A Child's Message to His Parents #3

Don't make me feel smaller than I am. If you do, I will make up for it by behaving like a 'big shot'.

Don't do things for me that I can do for myself. It makes me feel like a baby, and I will therefore act helpless like one, and put you in my services.

A Child's Message to His Parents #2

Don't use force with me. It teaches me that power is all that counts. I will respond more readily to being led.

Don' make promises. You may not be able to keep them. That will discourage my trust in you.

A Child's Message to His Parents #1

Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for. I'm only testing you.

Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it. It lets me know where I stand.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #1

Nothing inspires me and strengthens my commitment like the annual business meeting.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #2

Pastor, we'd like to send you to that Bible seminar in the Bahamas.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #3

Since we're all here, let's start the worship service early.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #4

I love it when we sing hymns we've never sung before.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #5

Forget the denominational guidelines - let's pay our pastor a good living wage.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #6

I volunteer  to be the permanent Sunday School teacher for the junior high class.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #7

Pastor, I've decided to give our church the $500 a month I used to send to the TV evangelists.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #8

Personally, I find witnessing more enjoyable than golfing.

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #9

I was so enthralled, I never noticed the sermon went overtime by 20 minutes)

(Dedicated to Susan Jordan)

Pastors' Top Ten Wished-for Statements #10

Hey, it's my turn to sit in the front pew!

Learning

A small boy was learning to skate. His frequent mishaps awakened the pity of a bystander. "Sonny, you're getting all banged up," he said, "Why don't you stop for a while and just watch the other?"

With tears still rolling down his cheeks from the last fall, he looked from his advisor to the shining steel on his feet and said, "Mister, I didn't get these skates to give up with! I got 'em to learn how with."

Give Thanks #15

I am thankful for the alarm that goes off in the early morning because it means I am still alive.

Give Thanks #14

I am thankful for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.

Give Thanks #13

I give thanks for the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.

Give Thanks #12

I am thankful for the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.

Give Thanks #11

I am thankful for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

Give Thanks #10

I am thankful for the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have blessed with transportation.

Don't Be Afraid to Fail

You've failed many times, although you may not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot. R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on. English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he publish 564 books. Babe Ruth struck out 1,300 times but he also hit 714 home runs. Don't worry about failure. Worry about the changes you miss when you don't even try.

Give Thanks #9

I give thanks for all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

Give Thanks #8

I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

Give Thanks #7

I am thankful for my shadow that watches me work, because it means I am out in the sunshine.

Give Thanks #6

I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

Give Thanks #5

I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

Give Thanks #4

I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.

Give Thanks #3

I am thankful for the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home and not on the streets.

Give Thanks #2

I am Thankful for the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

Give Thanks #1

I am thankful for my wife who says it's hot dogs tonight because she is not out with someone else.

Learn from each day

The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from a distant friendly party; but they say nothing, and if we do not use the gifts they bring, they carry them as silently, away.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Peace be within you

May today there be peace within you. 
My you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet
When our wings are have trouble remembering how to fly.

DEATH

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his mast was here, and when the door opened, he sprang without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing ... I know my Master is there and that is enough."

What I've Learned #48

I've learned that no matter your age, your physical condition or the physical condition of those you love, when you feel you cannot live without someone, you need to be prepared to do so anyway. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone.

What I've Learned #47

I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

What I've Learned #46

I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.

What I've Learned #45

I've learned that writing, as well as talking, case ease emotional pains.

(This is another one that is very personal for me.)

What I've Learned #44

I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

What I've Learned #43

I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

What I've Learned #42

I've learned that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar, you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.

(Very personal for me)

What I've Learned #41

I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.

What I've Learned #40

I've learned that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.

What I've Learned #39

I've learned that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

What I've Learned #38

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

What I've Learned #37

I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

What I've Learned #36

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

What I've Learned #35

I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. I could change your life forever.

What I've Learned #34

I've learned that if you don't want to forget something stick it in your underwear drawer.

What I've Learned #33

I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

What I've Learned #32

I've learned that it can take years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

What I've Learned #31

I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.

What I've Learned #30

I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

What I've Learned #29

I've learned that sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.

What I've Learned #28

I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

What I've Learned #27

I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

What I've Learned #26

I've learned that it isn't enough to be forgiven by others. You have to learn to forgive yourself.

What I've Learned #25

I've learned that no matter how good a friend someone is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

What I've Learned #24

I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.

