Psalm 122:1 says, "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord." Is that your experience?
In our culture, very few people would say, "I was SO EXCITED when they asked me to go to church!" Some say that, but most don't. To make a difference, many churches--including ours--try HARD to make church a positive, even fun experience. We serve coffee, we have food, we tell jokes & dress casually, we try to have upbeat music and videos, we offer activities for the kids...all of it to improve the quality and attractiveness of "church."
But at the end of the day, do people really "rejoice?"
I had a conversation with someone recently who was upset because we no longer have an 8:30 service (we're now at 9:30). The reason? Was it to have more time later in the day to serve the community? Nope. Was it to spend more time in fellowship with other Chistians? Guess again! Was it so that this person could take classes such as our 101-501 material? Bzzzzzzzzzzt--wrogo, bucko. I know--it MUST have been to have more time in prayer on the Lord's Day. Right? Nada, uh-uh, nope--guess again!
What was the reason?
I can't tell you. I WILL say, that it was his favorite leasure activity and, have church an hour later meant one less hour that day to have fun doing that activity. So what does that mean? It means that no matter how "fun" we make it, there's always something more fun to do. It could be sleeping, golfing, horseback riding, bungee jumping--something will ALWAYS be more fun than church.
How can we compete?
We can't, we won't and frankly, we shouldn't!
The truth is that if loving God and telling him so in song, prayer, fellowship with the Body, time in scripture, etc. isn't enough--there's nothing we can do or that God WILL do to make it more attractive. We either love dedicating time to worship with our church family--or we don't. And if we don't, and other things are WAY too important, we should SERIOUSLY consider why that is. The answers might be frightening, but they could save us...Literally!
So while we'll always do our best to make church an enjoyable, positive, attractive, productive, and high-quality experience-- for those of us who call him Lord, just showing-up to tell him of our love should be more than enough....
Think about that...OK?
In His Love,
Pastor Joel
THINK IT THROUGH!
My old pastoral boss used to say this all the time and it drove me nuts. "Think it through," he'd say instead of answering my questions or those of other church members/leaders, "Think it all the way through!"
You know, years later, I appreciate that phrase. Yes, it was annoying when I wanted a quick knee-jerk answer under pressure, but over the years, it has saved me untold grief to have his words bouncing around in my head.
Our culture NEVER thinks things through. We are emotional, sound-bite-driven, fast-food-oriented people with people to go and places to see (or is that people to see and...never mind, no time for that now). We make decisions based on "gut feel" and "crowd dynamics." We, like lemmings, race forward with the pack, never noticing that we're fast approaching a cliff with no brakes. We make decisions and vote with almost NO information! Want "free healthcare?" "YES," we say, never asking who's going to pay and how. "Want a new car with no money down and no payments for 9 months?" "Absolutely!" We respond, never thinking about the old adage--"there ain't no free lunch."
STOP!
I feel like this week has been a time of pause for me. A time to reflect and listen for God's voice. Having had that--I want it for everyone! Take time to think and hear from God. Tune in this weekend as we look at "Using Good Judgment" and explore what Jesus had to say about "thinking things through." It could save you untold time and spare you immeasurable misery....
See you in Church,
Pastor Joel
You know, years later, I appreciate that phrase. Yes, it was annoying when I wanted a quick knee-jerk answer under pressure, but over the years, it has saved me untold grief to have his words bouncing around in my head.
Our culture NEVER thinks things through. We are emotional, sound-bite-driven, fast-food-oriented people with people to go and places to see (or is that people to see and...never mind, no time for that now). We make decisions based on "gut feel" and "crowd dynamics." We, like lemmings, race forward with the pack, never noticing that we're fast approaching a cliff with no brakes. We make decisions and vote with almost NO information! Want "free healthcare?" "YES," we say, never asking who's going to pay and how. "Want a new car with no money down and no payments for 9 months?" "Absolutely!" We respond, never thinking about the old adage--"there ain't no free lunch."
STOP!
I feel like this week has been a time of pause for me. A time to reflect and listen for God's voice. Having had that--I want it for everyone! Take time to think and hear from God. Tune in this weekend as we look at "Using Good Judgment" and explore what Jesus had to say about "thinking things through." It could save you untold time and spare you immeasurable misery....
See you in Church,
Pastor Joel
Burger King Theology
"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don't upset us..." Remember that old jungle? I do!
In fact, I hear new versions of it every day! Like, "Hold the Bible, hold devotion, I've got my faith, based on emotion." Or, the ever-popular, "Hold the truth claims, hold the dogma, I found my views watching Opra!"
Like the Burger King commercial, when it comes to truth, our culture tells us to "Have it YOUR way!"
So everywhere we look, people are establishing world views based on feelings and unfounded opinions. It's scary! Why? Because truth is not optional and God is less subjective than toppings on a cheeseburger!
There's a powerful verse in Proverbs 12:15 which says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel." Speaking of a time of great trouble and national failure in Israel, Judges 17:6 says, "In those days there was no King in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Thousands of years later, history repeats itself. Rejecting King Jesus, we all just "wing-it," making up our own religions and following our own opinions regardless of the facts.
In fact, I hear new versions of it every day! Like, "Hold the Bible, hold devotion, I've got my faith, based on emotion." Or, the ever-popular, "Hold the truth claims, hold the dogma, I found my views watching Opra!"
