Ecclesiastes 12:10

   A common expression today is “there are many roads to heaven”.  Two major surveys (USA Today/ Pew Research Center) had 52% and 57% of American Christians responding that salvation can be found in a way other than Jesus.  Even those who would say Jesus is the only way might claim that following Him could be done in many different ways.   But the Scriptures disagree. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6   Here we are told there is One God not many.  There is One faith not many faiths. There is One baptism, not various methods. There is One Lord, not many conventions.  There is One body, not many denominations    One not many. One not varied. One not however, we want. Before he went to the cross, Jesus’ prayer for his followers to “ that they m...

   In Matthew 20 Jesus tells us a story of some workers upset about their pay. After agreeing to work for a set amount, they become upset when at the end of the day the owner pays those that came later in the day the same pay as them. They see this as being cheated even though it was the pay, they agreed to.   Often when we read this, we think about the workers but the parable is telling us more about the owner than them. He is generous. He is fair. And he is hiring.   It seems like every store is hiring right now.  I talk to business owners who lament how hard it is to get and keep workers right now.  They say people don’t want to work.   Is that a problem the Lord is having?   God is always trying to get more people to work in his kingdom. It does not matter to him how much time they have left, he wants them. He offers good rewards and plenty of opportunities.  Yet it seems the workers are not happy.   Some don...

  The follow-up question I always get when people hear I am a minster is the “how big” question. How big is your congregation, how many kids are in your youth group?  I guess that is the way they measure success The assumption is that the more folks, the better things are going.   Yet that isn’t true. Just because the house is full doesn’t mean the assembly is productive, united, or informed.  Many church groups are like the large crowd that gathered in Ephesus in Acts 19: 32, “ some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together” .   Rather than just viewing numbers, we need to look at success as we see it defined in Scripture. In Romans 15:5-6 we read, “ Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Fat...

  Eastern Airlines flight 401 was flying to Miami. As they began the landing approach one of the pilots noticed the light indicator for the landing gear was not working. Unsure about the landing gear they asked the tower to put them in a holding pattern. They turn on the autopilot and then began to try to fix the problem. They pulled off the panel, fiddled with the controls, and even left the cockpit to work out what was going on. All this focus on a burned-out light bulb kept them from noticing the plane was little by little getting lower and lower. The autopilot had been inadvertently disconnected.  By the time they realized it, it was too late. The plane crashed into the Everglades killing 101 people.   Could this be happing to the church?   There are times we get so focused on one issue or one problem or one activity that we forget to look around and see if we are still on course. We go into autopilot mode and assume everything is being taken care of. In our...

  Sometimes you see information for a restaurant or event that uses the phrase ‘kid friendly. Basically, it tells you that the place will accommodate children or at least won’t try to run them off.   Not all places will do that. I remember reading an article about studios adding offensive content to films to receive an ‘R’ rating. They did this for films geared to adult audiences to ensure kids wouldn’t be allowed. Kids' presence was seen as a turn-off for the target audience.   Not everyone is willing to put with the kids.   How about the church?   I have to admit I have seen some places that don’t hang a sign saying “stay away” but nevertheless the message is there. Children are seen as a nuisance and a distraction. They don’t like the noise they create or the messes they make. The idea is the adults are the audience and children are just  a distraction.  But Jesus would disagree.  In Luke 18:15-16 we read; “ And they were bri...

 In the early 1900s, a dog in France became a local hero. A child playing on the river bank fell into the water and was in imminent danger of being drowned. The dog, hearing the cries and the splashing, leaped over a hedge, ran down the bank, and plunged into the stream just in time to rescue the little victim."     To reward the pup’s great action, they gave him   “ a succulent beefsteak ." The dog had learned a great lesson -- save a child, earn a steak dinner -- and that turned out to be immediately important, for not two days later, " another child fell into the water and was rescued by the dog ,". And again, the dog was rewarded, this time with " some caresses and another beefsteak ."   Then it happened again.   And again.      Almost every day, a child would mysteriously fall into the river near and, coincidentally, the heroic dog would be there to pull the child out of the water and to safety. And invariably, the dog would be h...

I’ve heard the phrase a ‘motley crew’ my whole life but I guess I never actually knew what it meant.   I had always associated it with pirates and so I took it to mean a crew of criminal types. An association of ne’er-do-wells that have all sort of negative connections. But that’s not it.  Motley simply means varied or assorted. Some things that you might not think go together. That being said the apostles were a motley crew. Fishermen and tax collectors, religious zealots, and uneducated men. Yet because of Jesus, they became a force that turned the world upside down.    In truth, the church is a motley crew. People from all different backgrounds and places. Folks from every tribe and tongue of the Earth. Yet they are united together by the Son of God. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God h...