What I've Learned #23

I've learned that you should never tell a child her dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what tragedy it would be if she believed it.

What I've Learned #22

I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with hos many birthdays you've celebrated.

What I've Learned #21

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

What I've Learned #20

I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they love you with all they have.

What I've Learned #19

I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. And it is the same for true love.

What I've Learned #18

I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

After all, God got angry with good reason:

Deuteronomy 4:21 "Furthermore the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

What I've Learned #17

I've learned that my best friends and I can do anything or nothing and have the best of times.

What I've Learned #16

I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

What I've Learned #15

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.

What I've Learned #14

I've learned that to forgive takes practice.

What I've Learned #13

I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

What I've Learned #12

I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

Note: This is one of the most prevalent factor in divorces. True love outlasts the days of passion.

What I've Learned #11

I've learned that sometimes I just need to be held.

What I've Learned #10

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

What I've Learned #9

I've learned that you can keep going long after you thin you can't.

What I've Learned #8

I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

What I've Learned #7

I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.

What I've Learned #5

I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.


So VERY true!!!

What I've Learned #4

I've learned that no matter how you slice it, there are always two sides.

What I've Learned #3

I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life.

What I've Learned #2

I've learned that it's not what happens to one that's important. I'ts what we do about it.

What I've Learned #1

I've learned that it's best not to compare oneself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

Long Ads

It was an exciting Sunday for the seven-year old girl. Her parents had consented to her plea to be allowed to sit through the regular church service. Upon its conclusion, they asked her how she like it. She said the music was beautiful but the commercial was much too long.

Run and Don't Look Back!

Sunday School Teacher: The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but wife looked back and was turned to a pillar of salt.

Little Willie: What happened to the flea?

Live Each Day to the Fullest

Yesterday's troubles are written in the sand,
Brushed out of existence by God's own hand.
The things in the future our hearts may fear
Can all be resolved When tomorrow is here.
Out of a lifetime,these hours alone;
The hours of today are completely our own...
So, as each sun is setting, there's reason to say
"Thanks, Lord, for your gifts, above all, for THIS DAY!

Be Yourself

One reason why poinsettias keep their popularity is that they never try to smell like a rose.

JUST FOR TODAY #9

I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so will the world give to me.

JUST FOR TODAY #8

I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour I will try to get a better perception of my life.

JUST FOR TODAY #7

I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests - hurry and indecision.

JUST FOR TODAY #6

I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress correctly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit. I will not find fault with anything nor try to improve or regulate anyone but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY #5

I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things that I don't want to do -- just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

JUST FOR TODAY #4

I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my "luck" as it comes and fit myself to it.

JUST FOR TODAY #3

I will try to strengthen my mind; I will study. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

JUST FOR TODAY #2

I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said: "Most folks are happy as they make up their minds to be."

JUST FOR TODAY #1

I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problems at once. I can do something for 12 hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

A Map of the USA

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like.

Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.'

After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly. 'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.'

Worry is a Disease

Worry is a disease. It leaves lines on your face and marks on your mind which time will never eradicate. Learn to face things as they come, and when they come, with calm deliberation. We may not be able to control events, but we can control our attitude toward them.

Be Kind!

Be kind. Remember everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Vote Often

Whatever your theology, you will find it hard to disagree with the ... preacher who told his congregation, "There's an election going on all the time. The Lord votes for you and the Devil votes against you, and then you cast the deciding vote."

The Bible

The bible is the greatest literary paradox the world has ever seen. It is the deepest and yet the clearest of all books. Its greatest profundities have come from the simplest of men. It is most needed when it is least wanted. It dismisses a sentence and entire nation to give us the message of a farmer. It ignores a king to tell us a story of a shepherd.

It begins in a garden; it ends in a city. It begins with darkness; it ends in glory. It begins with a serpent and ends with a Lamb.

You can get along with other books; this one you ignore at your peril. It is a book of warning. Do not add to it or take from it. It is older than most nations of today, yet it is fresher than tomorrow's dew. It is a rock for stability; a seed for growth, a sword for defense, and a spring for satisfaction. It literature is ancient but prophetically modern.

The Bible tells the story of the past in terms of the future.

-- Will H. Houghton

A Better World

"Your task is to build a better world," said the Lord.

And I answered "How? This world is such a large, vast place, and, oh, so complicated now! And I'm so small and useless, there is nothing I can do."