Like the Burger King commercial, when it comes to truth, our culture tells us to "Have it YOUR way!"
So everywhere we look, people are establishing world views based on feelings and unfounded opinions. It's scary! Why? Because truth is not optional and God is less subjective than toppings on a cheeseburger!
There's a powerful verse in Proverbs 12:15 which says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel." Speaking of a time of great trouble and national failure in Israel, Judges 17:6 says, "In those days there was no King in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Thousands of years later, history repeats itself. Rejecting King Jesus, we all just "wing-it," making up our own religions and following our own opinions regardless of the facts.
Sex, Dating, & Marriage...The REAL Reason It Matters!
"Everybody has sex before marriage--after all, don't you have to 'try before you buy?'" I hear stuff like this all the time--and you probably do too. Married folks have their own rationale, "C'mon, everyone cheats at least once--and if nobody knows, who's it going to hurt?" Or, "It doesn't count as cheating if you're thinking of getting divorced anyway." Or...we'll you get the picture.
Some time ago, I counseled someone who had agreed with his wife that they BOTH would be 'allowed' to cheat occasionally. They really believed this would "spice things up" in their marriage. You guessed it--they're getting divorced.
It seems the peer pressure and the powerful chemical attraction sex creates turns off our brains. And maybe it's true--everyone does so maybe we just can't help ourselves...so God understands--right?
Why not be sexually active outside marriage?
Is God just a repressed prude? Is He unjustly and unfairly calloused about our plight down here? The Church is often no help either. When asked, "Why not?," we jump to the classic, "Because God says so--that's why!" Frankly, to a committed believer, that should be enough to stop us--but it still doesn't answer the question as to why we should reserve sex for a monogamous, committed relationship only in the bounds of marriage. Does God have reasons for this? And, do His reasons go beyond the personal pro's and con's that affect us personally?
Oh yes...
Some time ago, I counseled someone who had agreed with his wife that they BOTH would be 'allowed' to cheat occasionally. They really believed this would "spice things up" in their marriage. You guessed it--they're getting divorced.
It seems the peer pressure and the powerful chemical attraction sex creates turns off our brains. And maybe it's true--everyone does so maybe we just can't help ourselves...so God understands--right?
Why not be sexually active outside marriage?
Is God just a repressed prude? Is He unjustly and unfairly calloused about our plight down here? The Church is often no help either. When asked, "Why not?," we jump to the classic, "Because God says so--that's why!" Frankly, to a committed believer, that should be enough to stop us--but it still doesn't answer the question as to why we should reserve sex for a monogamous, committed relationship only in the bounds of marriage. Does God have reasons for this? And, do His reasons go beyond the personal pro's and con's that affect us personally?
Oh yes...
SEX: Why does God ask us to keep it in marriage only? The answers might surprise you!
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Sex! Now that we have your attention...Why does God ask us to keep it in marriage only? The answers might surprise you--this isn't your Grandma's Sex Sermon...check it out!
Find more videos like this on Pond Place
Why save sex for marriage? The Church says, "Because God said so" or, "If you don't you'll get sick, get hurt, get pregnant, or die." Maybe God gave other reasons--reasons that might change us forever!
A False Sense of (Spiritual) Security
I see it all the time. People who think they're "good with God," yet are so lost. Sometimes, I literally cry as I pass by some big churches filled to the brim for certain meetings, because I KNOW what their pastors teach and thus what most of them believe. I see the fruit--and it scares me.
I know that sounds judgmental, but let's not forget that while Jesus taught us NOT to condemn, he also taught us to, "make a righteous judgement (John 7:24)," and to do so by "their fruits (Matt. 7:16, 20)." When churches teach that there's more than one way to connect with God, thus contradicting Jesus' very words (John 14:6), when they embrace gay/lesbian marriage as a "holy union" in direct contradiction to what God has revealed in scripture (Romans 1:25-27), or when they suggest that it's by works of liturgy or ceremony that we are saved or cleansed instead of by faith as Jesus and the Apostles taught (Eph. 2:8-10, etc.)--can we not conclude that they are lost or at least severely confused and in danger of hearing those words from Matthew chapter seven?
I know that sounds judgmental, but let's not forget that while Jesus taught us NOT to condemn, he also taught us to, "make a righteous judgement (John 7:24)," and to do so by "their fruits (Matt. 7:16, 20)." When churches teach that there's more than one way to connect with God, thus contradicting Jesus' very words (John 14:6), when they embrace gay/lesbian marriage as a "holy union" in direct contradiction to what God has revealed in scripture (Romans 1:25-27), or when they suggest that it's by works of liturgy or ceremony that we are saved or cleansed instead of by faith as Jesus and the Apostles taught (Eph. 2:8-10, etc.)--can we not conclude that they are lost or at least severely confused and in danger of hearing those words from Matthew chapter seven?
We can, and we should--or we too may be in danger of spiritual blindness and failure.
But it's not primarily large groups, denominations, or churches that we're ultimately concerned about is it? God pays no heed to any of these designations actually, it's the individual saints He is concerned about. Yet, I know of so many people who think that they're "good to go with God" based on any number of virtually irrelevant factors:
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