Robbery

9-12-05

Grace 9-6-05

Faith In Action

Watch Your Mouth

Our Only Legitimate Goal – John Calvin

If we are not our own but the Lord's, it is clear to what purpose all
our deeds must be directed. We are not our own; therefore, neither our reason nor our will should guide us in our thoughts and actions. We are not to seek what is only expedient to the flesh. We are not our own; therefore, let us forget ourselves and our own interests as far as possible. We are God's own; to Him, therefore, let His wisdom and will dominate all our actions. We are God's. Therefore, let every part of our existence be directed toward Him as our only legitimate goal.

No doubt Calvin is borrowing from the Apostle's words to the church of Corinth. (1 Cor. 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.) Let everyone be keenly aware of the purchasing of our souls and the right of the owner to manipulate his wares as he pleases. If you purchase a knickknack, you can place it anywhere in your house that pleases you. The knickknack has no power whatsoever to make a decision as to where it will reside.

Abide peacefully in His will and argue not with the sovereignty of the Most High.

Scripture Lesson
Romans 9

Question
Is it necessary to maintain a constant awareness of the ownership of the Lord of your life? If so, how do you achieve that consistency? Write me and share your methodology.

Word for Today
Appendage - Something added or attached to an entity of greater
importance or size; an adjunct.

Quote for Today
The greatest form of slavery is slavery to selfish desires?
--raj

Smiling Preachers

Recently, on CNN Larry King interviewed the “smiling preacher.” Although it is refreshing to see people happy in such a sorrow-driven world, it is not the true characteristic of a Christian. People are happy and smile for various reasons. Drunks smile when they have sufficient wine to drink. Las Vegas is full of smiling people who have a prospect of winning at a one-arm bandit. Smiling is a universal expression of interpersonal communications. Oh yeah. lest I forget, many in the Arab nations smiled when the twin towers came violently crashing to the earth on 911.

What I did observe was more violent than Saddam's attack on the World Trade Centers -- it was relishing an acceptance of ignorance. The “smiling preacher” as he is dubbed is so focused on being optically (everyone is watching him) correct he has failed to nurture his understanding of scripture. He was asked a question so fundamental a Sunday school class in most Christian churches could answer it without opening their Bibles. The question was, “Does God love the devil and will he be saved and go to heaven?” The smiling preacher's reply was, “I never thought about that.”

If you have ever listened to his answers to doctrinal or even basic Christian positions or controversial subjects, it is clear to me that all he has on his mind is smiling. Truly, he reserves his faculties for refurbished sermons borrowed from the social gospel movement of the early 1900’s and not for scriptural knowledge. Let me ask you a question: “Do you want to listen to a preacher that can’t point you to answers in the Bible on the simplest subject matters?” Revelation 20:1-10 is clear where the devil will spend his eternity. He, the smiling preacher, was challenged by a caller on a statement he made in his book, Your Best Life Now. The statement was “There are more people turning to faith then ever before.”

The caller was wise enough to note the increase in drugs and divorce as an indication that his statement was unfounded. The smiling preacher said, “Well, my church is moving into a stadium; I guess we could debate that back and forth." What the smiling preacher needs to release is that the growth in the mega-church movement is due to movement from one church to another by thrill seeking so-called Christians. It’s called the “great recycle.” He needs to read Barna. He needs to take a course in the science of statistics and leave the smiling to the drunks. The smiling preacher gets an “A” for smiling and an “F” for knowledge. Mr. Cheese, I suggest you spend more time working on your knowledge of scripture and less time in the mirror working on your smile.