  Fires happen. We work to keep our structure safe but all it takes is some faulty wiring, a lightning strike, or an arson’s maleficence to see it all go up in smoke.  What if the church building burned down?  I could tell you there would be things I would miss. Some keepsakes in my office. The library full of good books. There would be some things I wouldn’t mind seeing go, like the carpet or my office chair. But in the end, I’d trust the insurance would be adequate to rebuild and the things would go on.  Because the church isn’t a building. It is the people. It is the assembly. Location or structure are not as important as the people and the purpose. Building are useful tools but they do not define the church.  So maybe we should make sure to keep the church as fire-safe as the building. Put out flaming tongues, make sure to douse any smoldering grudges. Be on the lookout for those that might want to spark a controversy. Check up on those that might ...

  What to make something seem easier? Bring along a friend.   Simone Schnall from the University of Plymouth conducted research where people were taken to the bottom of a hill and asked to estimate how steep it was and therefore how difficult it would be to climb. When they were accompanied by a friend, their estimates were about 15 percent lower than when they were on their own, and even just thinking about a friend when looking at the hill made it seem far more surmountable. Friends have a way of making things easier. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart . Ecclesiastes 4:9-13  Our world has recently been f...

      There is a lot in this old world to be down about. Too many people have let us down. Things we thought were stable as the rising sun are now a flighty as the breeze. It can wear you out.     Let's consider a passage in scripture. In the little book of Philemon, Paul is writing to Philemon about a difficult situation. But what I want to focus on is what he says to him in the first few verses: For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. Philemon 1:7        Paul speaks of the joy and comfort that he has because of the love Philemon has shown to him and all the brethren. Then he used an interesting phrase, “ been refreshed though you ”. What does it mean?     The world refreshing is translated in other places a rest or ease. It denotes the idea of something been made easy enough you can relax and take a load off. That what Phi...

      Everyone has that place that is special to them. It might be your childhood bedroom. It could be your college dorm or that first tiny apartment you shared with your new spouse. Places that are special not because of their amenities but because of the memories that occurred there.   For the disciples, it had to be the upper room. The place they shared the last supper and first communion with their Lord. It was probably the place where they were when they heard about his appearance to others and where Jesus showed them his nail-scarred hands and the wound in his side. It could also be the same place where they cast lots to choose Matthias to part of their number. It also might be the room where the Holy Spirt came upon them with tongues of fire and went out of to preach the Gospel.   I say might and probability because the text never gives us a definite statement that was the same place all these events take place thought it a good educated guess. I wo...

  I was recently watching a show that gave the chilling scene. It was dashcam footage of a police officer making a seemingly routine traffic stop.   The officer, after asking to man to step outside the vehicle and go to the safer side of the highway, begins to ask some routine questions. The man’s response is odd given the situation so the officer asks if he can search him. He agrees but right as the officer looks down, the man draws a firearm and unload several rounds point-blank in the officer chest.    Because of the position of the camera, you gracefully don’t see the aftermath, yet you hear the cries of the officer for help. It was an unnerving series of events.   However, the officer did have a great advantage. He had backup. As soon as he goes down other a dispatcher on his radio hears his cry. Other officers in the area are alerted. Quickly one arrives and starts immediate aid. More arrive and secure the area. Others search for the suspect. The ...

     Ever pull into a parking space right as the person beside you starts to back out, and for a moment your perception is off and you think you are still moving?  You slam on the brake thinking you’re about to drive into the building yet you’re not moving the person beside you is just backing away from you.   A false sense of motion.  I wonder if that isn’t what many churches are experiencing today. You see with so many in the world today backing up very quickly from the direction of a God, those who are sitting still might seem like they are going forward when in fact they are not moving at all.   In reality, we are in park, not growing, not advancing, just stuck where we are.   I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus . Philippians 3:14   We certainly don’t want to go backward but we shouldn’t want to stay put either. God’s call is an upward one. We have to be about our F...

