Posts by John Staiger (Page 66)

“You don’t know what they are like.” “You only see the side of them that they want you to see.” “Wait till you see what I have had to put up with.” If you haven’t yet heard such statements come forth from very frustrated people, I would be surprised. The saddest thing about these statements is that they are all too often prophetic. When the day comes that the person being criticised proves their critic right, the above words ring…

A highly successful young man crashed his $100,000 Porsche. When the police arrived, he was walking away from the accident scene in a daze crying: “Oh no, my Porsche, my Porsche, where is my Porsche?” The Police officer said: “Sir, we’ve got to get you to a hospital, your left arm has been cut off in the accident.” To which the young man replied: “Oh no, my Rolex, my Rolex, where is my Rolex? “As ridiculous as this story sounds,…

An atheist astronomer approached a minister at a party. “Preacher,” the astronomer smugly asked, “wouldn’t you agree that all of Christian theology could be summed up in this simple song, ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so’?” “Yes,” the preacher replied, “if you would agree that all of astronomy can be summed up in this song, ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!’” What you seek with a closed mind is likely…

The standard answer in the Lord’s church to the question: “Are Christians commanded to tithe?” has been a resounding “NO!” And rightly so. Instead, our New Testament starting points are: 1. Give as you have been prospered, and 2. Give with a cheerful heart (2Cor.9:7). But the very fact that this question persists speaks to a paper-jam in our Biblical understanding of giving. The wise will always encourage questioners to look to our Father in heaven for their standard for…

You have to laugh when Solomon says of himself: “God gives great wealth, riches, and honour to some people; they have everything they want. But God does not let them enjoy such things; a stranger enjoys them instead. This is useless and very wrong” (Eccl.6:2). Christians and churches are quietly obsessed with the notion that “great wealth, riches, and honour” can speed the gospel along (all the while making life happy and comfortable for us along the way). It is…

A preacher was to perform a wedding on the following Saturday but decided to call the couple forward in church to pray for them. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of their names. So, he said to the congregation, “Will those wanting to get married please come to the front?” Immediately, nine single ladies, three widows, four widowers, and six single men stepped to the front. When you think about it, it isn’t surprising that the deepest desires…

A young preacher opened a letter from his mother containing twenty dollars. As much as he needed it, he noticed a beggar outside on the footpath and thought: “That man needs $20 more than I do.” So, he put the money in the envelope, crossed out his name and wrote “PERSEVERE” across the top in large letters. So as not to make a scene, he put the envelope under his arm and dropped it as he walked past the man.…

Lesson 1. Jesus did not hold back in his critique of those who would pervert the way of God. Lesson 2. He specifically called the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs and snakes. These were the teachers of God’s Word. These were the men who were experts in it, taught it and proudly made converts to it – according to their various sects. Lesson 3. False teachers have no intentions of keeping God’s Word beyond the personal benefits…

”Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s two oldest sons and heirs of the High Priestly office. Tragically, they decided to offer a ‘fire’ of their own preference in the tabernacle worship. God, having specified the fire required, punished their disobedience by sending fire from heaven and killing them. Lesson 1. Back in the day, the Nadab and Abihu incident (Leviticus 10), was the go-to passage to warn any would-be sinner that the wrath of God comes upon those who break his…

Elvis had two unique abilities. Firstly, (and obviously) his outstanding voice, and secondly, his instant likability. He gave off the vibe that if you met him, you would undoubtedly be one of his closest life-long friends. Of course, those high gates at Graceland were not put there to keep millions of life-long friends in.Having just completed six decades on earth, I have been caused to reflect on how blessed I am to have friendships that have stood the test of…