Church Blog (Page 67)
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#9. “Seeking the Lost.”
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk.16:16) Whatever the sinful lifestyle, it all adds up to damnation. All agree that the issues at Corinth made it a model church to be avoided at all cost. Equally known, but less scrutinized today, is the state of the Ephesian church in the Book of Revelation. Their “having lost their first love” doesn’t seem to have the same judgemental punch as the…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#8. “Seeking value.”
True story: A lady presented a small jewellery box to be valued by the British TV Series, The Antique Road Show. She said it was her grandmother’s prize childhood possession. The host admired its intricate design and commented on the pretty gemstone worked into its lid. He held the gemstone to the light and the inside of the box was filled with an array of colourful specks of light. “Would you like to know its value?” he asked. “Yes, please,”…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#7. “This is what I seek.”
In my youth I was invited to a lecture hall to listen to a new band. They had put in a lot of work and had a good sound, but by the seventh song I was wondering why I was there. I thought about my reaction for a long time afterwards, and concluded that if I had become bored, it wasn’t my fault. They were the ones driving the music, and I was invited along for the ride. I wanted…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#6. “Seeking glory.”
The prize of pride is glory—the glory of man and the glory of self. Is it worth it? Most think so. Jesus accused his enemies of trading faith for the praise of each other: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?” (Jn.5:44). The glory of man is a powerful drug. And like all drugs its acquisition is driven by addition and…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#5. “Seeking joy.”
Jimmy, an avid golfer, came home from the course one Saturday. His wife asked him with whom he had played that day. He said, “Oh, no one in particular.” She asked, “Why don’t you play with Bill anymore?” Jimmy replied, “Would you like to play golf with someone who throws his clubs, swears all the time, lies about his scores, moves his ball in the rough, and won’t stop talking while you’re trying to play a shot?” “Of course not!”…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#4. “Seeking peace.”
A preacher was especially invited by the Elders to restore godliness to their very troubled congregation. On his first Sunday, after learning the details, he was very frustrated. He began his sermon, “Everyone in this congregation is going to hell if they don’t change their ways!” One man in the back began to laugh. So, the preacher said it again louder: “Everyone in this congregation is going to hell if they don’t change their ways!” But the man continued to…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#3. “Seeking Respect.”
“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…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#2. “Seeking more with less.”
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,…
Seek and ye shall find (Mt.7:7).#1. “What do you seek?”
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…
Series: Ask and ye shall receive (Mt.7:7).#4. “What about Tithing?”
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…