The Lord in all His wisdom said, "You just build a better YOU"

Don't Stay away from Church ... #4

... because the church always want money. So does the grocer.
... because you have plenty of time for that late. ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?

Don't Stay away from Church ... #3

... because you have company. They will admire you if you bring them, or ask that they wait until your return.

.. because you need an occasional weekend vacation. You should not allow your soul a vacation from God.

... because your clothes are not good.Th church isn't supposed to be a fashion show.

... because the church standard is too high. Take  look at the Bible standard if you think ours is high.

Don't Stay away from Church ... #2

Don't Stay away from Church ... #2

... because no one invited you. You go to the movies without an invitation.
... because you have little children. Suppose you didn't have them? We havea nursery.
... because you don't like the preacher. He's human like you.
... because your job makes your tired. You could lose it.
... because there are hypocrites. You're with them daily.

Don't Stay away from Church ... #1

...because you are poor. There is no admission fee.
... because you are rich. We can help you cure that.
... because it rains. You go to work in the rain.
... because it is hot. So is the golf course.
... because it is cold. It's warm and friendly inside.

Lincoln - The face of God

I never behold (the heavens filled with stars) that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down on the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.  - Abraham Lincoln

What would change if ...

your church had no building in which to meet?

your church had no hymnals?
your church had no musical instruments?
your church had no baptistry?
your church had no ushers?
your church had no choir?
your church had no creeds?
your church had no New Testament?

How to be Happy

Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray often. Keep the Lord first in your heart.

Fill your life with love, scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Do as you would by done by.

These are the tried links in contentment's golden chain.

(Kiwanis Support of Churches Committee)

Doubt vs Faith

Doubt sees the obstacles, faith sees the way;

Doubt sees the darkest night, faith sees the day;

Doubt dreads to take a step, faith soars on high;

Doubt questions, "Who believes?"

Faith answers "I""

Choices

All you have to do to change your life is to change your mind.

It really is that simple; but it isn't always easy.

All you have to do to stop feeling bad is to start feeling good ... but

Feeling good is not a one-time event; It is a decision we make minute by minute, day  by day; it is a creation

The way  to change the world is to change your attitude toward it.

... Not just once, but all the time.

A letter from God to You #7:

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

A letter from God to You #6:

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

A letter from God to You #5:

Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.

A letter from God to You #4:

If you  find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in  this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

A letter from God to You #3:

Once the matter is placed in the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

A letter from God to You #2:

And remember ...

If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do NOT attempt resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in  the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in MY time, not yours.

Thanks Be to God

I ain't what I oughta be;
I ain't what I'm gonna be;
But I ain't what I  was.

A letter from God to You #1:

This is God. Today I will be handling ALL of your problems for you. I do NOT need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

A Better Idea?

Quaker Dozen #10

Have charity in your heart.

Quaker Dozen #9

Be Pure and Clean.

Quaker Dozen #8

Read worthwhile books.

Quaker Dozen #7

Show Kindness

Quaker Dozen #6

Read from the Bible

Quaker Dozen #5

Follow the Golden Rule.

Quaker Dozen #4

Make light of your troubles.

Quaker Dozen #3

Love your family.

Quaker Dozen #2

Work hard.

Quaker Dozen

1. Begin each day in prayer.

Handel

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He was very large.

Thought for the day #1

If God had believed in permissiveness, He would have given us the 10 suggestions.

Bach

Johann Bach  wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children.  In between, he practiced on an old spinster which he kept in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the present.

Lincoln's death

On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a supposedly insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.

Lincoln's Feats

Abraham Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also freed the slaves by signing the Emasculation Proclamation.

Lincoln's Birth

Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest President. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. Lincoln said, "In onion there is strength."

The Constitution of the United States

Soon the Constitution of the United State was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

George Washington

George Washington married Martha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. His farewell address was Mount Vernon.

Declaration of Independence

Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin invested in electricity by rubbing two cats backwards and declared, "A horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

Revolution

One of the reasons for the Revolutionary War was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their parcels through the post without stamps. During the war, the Red Coats and Paul Revere were throwing balls over some walls. The dogs were barking and peacocks crowing. Finally the colonists won the war and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Pilgrims

Later, the pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 162 was a hard on for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for this.

