Top 10 Complaints from Church Members

10)If you don’t stop this praise band stuff I’m going to set the guitars and drums on fire!

9) Why in the world did we build a pulpit if you won’t use it? Stand still!

8) I don’t like your attempts at humor on Sunday.  And by the way, I don’t like your haircut either!

7) Do something about the rude ushers.  I’m sure one of them stood over me and wouldn’t move until I put another dollar in the collection plate.

6) How much extra is it costing this church to have the custodian vacuum up all the cheerios left behind by those noisy kids?

5) I have a complaint about the free donuts you serve each Sunday.  I hate Dunkin Donuts. Get them from someplace else!

4) Have you seen the Sunday school rooms? They are a mess! If the children can’t keep them neat and clean, we should just cancel Sunday school!

3) Do you always have to preach from the Gospel lesson every Sunday? There are other people in the Bible to talk about besides Jesus!

2) Can you get the organist to play faster? She sounds like a 45 rpm record being played at 33!

1) I’m tired of all this preaching about evangelism.  You should tailor your preaching to those in the church who pay the bills!

Sanctification is slow

 Justification is instant.  Sanctification is slow.  The moment the Holy Spirit leads a person to faith in Christ Jesus is the moment of salvation.  There is no buffering or prolonged download time when it comes to justification.  It is the immediate and instant salvation that comes through faith in Christ Jesus.

 Sanctification, however, is far from instant.  It is slow and steady progress toward a life of holiness.  Sometimes, though, it is not all that steady; rather, it can be a steady conflict, full of ups and downs, failures and new beginnings.  And it isn't always progress in the modernist sense of getting better and better, onward and upward, as if old people have become more holy than young people.  It is, however, progress in the sense of a journey that is heading somewhere.  Sanctification is the work of God, calling us to our vocations, providentially putting us through experiences that cause our faith and love to grow, and giving the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.  It is not immediate gratification or instant holiness.  It is, however, the beautifully slow and eventful journey of the Christian life.

"Authentic Christianity," Veith and Sutton, page 198

What does love mean?

 

            A group of social scientists asked some children the question, “What does love mean?”  Here are some of the answers: When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too…love is what makes you smile when you are tired…love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.  And here is my favorite: When they crucified Jesus, God could have sold magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn’t.  That’s love.

            Of course, we know this to be true.  God could have stepped in at any point and spared His Son the unbearable pain and torturous death that had been planned.  Even Jesus said to the Temple Guard: “Do you not think that I cannot call on my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26:53-54)

            So for God the Father, love means giving up Your only-begotten Son to be Savior of the world.  The apostle Paul put it like this: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)

            You’ve heard it said, “Talk is cheap.”  Sometimes it is.  People pledge to make changes in their lives but soon fall back into old habits.  Others make promises that are quickly forgotten.  Talk means nothing unless backed up with action.

            God's love IS love in action!  We see love in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus prays, “Thy will be done.”  We see love in action at Calvary as Jesus cries out, “It is finished!” We see love at Bethany as Jesus blesses His disciples and then tells them to “Go!” Jesus counts us as His friends, not His enemies, and He gives us the great opportunity of working in partnership with Him in sharing His Word of love and grace with the whole world.

            Sacrificing your life for others…giving up you life so that others might live…giving the very best you have to offer.  That sounds like love, doesn’t it? That’s the meaning of love according to the One who loves you best – your gracious and loving Savior.  Rejoice!

One Man Can Make A Difference

            Can one man really make a difference? The seven million residents of Honduras will answer with a resounding “Yes!”  In fact, they’ll give you the name of the man – American soccer player, Jonathan Bornstein.

            Honduras hoped to qualify to play in the recently concluded World Cup.  But they needed the USA will tie or beat Costa Rica.  The Americans trailed most of the way until Bornstein scored the tying goal.  Because of his efforts, Honduras was in the world’s biggest sporting event.

