Posts by John Staiger (Page 86)

I know that you are one of those good Christian friends who doesn’t mind listening to some heartfelt complaints about everything from too much noise coming from the church baby cry-room, to the two extra minutes the preacher took to finish his sermon. But having escaped that, you are reminded of the real world. The one where people struggle with the real frustrations, temptations, and fears of life. Where encouragement and sound wisdom are needed. Problems that cause you to…

A preacher confessed to his doctor that his extra pounds were due to eating breakfast daily at a local café—the food was too tempting. The doctor wisely suggested that he, from tomorrow on, drive past the café “unless there is a parking spot directly in front of it.” The preacher returned to the doctor two months later and had, in fact, gained a few pounds. “You must have been extremely lucky with your parking,” the doctor quipped with a hint…

Proverbs 10:17“He is on the path of life who heeds instruction,But he who ignores reproof goes astray.” The last person you saw walk out the door of the church, never to return, probably did a little act which included guarded criticisms about ‘issues that will never be resolved given the present makeup of the congregation.’The chances of them having stepped out on their own, due to their own convictions, is small. As they say, “It makes a good story.”They followed…

Jesus chose poverty as his starting point. No one was going to be able to point to any built-in springboards of privilege to advance his kingdom. His first possessions were rags and a trough for a bed, and his last possessions the objects gambled away at the foot of his cross.They say that death is the great equalizer. The follow-up question is inevitably:“How much will the richest man on earth leave behind when he dies…?”“Everything!”God is the author of life.…

Christians are not allowed to boast, so we sometime resort to the fine art of “Humblebragging.” It’s when you are trying not to appear as if to be boasting by pretending to be modest.Saying something like, “This old suit needs to be thrown away. Turning up at the Prime Minister’s office in this thing will be an insult to her.” Or maybe, “I think YouTube has a cheek blocking my video. Its not my problem that its so popular that…

”I happened upon a situation where one Christian brother was openly rebuking another brother. I exited quickly. I heard enough to know that nothing was being left to the imagination. He told him plainly that his continued behaviour showed arrogance and mean-spiritedness. He had caused a lot of strife in the lives of others, and it was to cease immediately. It did, praise the Lord. No one likes to be pulled-straight face to face.Tact helps, but it still smarts.Open rebuke…

Reducing Christian service to a two-hour Sunday morning experience has weakened the church in every way. It has ripped the heart out of any sense of needing a daily Christian resolve. Thinking that two hours a week is going to sustain a Christian for the other 166 hours is spiritual suicide. It robs us of the joy of seeing the spiritual war from the eyes of one seeking to take the fight to the devil.Don’t get me wrong, the saints…

Proverbs 18:21“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,And those who love it will eat its fruit.” The Bible is about Life and Death.From beginning to end God speaks about the blessings of obedience, and the curses of disobedience. The impact of Good and Evil upon Life and Death is the story of our walk with God.Words can mean physical life or death!By the power of a few wise words, Solomon ascertained the true identity of the baby’s…

Proverbs 29:18“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. ”Everyone loves a good motivational speech. It’s a feel-good experience that you can take home and build on. I highly recommend them, and I wish I was better at presenting them myself. The King James Version made this verse legendary amongst motivational speakers of old. They used it to inject scriptural authority into their speeches on the ‘vital need for a man…

Proverbs 27:17“Iron sharpens iron,So one man sharpens another.”Jesus’ teaching style was hands on. Everything said and done was designed to upskill for usefulness in his Kingdom.Jesus is the ultimate ‘Hardened Steel Toolkit’:He is the forger’s hammer that flattens the steel. He is the tradesman’s file that fashions the blade. He is the butcher’s steel that whets the edge.Ever keeping us fit for purpose.Christians sharpen one another. And we must!When the devil works to blunt our edge, someone is obligated to…