of our archenemy in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”(NKJV).

Satan may seem to be a friend when he offers pleasure, power or fame. Beneath his cloak, however, is a dagger that he plans to plunge into our heart!

Later in John’s gospel we are introduced to a thief. Judas had criticized a generous gift from an adoring disciple. What were his motives for judging her? “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it” (John 12:6).

Stealing from religious funds is therefore nothing new. But how did an apostle fall so low?

In his parable of the sower, Jesus told about the hardened ground: “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:15). Judas had heard the words of life just as the other apostles had. At some point, however, he hardened his heart. According to John 13:2, Satan had been given free access to the betrayer’s heart.

Yes, Satan can lead us to do many things we would never have dreamed of doing. But the real question is this: Can he overpower those whose intent is to be righteous? John’s answer is clear: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Satan is most certainly a powerful foe. But those who walk closely with their Master will never be overpowered by the devil (James 4:7). The devil can’t make us do anything when Christ is our Lord.

–Tim Hall

A story about true love

In 1991, Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer and required a modified radical mastectomy.  It was the most searching, excruciating experience of our lives.  All of a sudden, I was faced with the thought that I might lose her.  I had always loved her body and found her physically alluring, and I wondered how I’d respond if a part of her that excited me was removed.  Frankly, in the event, it was irrelevant.  I needed and loved her, not her body parts, and it became a powerful time of deepening love.  But as she recovered from surgery, it became evident she didn’t want me to see her.  She felt mutilated, disfigured, and scarred.  She knew I loved her, but would I really love her if I saw her as she really was?  Of course I wished that her cancer was an illusion and surgery had been unnecessary, but I love her for all that she is.  What cancer has taken from her is trivial compared to what Christ has given to her for me.  (Gary Inrig, “Dare To Share,” Whole Marriages In A Broken World, 79-80).

Eph 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it

A *prophetess* from London, England

I have some “followers” on social networking sites such as twitter.  My latest one is a “prophetess” from London, England.  Out of curiosity I checked out some of her *prophetic words* and found this jewel:

“Prince Charles is a prince who does not understand his divine purpose, overzealous and not interested in Me (Jesus Christ).  He is like King Herod who married his brother’s wife Herodias because he was seduced by her.  Read Matthew 14.”

This didn’t seem too “prophetic” so I took a quick look at another of her “divine messages”:

“Carmella Parker- Boule, she craves desperately to be a queen, she shall not ascend the throne. She has said in her heart, “I will sit as a queen, and am no widow, and I will see no sorrow” Revelation 18v7c.”

God’s prophets, in both the Old Testament and New Testament eras, did not speak in this way.  Neither did they need to “follow” any uninspired person like me because they had the “word of the Lord” in their minds and mouths. 

Lots of people make religious claims and some of them are lofty or simply outrageous.  I recently saw a church van with the words “apostle Jones” and “prophetess Jones” inscribed on the side.

In spite of what people claim, they perform no true miracles and they have no divine revelation.  God has given His word “once for all time” (Jude 3) and this makes us “complete” in every way (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

The time for living apostles and prophets is past; since these men were made a permanent part of the “church’s foundation” (Eph. 2:20), there is now no longer any place for “living” apostles and prophets.  This also includes prophetesses.

The Prodigal Son, in the Key of ‘F’

Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the family finances.  He flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Finally, facing famine and fleeced by he fellows in folly, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard.  Fairly famished he fain would have filled his frame with the foraged foods of the fodder fragments left by the filthy farmyard creatures.

“Fooey”, he said, My father’s flunkies fare far fancier.”  The fugitive found feverishly, frankly facing facts.  Frustrated by failure and filled with foreboding he forthwith fled to his family.

Falling at father’s feet, he floundered forlornly.  “Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor,” But the faithful father, forestalling further flinching frantically flagged the flunkies.  “Fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast.”

But the fugitive’s fault-finding frater frowned on the fickle forgiveness of the former folderol.  His fury flashed.  But fussing was futile, for the far-sighted father figured such filial fidelity is fine, but forbids fervent festivity?

The fugitive found.  “Unfurl the flags, with fanfares flaring   Let fun and frolic freely flow ”  Former failure is forgiven, folly is forsaken   And forgiveness forms the foundation for futile fortitude.” (Author Unknown)

“And he arose and came to his father.  But hen he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”  Luke 15:20

Mike Benson

"I like a 'gyrating' church"

 

My work as a preacher has allowed me to hear many interesting things over the years, but a man recently said something to me that was definitely unique.  He said his wife likes to attend a certain religious group in my area because of the “gyrations” associated with this faith. 

I have heard of people selecting a place of worship based on location, size, beliefs, and even politics.  Selecting a group because of divinely inspired gyrations (this is the claim) is certainly new.  Unfortunately this is not God’s criteria for selecting a religious faith. 

“Truth” exists and “truth frees” (Jn. 8:32).  Gyrations may make people feel good – and perhaps burn some calories – but they and the other things commonly used to evaluate religion are false standards.