The Native American Chief & Jesus

Posted on February 7, 2011 by russellmckinney

A Christian missionary preached to a tribe of Native Americans, telling them that Jesus Christ, who was God in human flesh, had voluntarily died for their sins. The tribe’s elderly Chief was very moved by Christ’s sacrifice and decided to do something for the Lord Jesus. He rose to his feet, walked up to the missionary, laid his tomahawk at the missionary’s feet, and said in broken English, “Chief give his tomahawk to Jesus.” Then he went and sat back down.

The missionary, sensing that the Holy Spirit was working on the Chief, started preaching again. This time he told the tribe that God, in giving us Jesus, had given us His absolute best. The Chief listened carefully, considered the matter, and then walked forward again, this time carrying his blanket. He laid the blanket at the missionary’s feet and said, “Chief give his blanket to Jesus.”

Still, however, that wasn’t the response the missionary was seeking, and so he started preaching again. He told the tribe how Jesus, even though He was rich in heaven, had become poor for us by being born in a manger, living a humble life, and dying by way of a cruel, humiliating cross. This compelled the Chief to leave the meeting, go get his horse, bring the animal to the missionary, and say, “Chief give his horse to Jesus.”

At this point, the Chief thought to himself, “Now I have given everything I have to Jesus, who gave Himself for me.” But the missionary just started up yet another round of preaching. This time he explained that Jesus had arisen from the dead, appeared to many in His post-resurrection body, ascended back to heaven forty days later, and was now seated at the right hand of His heavenly father, calling men and women to Himself. And it was then that the Chief finally understood why the missionary had never seemed satisfied with the fine gifts. The Chief stood up again, walked forward, bowed himself, and said, “Chief give himself to Jesus.”

Ah, friend, there it is! That is the decision that Jesus wants from each of us, and it is a far cry from merely attending church, putting some money in the offering plate, owning a Bible, praying prayers, trying to live a moral life, etc. Certainly, each of those things is proper when understood in its rightful place, but when it comes to salvation, they are all just tomahawks, blankets, and horses. What Jesus truly wants is you (lock, stock, and barrel). And, just to be honest about it, when He has you like that, He’ll have you keep all your tomahawks, blankets, and horses and use them in service to Him.

Posted in Belief, Brokenness, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Evangelism, Faith, Man's Freewill, Missions, Preaching, Sacrifice, Salvation, Submission | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Power Shortage

Posted on February 5, 2011 by russellmckinney

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, N.K.J.V.)

The organist was trying to play the call-to-worship song to begin the church service, but no sound was coming from the organ. Everyone in the congregation could tell there was a problem, but no one knew what to do about it. Thinking fast, the pastor went to the pulpit and began praying a very lengthy prayer in order to provide the necessary time for someone to fix the organ.

As the pastor prayed, the church custodian hurriedly made his way to the organ and went to work diagnosing the problem. Looking at the power outlet that was located in the nearby wall, he noticed that the organ’s power chord had come unplugged from the outlet. So, he reached down and plugged the chord back into the outlet.

With the pastor still praying, the custodian then quickly scribbled something onto a little piece of paper and handed it to the frantic organist. The note said: “After the prayer, the power will be on.” Well, you know where I’m going with that, don’t you? Obviously, those words are good advice for us, as Christians, because until we make prayer a regular part of our day, we’ll never have much spiritual power upon our lives.

I used to play a lot of slow-pitch softball. Sometimes, when one of my teammates would miss out on hitting a homerun because the ball got caught just a few feet in front of the fence, we would jokingly say to him, “Pay your power bill.” That was a funny line, but there’s certainly nothing funny about the fact that many Christians are seeing their efforts fall short because they’ve not paid their spiritual power bills. And how does a Christian pay his or her spiritual power bill? There is only one way to do it. That Christian must spend quality time in prayer.

Be honest, Christian, how’s your prayer life these days? If it is lacking, let me encourage you to get alone by yourself somewhere and just start talking to God. Praise Him for everything good that is happening in your life. Thank Him for the numerous blessings He has bestowed upon you through the years. Confess your sins to Him. Dedicate yourself to repenting of those sins. Tell Him about your troubles. Lastly, make your requests to Him, being sure to tell Him that if a request isn’t His will, you don’t actually want it even though you think you do.

God doesn’t want you to come up short in your efforts for Him. Much to the contrary, He wants His inexhaustible power flowing into you, through you, and out from you. But that won’t happen until you plug in your power chord by getting down to the business of doing some personal, prolific praying. Remember, praying isn’t a chore you have to perform; it’s a privilege you get to enjoy.

