Christians are Focused in the Wrong Direction

Having a part time job at Dollywood has caused me to associate with people who are different than myself, than my neighbors, than the other members of the church I attend. One observation I have made is on Sundays those who do not attend church look very similar to those who do attend church they just arrive earlier. At Dollywood I see parents with mentally or physically challenged children; adults who are mentally or physically challenged; people who can only come to Dollywood if someone will give them a ticket.

 

Christians thank God they are not like those people. Christians need to get their focus off themselves and help the helpless.

Robots or Free Will?

Being in Heaven does not guarantee continued obedience. If it does we are the robots we say God does not want around him. We say God wants to be honored by people to have free will. How does that coincide with Satan rebelling while in God's presence?

Time for Christians to Think

Does a loving God torture for infinity an individual who live an infinitesimal period of time who failed to obey? Or does he just wipe them out as if they never existed? We would not be considered a good parent if we punished our child everyday for something he did when he was very young. It may be time for Christians to think.

Is the church an Audience?

The definition of the word Audience includes: the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as in attendance at a theater or concert. Does that define the assembly of the church? Are we listeners or viewers as at a theater or concert?

 

It appears preachers see themselves as the star of the show and consider the assembly THEIR audience.

 

One relatively well known preacher quit his job as the "pulpit preacher" but continued to attend the assembly for which he had formerly "preached." He explained it as being similar to the Superintendent of a school system stepping down to become one of the teachers. I believe we just may have an ego problem. One should not think higher than one ought to think.

 

Is your preacher a "gospel preacher" or the weekly keynote speaker?

 

 

What Do Christians Really Believe?

The author of the book Hebrews wrote:

 

    For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

        and chastises every son whom he receives."

 

Jesus through John tells us:

 

    Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 

 

James wrote:

 

    Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

 

Disciplines means God causes those he loves to have problems. Apparently along with those good gifts and perfect gifts God give problems to experience.

 

Paul told Timothy:

 

    Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 

 

Since the members of the church Jesus established on Pentecost are not persecuted, at least within the borders of the United States,  it has to mean they are not living "a godly life in Christ Jesus." That would suggest they are not going to Heaven as they have convinced themselves. Of course the author of Hebrews, Jesus, John and Paul could be exaggerating.

 

People claiming to be Christians need to decide what they believe and live it. So far what they say and what they do are far apart.

 

 

Christians and Tragedies

Christians, unaffected by tragedies they read about in the newspaper or hear about on radio or tv proudly report they are "praying for the people affected." If God was going to help the situation would never have been. These victims have no house, no clothes, no food, no credit cards, no driver's license, no cash, and may have lost members of their families and Christians are praying for them. What a farce. Christians need to get off the backsides and help. Trouble is when Christians decide to help they first think what can they afford instead of what will it take. How much can they give and still go out to eat, or still eat their favorite food or buy a new car or new clothes or go on a nice vacation. Many times Christians are the last people you want to help you. My guess is according to their belief they are all going to Hell.

Did Christians Fail to Pray?

Did Christians fail to pray for Stephen? When he was killed the bible says he saw Jesus standing by the right hand of God. We take Jesus standing as a show of concern. If he was concerned why didn't he stop the murder? Why do you think Jesus is any more concerned about you than he was for Stephen?

Are We in the Gap?

Are we in the gap today? It appears there were length periods when God had no contact with his creation.  For 400 years the Israelites heard nothing from Him. Abraham had several periods in his life when he did not hear anything from Him. I have not experienced nor observed examples of answered prayer. What makes you think we are not in one of those gaps today?

 

Do you pray expecting or hoping?

 

Free Will?

Have you ever considered what made the angel we call Satan rebell against God while in his presence? Apparently being in the presence of God does not cause one to obey God. The question is will those in Heaven tempted to rebel? If they do rebel where will God send them? Abraham told the rich man movement between Heaven and Hell is not possible.

Praying hard or easy

 

What does "praying hard" mean? How does one pray hard? How does one know if they are praying hard enough? When one's prayer is not fulfilled does that suggest prayer had not be hard enough? 

 

 

Christians are Focused on Themselves

Christians' focus is in the wrong direction. Listen to the prayers look at the activities. Christians are focused on themselves.