Shakespeare's Plays

In Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. His mind is filled with the filth of incesmous sheets which he pours over every time he sees his mother. In another play, Lady MacBeth tries to convince MacBeth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. The clown in As You Like It is named Touchdown, and Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couple. Romeo's last wish was to be laid by Juliet.

Shakespeare

The greatest write of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was born in , year supposedly on his birthday. He never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote tragedies, comedies and hysterectomies, all in Islamic parameter.

Inventions and Discoveries

It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the removable type and the Bible. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking. And Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen". As a queen, she was a success. When Elizabeth exposed herself before he troops, they all shouted "Hurrah". Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.

Early England

The government of England was a limited mockery. From the womb of Henry VIII Protestantism was born. He found walking around the house difficult because he had an abbess on his knee.

Renaissance

The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luthor was nailed to the church door at Wittenburg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. It was the painter Donatello's interest in the female nude that made him the father of the Renaissance.

Middle Ages

Then came the middle ages when everyone was middle-aged. King Alfred conquered the Dames. King Arthur lived in the age of Shivery with brave knights on prancing horses and beautiful women. King Harold mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings. Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was canonized by Bernard Shaw. And victims of the bluebonnet plague grew boobs on their necks. Finally, Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.

Rome

Rome came to have too many luxuries and baths. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlics in their hair. They took two baths in two days, and that's caused the fall of Rome. Rome was invaded by ballbearings, and is full of fallen arches today.

Roman Leaders

Julius Caesar distinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March murdered him because they  thought he was going to be made king. Dying, he gasped out, "Tee Hee, Brutus." Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his poor subjeccts by playing the fiddle to them.

Romans

Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks. History calls people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long.

Socrates

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death his career suffered a dramatic decline. In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits and threw the java. The reward to the Victor was a coral wreath.

Achilles and Homer

One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in The Iliad by Homer. Homer also wrote the Oddity, in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Job

Later came Job, who had one trouble after another. Eventually he lost all his cattle and all his children and had to go live alone with his wife in a desert.

David and Solomon

David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the Liar. He fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in  Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.

Moses

Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea. Thy made unleavened bread made without ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up to Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. He died before he ever reached Canada.

Abraham's Sons

God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Isaac, stole his brother's birthmark. Jacob was a patriarch who brought up his 12 sons to be patriarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Good Question

The Bible is full of good caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guiness, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"

Pyramids

The pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain. The Egyptians built the pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube.

What is hyper-grace?" – in the Bible #8

On February 1, 2014, the message was about how to determine if a church is teaching the relatively newly dubbed “Hyper-Grace”. There were at least 8 identifiers. I have already covered #1-7.

The following are signs of a hyper-grace church:

1. The preachers never speak against sin.

2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.

3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.

4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.

5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.

6. The lead pastor preaches against tithing.

7. The lead pastor only preaches positive motivational messages.

8. Key members of the church are regularly living sinful lives with impunity.

Those attending a hyper-grace church will most likely find that, because of the strong emphasis on grace—with no teaching against sin or on repentance, judgment or hell—there is an atmosphere of loose living, with many involved in sexual immorality and drunkenness as well as other physical vices.

The reason for this is “the law is our schoolmaster that leads us to Christ” (Gal. 3:24) because through the (moral) law comes the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). If the moral law of the Ten Commandments is not preached or alluded to, then in ignorance the people will live foolish lives and will be like the blind leading to blind because “where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law” (Prov. 28:18).

1 Corinthians 5:

·         1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife!

·         2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.

·         3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.

·         4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

·         5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

·         6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

·         7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

·         8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

·         9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

·         10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

·         11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.

·         12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside?

·         13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

So, that being said, let’s look at the scripture the Hyper-Grace church uses in context.

Galatians 3:

·         19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

·         20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

·         21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.

o   Following the Law by itself is not a guarantee of redemption

·         22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

·         23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

o   The Law was a foreshadow of Jesus Christ so that we could know Him more completely

·         24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

·         25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

o   We are no longer “under the law” but we are expected to obey  it

o   Jesus Christ has paid our penalty

o   After our atonement, we are not expected to sin any more

o   “It’s not what you have to do to be a Christian; it’s what you want to do if you are a Christian”

o   The same is true in a marriage. You can still date others if you want to do so, but if you are truly in love, you don’t want to.

·         26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

·         27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

·         28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

·         29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 3:

·         27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.