Posted in Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How to Be a Herod

Posted on February 3, 2011 by russellmckinney

Israel’s first temple, known as Solomon’s temple, stood for 400 years before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. Israel’s second temple, known as Zerubbabel’s temple, stood for 500 years and served as the centerpiece of Jewish worship all during the 400-year gap that lies between the last page of the Old Testament and the first page of the New Testament. It was toward the end of that time period that an Idumean named Herod the Great became a major player in the history of Israel. By being a consummate politician, Herod convinced the Romans to place him in charge over Judea, which was the southern region of Israel. He then ruled over Judea for more than thirty years before dying not long after his infamous role in the story of the birth of Jesus.

Herod the Great was a very wicked man, but he was a tremendous builder, and perhaps his greatest building project was the redoing of Jerusalem’s temple. He understood that Zerubbabel’s temple was nowhere near as spectacular as Solomon’s had been, and so he made up his mind to correct that problem by not only reconstructing the temple but also expanding it greatly. Workers completed the bulk of the project in ten years, but the “detail work” continued on for many years afterwards. In John 2:20, the Jews even say, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple…” By the way, this was the temple that Jesus knew during His earthly life.

But, in the end, what happened to the temple that is now commonly referred to as “Herod’s temple” or “the third temple”? Would you believe that in 70 A.D., some 70 years or so after Herod’s death, the Romans completely destroyed it as a part of their efforts to reestablish their dominion over the Jews? Actually, the destruction of that temple was the fulfillment of a prophecy that Jesus had given. We read that prophecy in Matthew 24:1-2:

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (N.K.J.V.)

You say, “Okay, Russell, what’s your point?” My point is that Herod the Great poured untold time, wealth, energy, and manpower into a project that was destined to come to nothing, and if you and I aren’t careful we will make the same mistake. No, I don’t suppose that you will be building or renovating any temples anytime soon, but you can certainly pour your time, wealth, energy, and manpower into something that will not last. You can chase dreams that are unworthy dreams. You can spend your life in pursuit of futile accomplishments. You can lose years aiming at and firing at wrong targets.

Therefore, I guess right now would be a good time to look in the proverbial mirror and ask yourself, “Am I using my life to accomplish goals that are truly worthwhile or am I making the mistake that Herod made?” If you don’t know how to answer, ask God to show you what He thinks. And if He shows you that you need to change what you’re after, then do so immediately. After all, why kill yourself trying to build something that somebody else will just come along and knock down in the future?

Posted in Change, Choices, Decisions, Desires, Dying To Self, God's Will, God's Work, Priorities, Sports, Work | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Feeling Kind of Small?

Posted on February 2, 2011 by russellmckinney

You’ve probably heard of Solomon’s temple, that beautiful, majestic house of worship that served as the centerpiece of worship in Israel. That temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonians in 587 B.C. To make that destruction even worse, Nebuchadnezzar deported the defeated Jews to Babylon, where they would spend decades in exile from their homeland.

At the end of those years, however, God raised up the Medo-Persian empire to defeat the Babylonians. Medo-Persia was led by a man named Cyrus the Great. One of his first official acts as the new ruler of the Jews was to allow the willing to return to their homeland and reestablish their culture and religious observances. Ultimately, a group of over 40,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem and began building what is now known as “the second temple.”

Since a Jewish leader named Zerubbabel was the man most prominently associated with the building of that temple, the structure is often referred to as “Zerubbabel’s temple.” It was built on the same site as Solomon’s temple and was completed in 516/515 B.C. And would you believe that Zerubbabel’s temple would actually stand longer than Solomon’s temple? Whereas Solomon’s temple stood for approximately 400 years, Zerubbabel’s temple would stand for approximately 500 years.

But that second temple wasn’t nearly as grand and ornate as the first one had been. In Zerubbabel’s day, the incredibly prosperity that Israel had known under King David and King Solomon was long gone, and the riches it would have taken to duplicate Solomon’s temple simply weren’t to be found. Unfortunately, the inferior appearance of Zerubbabel’s temple greatly disappointed all the elderly Jews who remembered the glory of Solomon’s temple. Ezra 3:12-13 sums up their response to the new temple:

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off. (N.K.J.V.)

But, of course, the real question that needed to be answered was, “Did God approve of this new temple?” And we find His answer in Zechariah 4:10 as He asks the piercing question:

“For who has despised the day of small things?” (N.K.J.V.)