            Bornstein is loved in Honduras.  One person said, “We love him!”  Another stated, “He will always be remembered.”  The Honduran President offered the soccer player an all expenses paid trip to a Honduran resort.  A reporter for a Honduran television network put it like this: “Bornstein is like our savior.”

            That’s some pretty heady praise.  Because of one goal, Bornstein is hailed as a hero, a savior, by an entire country.  One man can make a difference.

            Followers of Jesus Christ know this truth well.  Jesus is the difference between life and death for all who believe.  The apostle Paul wrote: “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.”

            A ransom is simply a payment.  A ransom sets a person free who is enslaved or held captive.  God’s Law had us locked up, so to speak.  Since we cannot keep the Law perfectly, the Law condemns us.  It pronounces us guilty before God.

            We needed someone, anyone to rescue us from our dire situation.  That’s what Jesus did.  He is more than someone who is like a savior.  He is our Savior! He gave His life as a ransom for many.  Here’s how the apostle Peter put it: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Jesus, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

            You see, Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection does more than make seven million people happy.  All who embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior are happy to be the people of God.  One day we will lift up more than a World Cup trophy.  We will be given the Crown of Life, won for us by Jesus at the cross.  Yes, one man – Jesus – does make a difference…for you and me.

From August 2010 

The Most Interesting Man in the World

Everything He says...happens.

He walks on water.  By the way, He created the water.

He is fully God and fully man.  That's right, you heard me.

On Christmas, you celebrate His birthday but He gives the gifts.  Actually, He is the gift.  How do you top that?

He loved you enough not to fight for His own life.

His presence often strikes fear in people - must be the nail-scarred hands.

The President of the United States won't give you the time of day.  He'll give you all the time you want.

Thirsty, my friends?  Read John, chapter four to learn how to quench your thirst.

A take-off from the commercial "The Most Interesting Man in the World." From August 2011 

The Importance of Sound Doctrine

 

            “I don’t know how you do the job.  It would be scary to me,” the girl said.  The teacher responded, “Nah.  The word, sacred, is not in my vocabulary.”  Then the girl asked, “What if I swerved?”  The teacher replied in a comforting tone, “I would grab the steering wheel and pull the car back into the right lane.”

            In fact, a Washington Post reporter wrote that the driving instruction, Patrick Norris, had done just that.  Earlier, 16 year old, Meghan Huggins had wandered over the center line and Norris, with a calm, quick flick of his left hand, brought the care back on the right side of the road.

            The newspaper article noted that Norris’ attitude could be summed up like this: “It is the job of the novice driver to make mistakes, be corrected and learn.”  I suppose the same could be said of novice Christians!

            That seems to be the attitude of the apostle Paul as he teaches Titus the finer points of being a pastor.  Paul makes clear that one of Titus’ responsibilities as he served the new congregation is Crete is to teach.  The people there are new to the faith.  They still have much to learn about Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection and how to live the new life in Christ.

            Titus is to teach sound doctrine so that the Christians know, confess and live out the faith which has enabled them to receive Christ as Savior and Lord.  By showing and sharing the love of God in words and actions they “will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”  (Titus 2:10)

            Some mistakenly think that being taught the truths of God’s Word ends at confirmation or adult instruction class.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, let me encourage you to attend Bible class on Sunday or during the week; join a small group; read the Scriptures every day and pray.  Learn sound doctrine while you “wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  (Titus 2:13)

How to walk through the darkness of life

            One summer many years ago while on vacation at Camp Arcadia, Michigan, my family was invited to take a nighttime nature walk.  Such activity is not usually my cup of tea but Sherri, Steph and Eric wanted to go and a group of our friends was game for this little excursion so I went along.  We gathered at our assigned spot where our guide told us what we would see and experience.  Then she concluded her presentation by saying, “And all this we will do in the dark – we will not be using flashlights!”

            No flashlights! Was she crazy? I tried not to panic.  It’s just that I’m the kind of guy who likes to see where he’s going.  Who wants to stumble like a fool over some tree root or fall in a hole? No matter what destination I might be traveling, I want to be sure I’m on the right path.  If I have a phobia, it’s the fear of getting lost.