·         28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

·         29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,

·         30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

o   If we could be ‘saved’ by keeping the law, we could boast about it. That is not the case. Salvation is only through the grace of God.

·         31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Romans 6:

·         1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

·         2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

o   Sin is the violation of the Torah

·         3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

·         4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

o   That newness of life is life according to the spirit of the Torah

o   The Pharisees were living according to the literal law, including their oral traditions

·         5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

·         6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

·         7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.

·         8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

·         9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

·         10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

·         11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

·         12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

o   Don’t live according to the carnal body

·         13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

·         14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

·         15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

o   Of course not! Many miss the point here.

·         16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

·         17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

·         18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

·         19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to  more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

·         20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

·         21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

·         22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

·         23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

o   The wages of sin (living against the Torah) is still death!

What is hyper-grace?" – in the Bible #7

On February 1, 2014, the message was about how to determine if a church is teaching the relatively newly dubbed “Hyper-Grace”. There were at least 8 identifiers. I have already covered #1-6.

The following are signs of a hyper-grace church:
1. The preachers never speak against sin.
2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.
3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.
4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.
5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.
6. The lead pastor preaches against tithing.

7. The lead pastor only preaches positive motivational messages.

Those attending hyper-grace churches only hear positive messages on health, wealth, prosperity, God’s love, God’s forgiveness and how to succeed in life. Although I also agree with and teach on these topics, we have to be careful to include in our preaching the whole counsel of God so that we feed the flock a balanced diet instead of just the sweetness of feel-good messages.

This reminds me a lot of # 1 – they never speak against sin. I, also, agree with the good news, the Gospel, the promises of God’s forgiveness and all of the positive messages. However, this approach ignores the biggest little word in the Bible – IF.

John 10:
• 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
• 38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
o Jesus told us to believe in Him only IF He does the works of the Father

1 Corinthians 11:
• 1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
• 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
o Paul, like Jesus, told his followers to follow him, ONLY as he followed Christ – keeping the Commandments of God

John 15:
• 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
• 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
• 11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
• 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
• 13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
• 14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
o IF you keep His commandments
o IF you do whatever He commanded

John 14:
• 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
o IF
• 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
• 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Ecclesiastes 12:
• 8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."
o “Been there, done that” – Solomon’s life was full of variety – He had done it all – including going at least a bit insane for a while – His assessment is that the experiences mattered to no one but himself.
• 9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
o God granted Solomon’s request for wisdom and he used it to teach others – including us through his writings in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs
• 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright-words of truth.
o It appears he spent a lot of time choosing his words carefully
• 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
o And the words that he chose were intended to goad us into action
• 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
o Solomon acknowledged that many books have been and will be written – to study everything that is available results in ‘the paralysis of analysis’ – we get tired of studying after a while – then we must make a decision
• 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
o And THAT DECISION needs to be to fear God (hold Him in awe due to all He has done and promises to do) and to keep His commandments – in every facet of our lives – that is all we can do – and it is all He expects us to do
• 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
o God know our every thought, every time we stand up and every time we sit down and every time we lay down. That knowledge should be enough to shake us up to follow His way!

In today’s world, it is common to hear televangelists as well as preachers in organized churches, preach only the ‘soft’ stuff. They tell us the God will bless us with monetary fortune, if we but send them $1000 or more. We can be healed if we only let them lay hands on us – pound us on our forehead. Yes, they tell us the God is Love and that God will forgive us and that God promises a life of success. And He does but not necessarily in this human life. It may not exist for us until the Kingdom of God. We cannot earn it in any way, but we must follow the IFs –and follow, obey His commandments.

What is hyper-grace?" – in the Bible #6

On February 1, 2014, the message was about how to determine if a church is teaching the relatively newly dubbed “Hyper-Grace”. There were at least 8 identifiers. I have already covered #1-5.

The following are signs of a hyper-grace church:

1. The preachers never speak against sin.

2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.

3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.

4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.

5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.

6. The lead pastor preaches against tithing.

Although I believe tithing carried over into the New Testament, I believe it is more of a biblical principle that preceded the Law of Moses (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all tithed before Moses gave the Law), was taught by Jesus (Matt. 23) and was mentioned in other passages, like Hebrews 7. These pastors denounce tithing as a law that was done away with in Christ.

Genesis 14:

·         17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.