   In 1954 the temple of Wat Traimit, in Bangkok, Thailand was to be moved to a new building, The last order of the move was the transport of a giant Buddha statue that had been in that spot for over 200 years. The statue, that was thought to made of stucco and glass, proved to be much heavier than expected. As they attempted to lift the statue from its pedestal, the ropes broke, and the statue fell hard on the ground chipping off the plaster. They then saw why it was so heavy. The plaster was covering about 250 million dollars’ worth of gold. At some point in the past the gold statue was covered, probably to keep it from being stolen.  Ironically, once the plaster was removed they found the original designers had made the statue disassemble so it would be easily moved.    This is akin to what has happened in Christianity over the last two thousand years. The pure glory of the church of the first century has been obscured by the changes made by man over...

  As rulers go, King Uzziah was about as good as it gets. In 2 nd Chronicles 26, we read about his rule. Taking the throne at sixteen years of age, he ‘ did right in the sight of the LORD’ . He defeated some of Israel worst enemies and forced others to pay tribute.  His fame spread across the region. He improved the infrastructure of the cities, was a friend to the farmer, and strengthened the military. He not only increased the manpower of his nation but brought in new technology and innovation as well.  You name it, religion, power, prestige, technology, defense, agricultural; he excelled in them all during his reign.      Except at the end.  In 2 Chronicles 26:16 we read: But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.   He wanted to go and lead the worship. He was a king, a ...

  It was written by a native Ohioan song-and-dance man named Dan D. Emmett while setting in his New York hotel room.  It was first performed on April 4 th , 1859 in New York Mechanic’s Hall. It was one of Abraham Lincoln’s favorite tunes. He even asked for it to be played as he left the White House stage his after his announced Lee had surrendered to Grant.  What was the famous tune? Dixie.   It’s ironic that the tune that became the anthem of the states below the Mason Dixon line was born from a staunch Union sympathizer. He late remarked, “If I’d know to what use they were going to put my song, I’d never written it”!   It funny how things can be attached to causes, ideologies or movement even when they don’t necessarily belong there.  Words become toxic even when their true meaning is benign.  People that should be disdained are made to be heroes because of a side they stand on.  Principles once exhorted are manipulated into vices ...

  For those of you that don’t know it, I have a fish tank in my office. It was my sons, which passed down from his sister and now resides in my office. I had three fish in it.   Had.   A few months back, I was going to be gone for the week. Normally I feed them every day but when I’m going to be gone I put these little tablets that feed them for a couple of days or a week depending on their size. I was out of the week ones but I figure that if I feed them the day I left and the tablet worked for the next three, that would only leave them unfed for a day or two. No problem.  So on my return, I went in to feed my three fish. But there was only two. No sign of the yellow one. Now it possible that someone came in and stole on little yellow fish and nothing else, but I think we know what really happened. That little fish became lunch. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." But if you b...

  Sometimes people will ask me about my church.  They assume since I am a minister that somehow I have some ownership or say over it.  We do that too.  We remark ‘at my church’ or ‘come to my church’.  It might just be a slip of the tongue but we need to work to correct it.   Because it is not ‘our’ church and that is a very good thing!   The church of me wouldn’t be a good one. Oh, it might be likable enough, it could be entertaining, and it might have the community’s approval. The church of me could be growing and financially stable but it doesn’t have enough.   You see churches come at a cost. In order to have a group of redeemed, you must have a redeemer. A sacrifice to pay the cost. And I don’t have enough in me. " Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts 20:28   A church...

  Today, more than 11 billion paper clips are sold annually.  However, a recent survey claimed that of every 100,000 sold; only five are actually used to hold papers together. They are being used, just not for their purpose.   I wonder, what is the rate in the church? Lots of folks claim to follow Christ. Many people attend church.  But how many are actually doing what Jesus wanted them to do?  Are we serving our purpose? Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: Romans 12:6   Every Christian is a part of the body and every part has a purpose.  If we are not fulfilling that purpose, the whole suffers.  Some are getting bent out of shape into activities that they are not equipped because others have abandoned their purpose.  Women moving into leadership roles that men have vacated.  Preachers acting as elders since the elders are not active. ...

  I often hear voices in worship.  No, I’m not going crazy.  No, it’s not that people are bad at whispering.  It's during the singing.  It’s not, however, the people present. The voices I hear are in my head and some are the voices of people that long since passed.   Let me explain before you think that ‘I’m not crazy’ is a mistake.  When we sing certain songs, I remember back to the church I grew up in. Some of the members there; some of our song leaders.  It might be the twang as they sang about ‘ the blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins’ . Or the passion in a voice when they proclaimed ‘ sing and be happy’ . The voices of people I grew up watching praising the Lord and setting an example that still comes back to me today Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord Ephesians 5:19   Music has a funny effect on memory.  I can’t remember what ...