Christians are thankful for their blessings? What blessings? God has nothing to do with what they have. If they did not work they would not eat. That is not a blessing from God. It is reality. Is God cursing the people who do not have enough to eat or is are they starving because they are unable to find food? When an individual does not have the money to buy food is God cursing them? No, and he is not blessing those who do have the money. Christians are thankful when a child is born healthy. God has nothing to do with that. Has God cursed the parents of a child with physical or mental challenges? Christians ask God to heal friends and family from disease but do not expect him to do it? Christians pray for safety and security. Is God cursing individuals who die in accidents or are victims of crimes? No and neither is he protecting Christians from the same. Christians believe God, who created the universe and everything in it both visible and invisible CAN but they do not believe he WILL and James says that is the earmark of a failed request.

Sure Christians do some charitable activities but only when and if it is convenient. Sure Christians help some poor but only to the extent their "sacrifice" does not interfere with what they want to do such as buy things or go on vacations. Christians do not ask "What will it take? Christians ask "What can I afford?" Christians have to decide if "God blesses them with riches so they can go on vacations or but nice cars and houses or if God blesses them so they can help others or God has nothing to do with their circumstances.

Christians say they are God's face, hands and feet on earth but they do not believe it nor do they act like it. How many prayers have you heard in which Christians ask God to comfort or heal or even to save an individual from sin and then sit back and wait? If Christians are God's face, hands and feet on earth God will comfort, heal or save through them.

Christians need to wake up. God is active in the physical world only as much as his followers are active and no more.

View of Death

Stephen Hawking is a Theoretical Physicist who taught for years at Cambridge University. His books on the universe make physics understandable for the common folk. He has had ALS for 40 years. A friend at the Gatlinburg church didn't live 10 years with ALS. This link is to his view of death.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110516/us_yblog_thelookout/stephen-hawking-says-afterlife-is-a-fairy-story

While we believe he is wrong and he just may be Hawking is an example of a non-believer not being afraid to die. Being a Christian is not a prerequisite to not fearing death.

Is Church Habit?

Periodically working on Sundays and Wednesdays at Dollywood has permitted me to wonder if "going to church" is anything more than habit. The two hours on Sunday morning go by much faster at Dollywood than they do "in church." When 11:45 arrives at Dollywood I think OK, those folks have "worshipped" and are ready for the week (I do not believe worship has any part in what we do). Since most will not return until the next Sunday obviously nothing tweaked their interest to cause them to want to return until then. So that begs the question "How do our assemblies help us to be followers of Jesus?" By their actions the majority of the members believe they can be followers of Jesus without the church.

Also by their actions the majority of the members do not find our bible classes interesting enough to want to attend. For the majority of the adults the only source of bible instruction is the preacher lecturing. The Wednesday bible class is mostly to fill time as evidenced by the lack of any structure or lesson plans. Any officially approved male individual can teach anything he wants, for as long as he wants hardly the basis of a biblically informed membership.

What Purpose Does Prayer Serve

An individual's view of prayer is dependant upon their understanding of God. If God knows everything, if God knows the future, if God knows what we need before we ask what purpose does prayer serve? Do we believe God will withhold healing or protection from a third person if we fail to pray? Will God assign a third person to hell if we fail to pray they be saved?

If the church could ever have an open, honest, frank study/discussion on the subject it just might benefit the church. Maybe our prayers would be more like those we find in the bible.

Surviving the Storms

We complain how government thinks our money is their money. Have you considered churches do the same thing? Here we are a congregation with at least $45,000 cash on hand, in case WE need it. We see people around us needing help and what do we do? We take a second collection.

Our congregation does not help anyone we facilitate others to help. Now there is a biblical mission: provide a building for visitors and pass some of their contributions to people who need help or skim it off and store it safely away in case we need it. Amen.

When Is Torture a Characteristic of a Christian Nation?

When does torture become a characteristic of a Christian nation? It does not but then again the United States is NOT a Christian nation.

Jesus Was Not Suggesting

Congregations exhibit the same mistakes at the members of those congregations. They mistakenly believe God blesses them so the first thing they do is go into debt so they do not have the funds to help those in need.
 
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
 

Jesus Did Not Just Suggest

Congregations exhibit the same mistakes at the members of those congregations. They mistakenly believe God blesses them so the first thing they do is go into debt so they do not have the funds to help those in need.

 

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

Jesus did not just suggest.
 

Me? or Others

If you believe God had something to do with you having a job do you believe he blessed you so you can buy a lot of things, go on vacations, save for when you do not want to work at all or did he bless you to help others?

How Far Can We Get From Jesus

Measurements we used to define success are bigger crowds, bigger budgets, bigger buildings. The same things Jesus rejected. Just how far can we get from Jesus' example and still expect a home in Heaven?