·         18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

·         19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;

·         20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.

o   Tithing was in practice long before Moses and the Ten Commandments

Matthew 23:

·         13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

·         14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

·         15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

·         16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'

·         17 "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

·         18 "And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'

·         19 "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

·         20 "Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

·         21 "He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

·         22 "And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

·         23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

o   Jesus here is telling the Pharisees that they are correct in keeping the literal written directives of the  law, The Torah

o   This was a great opportunity for Him to tell them it wasn’t needed any more, but He did not do so

o   So where DID Christ do away with tithing? He didn’t do it.

Hebrews 7:

·         1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

·         2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace,"

·         3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

·         4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.

·         5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;

·         6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

·         7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.

·         8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

·         9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak,

·         10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

o   Years after Christ’s crucifixion, Paul (or whoever wrote to the Hebrews) had yet another opportunity to say that tithing had been done away by Christ.

o   He did not do so.

Malachi 3:

·         7 Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you said, 'In what way shall we return?'

·         8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.

o   Since 100% belongs to God and He has said you can keep 90% of it, to fail to give Him His 10% portion is stealing from Him

·         9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.

·         10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

·         11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts;

·         12 "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.

OK, so scripture shows us that tithing has not been done away by Jesus Christ, other questions arise in today’s society.

1.      If salaried, is the tithe 10% of your gross pay or net pay?

2.      If you have investments, even a savings or checking account that pays interest or dividends, are their proceeds subject to a tithe?

3.      Much of the Old Testament tithing was of crops. How does that relate to non-farmers?

4.      In the Old Testament times, and even during Jesus’ time on earth, there was no government that paid Medicare or Social Security Benefits. Part of the tithe to the Levites was to go to helping widows, orphans and those unable to work.

Now it is your turn to address the Holy Spirit. Pray to the Father that He may guide your decisions. I will not attempt to provide the answers to you. These questions are typical of what may have been taken to the judges or Levites for individual answers that fit your personal situation. Since it was not possible to lay out the detailed answers to these questions in the Torah, they become issues between you and God. Your directive is to obey the letter of the law. Be true to the spirit and ask God to direct you where there is no clear answer.

What is hyper-grace?" – in the Bible #5

On February 1, 2014, the message was about how to determine if a church is teaching the relatively newly dubbed “Hyper-Grace”. There were at least 8 identifiers. I have already covered #1-2.

The following are signs of a hyper-grace church:

1. The preachers never speak against sin.

2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.

3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.

4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.

5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.

Many hyper-grace pastors constantly denounce churches that are conservative in their values because they believe those churches represent the "old school" that is no longer relevant to today’s culture.

What’s New?

The Pope calls for international laws supporting Sunday

America’s Most Admired = Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michelle and Barack Obama

Mideast Peace Talks – going on ‘forever’

Harry Potter

Al Qaeda

Earthquakes

Tsunamis

Missiles aimed at Israel

Mothers killing their children

Gay marriages being approved as a ‘right’

Conditions similar to Sodom and Gomorrah rampant

Terrorist activity hanging like a dark cloud over our heads

Droughts

Floods

Poisoned waters

Inedible fish

Beef fed antibiotics

Chicken fed genetically reengineered feed

Pork declared edible

What else would you care to add to this list?

This represents today’s ‘culture’. This represents man’s way of solving the issues of the world.

What’s Old?

John 5

·         39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

John 10:

·         4 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."

·         25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.

·         26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

·         27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

·         28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

·         29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

·         30 "I and My Father are one."

·         31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

·         32 Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?"

·         33 The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."

·         34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?

·         35 "If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

·         36 "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

·         37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

·         38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."

Luke 24:

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

·         14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

·         15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

·         16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

·         17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

·         18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

·         19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,

·         20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

·         21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

·         22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

·         23 "When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

·         24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."

·         25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

·         26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

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

·         28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.

·         29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

·         30 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.

·         31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

·         32 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?"

2 Peter 1:

·         16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

·         17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

·         18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

·         19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

·         20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

·         21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:

·         10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,

·         11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.

·         12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

·         13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

·         14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

·         15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

·         16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

·         17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

In these New Testament passages, it is clear that the “scriptures” referenced are the Old Testament since that is all they had to study at the time. John, Luke, Peter and Timothy all caution against forgetting the Old Testament teachings. They point toward Jesus, the Messiah, and God’s Kingdom. The Torah is not sensitive to variant time frames. It is as 100% true today as it was in the time of Christ.