Church Blog (Page 62)

The ‘Mark of the Beast’ has always taken on new forms for new generations. Lately, talk of tracking devices being injected with the vaccines has begun. Admittedly, stories of 5-G technology coursing through everyone’s veins is more exciting than the belief that the 16 numbers on credit cards added up to 666 back in my day. The Book of Revelation is a powerful magnet. Its apocalyptic imagery has provoked fear and wonder (as it should) and caused many to consider…

UFOs were back in the news. The USA had recently released video footage of objects moving at speeds that defy possibility. Surprisingly, government officials and experts alike have expressed the belief that UFOs exist. What is the average person on the ground to believe? I don’t know. After all, this is typically the domain of Science Fiction movies and Alien Abductions stories. Truth and lies walk side by side on our road to eternity. Misinformation is nothing new. Simple deception…

Benjamin Franklin was under no illusions that independence from Britain, the greatest power on earth at the time, could only be achieved if all 13 American Colonies remained united. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Franklin had a stern warning for his fellow Revolutionaries: “We must, indeed, hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately.” If disunity meant death for a nation, how much more for a congregation? At first glance, many conclude that…

In World War II the Allied Forces dropped millions of leaflets designed to lower the morale of the Germans. Not everyone agreed on the efficacy of the effort. Pilots were put at risk during the dangerous drops, and citizens shot dead by the Germans if found with the leaflets. Quantifying the effectiveness of such psychological warfare may not be easy, but we must never minimise the hope it brought. Occupied citizens and prisoners of war drew strength and courage when…

“A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that’s just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it’s a joke.” ― Søren Kierkegaard The apostle Paul seized the opportunity to witness for Christ before Festus, King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 26). All was well with his…

A leader who brags that he is in the perfect church is like the man who brags that he is in the perfect marriage—somebody else is doing the heavy lifting. The only thing perfect in the Church of Christ is the One for whom it is named. Otherwise, perfect churches, like perfect leaders, don’t exist. In practical terms, Christlike maturity is the closest thing to perfection that any of us will witness this side of heaven. If you have been…

Years ago, I read a book by an old preacher that gave advice on sermon preparation. He said that he gleaned information for his lessons by reading multiple newspapers and listening to news reports on his car radio and watching the cable channels. (He has long since gone on to his reward and left an admirable spiritual legacy.) However, as the decades have passed, I have not since heard any other brother, let alone preacher, encourage anyone to ‘keep up…

I saw a church survey that stated that in the average congregation, “10% of its members cannot be found.” Now, if that isn’t bad enough, it also stated that “20% of its members never as much as attend a church service.” However, since these statistics are from 1999, they probably reflect better days. These, of course, are the easy statistics. Tabulate the number of members who come and go from one congregation to another, and worse, one church to another,…

I met a man who returned to his home church after being away for a few years. He told the preacher that God had sent him to help him with the work of the Lord. The preacher took him at his word and good works were achieved. Tragically, it didn’t last. The preacher found out the very hard way that the brother was returning to his troublesome ways. He and another brother proceeded to slander the preacher and decimate the…

Jesus, Lord of lords and King of kings, hardly needs my input on macro-politics to achieve anything. But here I sit, expert above the rest, believing that the world would be a better place if it but took heed of my wisdom. I dare not implicate my few readers in my sin of know-it-all-ness, but I do invite you to consider the implications of a world run solely on the ideas of one single man. We know that Alexander the…