Elder Leadership Does Not Mean Organizational Leadership

On the subject of church leadership what causes us to think that men who believe Jesus is the son of God and are immersed for the forgiveness of their sins but have no experience or knowledge on leading people can organize a congregation? 

 

It appears to be a natural requirement of a group to have a leader. In nature it is pecking order. Why should we think humans are different?

 

Elders are the spiritual leaders of a congregation like the medicine man or Shaman in a tribe of Indians who is recognized as the spiritual leader and someone else is the Chief elders are spiritual leaders not organizational leaders.

 

Groups follow someone officially or unofficially.

 

Great Smoky Mountains Church of Christ needs activity directors. On a cruise liner or at resort hotel no one thinks the "activities director" is the captain of the ship or the manager of the resort. They are not leaders; they are not usurping the authority of the captain or manager. They have a job to do and that is to keep the guests active. The activities director needs to be on the same ship as the passengers and at the same resort as the guests.

  
What bible support is there for our "Men's Meeting?" The answer is tradition.

 
Groups cannot and will not survive long term without leaders with vision.

 

On the subject of Men's Meeting someone said a "camel is a horse put together by a committee."

 

 

 

People Ask "Why?" Because of Us. . .

People ask "Why?" when bad things happen because we teach them, by our actions and comments, that bad things will not happen to them if they are good enough, if they have enough faith. We take a verse here and a verse there and build a belief. If what James was telling the folks to do was meant for anyone other than those of that time surely we would have seen an example in the other books and letters. Surely Paul would have called for Elders and healed Timothy instead of leaving him sick. He could have healed him himself.
 
We live in a world regulated by natural law. This suggests a certain amount of suffering is inevitable. We benefit from the laws of nature and we suffer the consequences when they are violated.

Imagine a world where God suspended the laws of nature whenever someone "prayed." But we teach them he will and when he doesn't they ask "Why?" Seeing their parents praying and seeing no results over their eighteen years at home might be part of the reason the youth do not continue their parents values and beliefs.

 
Across the country and I will guess around the world churches tell their members to ask God to suspend the natural laws, his natural laws, for the benefit of someone they care about. He will not.

Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world. It appears the church's kingdom is. 

Put Our Heart in the Right Place

To accept that God does not involve himself in the physical is unsettling to believers because they feel better thinking they are in control; that God is waiting to respond to their beck and call; that God will give us anything we ask.

Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world" On another occasion he said "…where your treasure is; there your heart will be also."  Why are we so infatuated with the physical?

People whose faith is shattered when they experience suffering have the mistaken notion that as a Christian they will not suffer and no one associated with them will suffer. That is not true. That is not reality. It is unscriptural.

We hear questions concerning "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Jesus said "… he (God) makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  There is no difference between the just and the unjust as far as nature is concerned.

When we read the New Testament we see that bad things happen to good people and neither God nor Jesus will interfere.  We should teach truth, we should teach reality and people will be better prepared for when bad things happen to and around them.

When Jesus gave site to the blind man, the disciples asked who sinned, this man or his parents.  If the man was born blind how could he have sinned? Either we have a bad translation or Jesus' followers were asking an irrational question. The man was born blind because certain cells did not develop in his eyes to permit him to see. Sin had nothing to do with it.

God is not involved in the physical. If we violate laws of nature or laws of physics we will experience the consequences. Sin has nothing to do with it.

The devil is an angel and has no more power and no more influence than other angels such as Michael and Gabriel. Satan brought sin into the world by convincing the serpent to lie to Eve. At that point God's perfect physical world changed to an imperfect physical where imperfect things happen. Until Eve succumbed to the serpent's lies sin existed in the likes of Satan, the serpent as well as other creatures in a perfect physical world.

In Numbers chapters 13 & 14 is the account of God, through Moses, sending men to spy out the land of Canaan to see what the land was like, whether the people were strong or weak, few or many, good or bad.

Twelve men went up and spied out the land. When they returned they reported to Moses and to the entire congregation. Ten of the spies gave a fearful report; 2 of the spies gave a confident report. In response, Moses and Aaron said to the people of Israel, "If the Lord delights in us, he will give the land to us, only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land. The Lord is with us; do not fear them."

And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?  

When we look at our local areas what do we see? Are we one of the ten or are we Joshua and Caleb?

We need to get our minds off the physical and be about our Father's business.