            Well, we survived the trip.  And I’m sure there were more than a few who would have gladly gone again.  It turned out to be real fun! Some folks are brave enough to walk in the woods in the dark.  But very few of us want to walk through life in the dark.  Who wants to trip over the tangled root of temptation…stumble over sinful thoughts and ways…fall into the pit of despair and depression?

            The psalmist assures us that we don’t have to go the way that so many others travel.

Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.  Psalm 119:105

            We learn from this beautiful Bible verse that God’s Word is like a lamp that lightens everything around us.  It shows us Jesus, the Light of the world, and His sacrificial love for us.  It enlightens us so that we might lead God-pleasing lives.  By using this lamp for guidance, it assures us that we walk with Jesus.  The bright light of God’s Word keeps us firmly on the path of faith and righteousness.  It helps us stay away from the slippery slope of self-indulgence or the confusing maze of worldly values.  Even though summer is just around the corner, don’t take a vacation from the Scriptures.  Let God’s Word light up your path and your life! 

Dealing with Noise Pollution

            The lead paragraph from the article caught my attention.  It read, “It can’t be seen or smelled, yet it’s America’s most pervasive pollutant.”  Have any idea as to what kind of pollution the author was referring to?

 

            Would you believe the answer is noise pollution?

 

            We live in a noisy world, don’t we?  We are surrounded with the cacophony of power tools on building sites, sirens blaring on our streets and lawnmowers and gardening equipment droning on across the backyard fence or in the yard next door.

 

            All this can lead to hearing loss, tension headaches and high-blood pressure.  Even worse, with all the noise around us, we might miss what the Lord is trying to tell us.

 

            God speaks to His people today through His holy Word.  But how can we hear when we are surrounded by so much noise?  The advice of the Psalmist is wise: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

            To “be still” before the Lord is to receive the assurance of His forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and the promise of His peace (Ps. 29:11).  To find a quiet place to pray and meditate on God’s Word puts you in a spot where you can fully receive the blessings that God gives to His people.  Strengthened through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word, you can go back out into our noisy world and deal with whatever may come, for you go in the grace and help of the Lord.

 

            Is your part of the world too noisy for you?  Find a quiet place where you can “be still” before the Lord.  “And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:7) 

It was a very good week

Let's see, the week began with me and my dear, sweet wife putting up a banister that had come off its brackets.  Household repairs is not my strong suit.  But, in this case, I watched a couple U-Tube videos that offered some good instruction.  Than, with Sherri's help, we got the banister back in place, attached with new brackets.  It's been on a week and it hasn't fallen off! Wow!

Then on Monday afternoon, our dear friends, Randy and Ellen came for a visit.  They were strong supporters of my ministry at the first congregation I served.  They were faithful worshippers and servants.  Plus, they were just a lot of fun to be around.  We did some sightseeing, attended a concert and enjoyed some good meals.  They left us Thursday but promised to come back next year.

This morning I fixed a shutter that had come off during a wind storm.  It probably took me three times as long as it would have anyone else to do the work but as of this moment, the shutter is still in place! Wow!

This afternoon we will celebrate the birthday of a friend and tomorrow, being Father's Day, we'll have a big bar-b-q at my youngest daughters house.  And if I haven't eaten too much, the grandboys and I will walk down to the basketball court will I will regale them with stories of my exploits during my younger days.  At which point they'll take the basketball and head back home.

A blessed Father's Day to all you guys out there!

Does God need our good works?

"God does not need our good works," Luther said, "but our neighbor does." Our relationship with God is based completely on His work for us in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  Although we may speak of serving God, He always serves us.  Justification by faith completely excludes any kind of dependence on our good works for our salvation.  We come before God clothed not in our own works or merits, but solely in the works and merits of Christ, which are imputed to us.  But having been justified by faith. God sends us into the world, into our vocations, to love and serve our neighbors, the actual human beings whom God brings into our lives as we carry out our daily callings.

From "Authentic Christianity," page 165