Getting Clean Dishes

How Are You at Washing Dishes?

getting clean dishes

Getting clean dishes?

There is a famous hymn in many church hymnals titled, “Purer In Heart, O God.”  The song itself is short and simple, but its message is weighty and piercing.  The main point of the hymn is found in the words “may I devote my life wholly to Thee.” This attitude of willing and total submission to God’s will is the key to the answer to all of life’s problems, struggles, and uncertainties.

To keep himself from sin, David pleaded with God, saying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).  You see, David understood the reward of having a pure heart; a reward that Jesus referred to in Matthew 5:8, saying, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Sadly, there are those who are more like the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees who did not “cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also” (Matt. 23:25-26).  Had they done so, they would have received the same reward as David.

Friends, if you want to see God, you better wash your dishes.

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Marriage Fantasy

Idolizing the Aisle

Look around your church auditorium. Chance are you have couples there who have been married more than fifty years. Some congregations even have couples that reach the 60-year mark! Parents please humbly and honestly consider this question: Do you hold these individuals up to your children? Do you really?

marriages based on fantasy just dont last

Marriages based on fantasy just don’t last.

The vast majority of Christian young people grow up idolizing Hollywood celebrities and pop stars, just like their worldly friends. Sadly, they watch their movies, shows, or listen to their music—and they see pictures of million dollar “fairy tale” weddings. But after the smoke clears most of those Hollywood marriages quickly go up in flames. The very marriages our children are idolizing don’t normally make the ten-year mark.

In 2012, Sir Paul Coleridge published a report carried out by Marriage Foundation, a group founded by Coleridge, that revealed after 10 years of marriage the divorce rate for celebrities is 40 percent, double the national average of 20 percent over the same period. The study looked at 572 celebrity couples who have tied the knot since 2000. One in ten had divorced within two years and a quarter of the marriages were over within five years. (See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/divorce/9686108/Judge-warns-against-idolising-celebrity-marriages-which-are-more-prone-to-fail.html.)

           Another study revealed that those expensive “fairy tale” weddings aren’t all they seem. Economics professors from Emory University surveyed 3,000 U.S. adults who had been married at some point in their lives and found that participants who spent large sums of money on engagement rings and/or their weddings were more likely to end up divorced. Here are the two main findings:

1. Men who spent $2,000 to $4,000 on engagement rings were 1.3 times more likely to end up divorced than men who spent $500 to $2,000. Women who received expensive engagement rings also experienced higher rates of divorce.

2. Women whose weddings cost $20,000 or more were 3.5 times more likely to end up divorced than women who spent $5,000 to $10,000. (According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is more than $30,000). [see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/03/expensive-weddings-study_n_5929056.html].

All that money and attention feeds narcissism—and does not prepare a newly wed person to be selfless or compromise. Yet, many young ladies do not feel like their lives will be complete unless they experience that Hollywood ‘fairy tale” wedding.

See the problem? Our children are looking up to an industry whose marriages are even worse than the national average. Most celebrities are not individuals who view love the way 1 Corinthians 13 describes it. Instead, these are individuals who pursue relationships based on their own selfish desires. Every time a movie star has a romantic scene with a new co-star tabloids report about their new-found romance. But what about fidelity? What about keeping the marriage bed pure and unspotted?

Is it possible we are preparing young people for the “Hollywood” wedding, but not a real-life marriage? How many young girls are looking forward to their wedding more than they are the marriage? Moms and dads, how about we start pointing our children to some real marriage role models? How about we look to faithful Christians in the church for examples of how we should pattern our lives?

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Hey Christians!

From One Christian to Another

christians keep diligent

Christians Keep Diligent!

Do not neglect your family. Great men and women of God do not neglect their responsibilities at home. Noah did not neglect his family (1 Pet. 3:20). Abraham did not neglect his family (Gen. 18:19). Joshua did not neglect his family (Josh. 24:15). Even with the arduous task that preachers have of evangelizing the world and edifying the brethren, these are not to annul our personal responsibilities at home to be husbands and fathers. Sometimes preachers (and other Christians) may rationalize that they are putting the kingdom of God first—this we all should do, but again, we cannot do so to the neglect of our own personal family. Brethren, Satan has had enough to do with creating havoc in our families! Are we not tired of watching families (even within the church of our Lord) crumble all around us? I know that I am! Do not neglect your family!

Do not quit studying. No one will ever get to the place where he or she knows the entire Bible, even preachers and elders. I believe that some Christians get to the point where they feel that they have a good general knowledge of the Bible, and then they become lazy and quit studying as much as they did when they first became Christians. I think of the late and lamented Franklin Camp, who noticed the study habits of Gus Nichols and decided to study even more (I believe it was six hours daily), which he did all the way up until his death. Christians, we do not know it all, yet! Do not quit studying!

Do not quit spreading the good news of the gospel. Teaching comes with times of great discouragement. We will not convert everybody; even God in the flesh did not convert everybody. When we get discouraged, do not quit teaching! How will the world come to know of the grace of their Savior without teaching? How will the world come to realize the consequences of their sins without teaching? The world needs teachers! Jesus said,

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall be all taught of God.’ Every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. (John 6:44-45)

When we get discouraged, think of all of the mighty men of God who were discouraged and did not quit (Elijah, Jeremiah and such like). Do not quit evangelizing!

Do not ever forget about the ones who sacrificed for you to become the person you are today. Preacher students at schools of preaching (i.e., SWSBS, MSOP and SEIBS) should not ever forget the individuals and congregations who graciously gave to them so that they could sacrifice a few years to learn how to become an effective preacher. Christians should always remember with gratitude those who paved the way for them. I personally remember with fondness a little congregation in Verbena, AL (Midway Church of Christ). This small little congregation supported me meagerly for the final three years that I was a college student, but I would not trade those years of encouragement and opportunity for anything! They helped me then to become the person that I am today. I think of my parents and of other mentors along the way. As Christians, we ought to think of great preachers and elders from our past who sacrificed to allow the church to flourish as it does today. From cover to cover, the Bible teaches that godliness and gratitude go together; it also teaches that wickedness and ingratitude go together. As Christians, we ought always to demonstrate gratitude!

Do not think of yourselves more than you ought. The Bible repetitively teaches this principle (Rom. 12:3; Phil. 2:1-4; et. al). Pride is one of the most dangerous of all sins, and Christians are certainly susceptible to it. For example, whenever preachers get a taste of “success” (large congregations, multiple meetings, exposure from articles/books and such like), Satan will use that situation to tempt them with pride. I have been to many lectureships where some preachers of some esteem rarely talk to “the common preacher,” while others will relate personably. While I do not wish to embarrass anyone or leave anyone out, I can only think of some who have spoken to me as a young preacher with no reputation as if I was important to him. I do not know about you, but I will remember that for as long as I live. The fact of the matter is that Christians can often form cliques, and will only associate with those in their clique. As Christians, we should try to treat everyone the same, and think of ourselves as equals with everyone.

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but it will serve to point out a few nuggets of wisdom that all Christians (and preachers especially) should follow.

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Opinion & Disputable Matters

What Are “Disputable Matters?”

Romans 14:1 in the NIV says, “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.” The ESV reads, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” The ASV says, “But him that is weak in faith receive ye, yet not for decision of scruples.” The KJV renders the verse as follows: “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.” What are “disputable matters,” “opinions,” “scruples,” or “doubtful disputations”?

what weight does opinion have

What weight does opinion have?

Romans 14 is addressed to Gentiles who didn’t understand Jewish customs regarding food, drink, and Jewish feast days (see verses 2, 3, and 6). While these things were commanded under the Old Testament law, they were abrogated in Christ and not obligatory for Gentiles ( Acts 15:9-11, Ephesians 2:15). These Jewish customs became a problem for churches with Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles had no compunction not to practice Jewish customs and thought Christian Jews should feel the same. However, many Jews couldn’t abandon these Jewish practices because it would offend their conscience. So, Paul gave instruction to the church at Rome not to divide over these matters.

Paul wrote, “Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him” ( Romans 14:3). The Jew needed to respect the right of the Gentile not to observe these things by not binding the Jewish customs upon the Gentile. The Gentile also needed to respect the Jew who desired to observe these things by not putting offensive things in front of him (such as pork). For them to do otherwise was to judge unrighteously. So Paul says, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant?” (verse 4). It is the Lord who judges such matters. “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” ( Romans 14:9) and it is to Him that we will all give account (verse 12). So Paul’s conclusion in this regard is this, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” ( Romans 14:13).

To sum up, Paul’s discussion in Romans 14 concerned the observance or non-observance of Jewish customs. Under Christ, these were matters of personal observance since the law had been nailed to the cross ( Colossians 2:14). So, disputable matters are not matters of obligation, but matters of personal conscience. The principles in this passage ought not to be applied to matters of right and wrong.

From this study, we learn there is room for disagreement regarding matters of opinion in the Lord’s church and we learn not to divide over such things. Today there are some among us who hold one opinion or another as a matter of personal conscience. Let us respect them and honor them as our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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Do You Have Worry?

Worry

do you have worry in your life

Do You Have Worry In Your Life?

The Biblical word I want to focus on this week is “Worry.” This English word will not be found if you were to look it up in a King James Bible or in the American Standard Version, but it is found in the New King James Version. Even though the previous two translations do not use the English, the concept of worry is clearly addressed in several passages of Scripture. The KJV uses the phrase “take no thought” to express the concept of worry in Matthew 6:24-34. The ASV uses “be not anxious” in this same context. To today’s reader, the KJV may be a little bit misleading with the way it uses “take no thought.” In the context of Matthew 6 and other places it is found it does not mean that we are not to consider or give any thought at alltoward the needs and cares of this world, i.e. food, clothing, shelter, etc. It just means that one should not become overly concerned with these things to the point that one is distracted from his primary objective, found in verse 33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you..” We still need to be concerned about these things because the Bible says, “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel…” (1 Tim 5:8), but we must not allow them to consume us as illustrated by the thorny soil in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:22, “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

Why should we not worry or become anxious about the cares and needs of this world? The message Jesus delivered in Matthew 6:24-34 makes it clear that we should not worry about these things because God cares for us. And because if we seek Him first and foremost in this life, these things Christ here mentions really do not matter at all. If I am faithful to God and lack the necessities of this life it does not matter; though I may be poor in material goods or in physical health, I am rich toward God through Christ Jesus my Lord. (C.f. 2 Cor. 8:9 and James 2:5) Therefore friends, let us not worry and be anxious over the necessities of this life and “let us lay aside every weightand the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1, 2)

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