So, tell me, are you trying to get some new work of the Lord off the ground? Well, hang in there with it. Did you start the work from scratch and thought it would be much more impressive by now? Stick with it anyway. Do you feel a tinge of shame when you compare the work to larger, more established works? Just stop doing that. Don’t be guilty of despising the day of small things. Never forget that if God says what you are doing is good and should continue, that settles it. He sees value in small things, and He is always on the lookout for some Zerubbabels who will start and complete new works for Him. And He really isn’t interested in what the naysayers think about those works.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Church, Contentment, Criticism, Disappointment, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Impatience, Leadership, Ministry, Obedience, Patience, Perseverance, Service, Trials, Trusting In God, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Golden Rule

Posted on February 2, 2011 by russellmckinney

When you talk about the Old Testament law that God gave to the people of Israel, you’re on a BIG subject. Likewise, when you talk about the many prophecies that were given by God’s prophets from the Old Testament era, you’re on another BIG subject. Isn’t it interesting, then, how Jesus summed up the law and the prophets? He said:

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, N.K.J.V.)

Today, we call this “the golden rule.” However, what most people don’t know is that assorted versions of the rule actually existed before the time of Christ. Those versions could be found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and even in the teachings of the Jewish rabbis. But the difference was that all of those previous versions stated the rule as a negative command. For example, the rabbi Hillel’s version was, “What is hateful to yourself do not to someone else.” You see, what Jesus did was put a positive spin on things. His teaching was, “It’s not enough just to keep yourself from doing bad to others; you also need to make a point of doing good to them.”

One Christian realized to his dismay that he had become not only selfish but also very cynical in his attitude toward others. So, he determined that each day he would do at least one thing that would brighten the life of someone else. What he found was that with each day and each deed, his own happiness grew more and more.

But one night, as this Christian was going to bed, he realized that he hadn’t made good on his commitment for that day. Since it was late, he decided that the best thing he could do was give someone a phone call. The recipient he chose was a man who had been confined to his home for a long time by illness.

As it turned out, the sick man was absolutely dumbfounded by the call. Every so often during the conversation he would ask the Christian, “Why are you calling me?” Each time the answer was something along the lines of, “Oh, I was just thinking about you. I haven’t been to see you lately, but I intend to come soon. In the meantime, I thought I’d call and talk a little.” A few days later, the sick man’s wife happened to bump into the Christian. She told him, “My husband is still not over your call. It was a miracle. He had just said the day before, ‘Nobody ever calls me.'”

Christian, we would all do well to commit ourselves to doing at least one good deed per day that brightens someone else’s life. It can be a phone call, an email, a text, a visit, a card, an act of kindness, or an encouraging word. The options are virtually limitless. The one thing they all have in common is that each one falls under the heading of the golden rule: Whatever you want others to do to you, do also to them.

And so, I’ll ask you to give this a try. Make a point of doing something to brighten another person’s day. There’s just no telling how much good you will do for that person. For that matter, there’s just no telling how much good you will do for yourself as well.

Posted in Discipleship, Doing Good, God's Work, Influence, Ministry, Service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Those Children of Israel

Posted on February 1, 2011 by russellmckinney

In Deuteronomy chapter 5, the elderly Moses calls all of Israel together for an assembly and recites again to them The Ten Commandments that God had given them many years earlier at Mount Sinai (5:1-22). Not only did those Commandments serve as the beginning of that entire body of law God gave to Israel, they also served as that law’s moral heart and center. This explains why Moses, after publicly restating The Ten Commandments, went on to say as part of that same speech:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

In Sunday School one morning, little Joey raised his hand to ask a question that had been on his mind for some time. His conversation with the teacher went like this:

Joey: “Sir, there’s something I just can’t figure out.”

Teacher: “Alright, Joey, what is it?”

Joey: “The children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, right?”

Teacher: “That’s right.”

Joey: “And the children of Israel beat up the Philistines, right?”

Teacher: “Yes, they won many battles against the Philistines.”

Joey: “And the children of Israel built the Temple, didn’t they?”

Teacher: “That’s correct.”

Joey: “And the children of Israel did a lot of other important things too, right?”

Teacher: “Yes, they did.”

Joey: “Okay, what I want to know is, what were all the grown-ups doing?”

I guess little Joey didn’t understand that the Jewish parents had the responsibility of teaching God’s commandments to their kids. That teaching was to be done creatively in all kinds of ways and in all kinds of settings. It was to be done while the family was sitting in the house and walking along the road. It was to be the last thing the children heard when they went to bed at night and the first thing they heard when they got up in the morning. It was to be bound as a sign on the hands of the children, which could symbolically have meant that everything a child’s hands did was to be controlled by God’s commandments. Likewise, it was to be bound on the children’s foreheads, which could symbolically have meant that everything a child’s mind thought was to be controlled by God’s commandments.

You see, God wanted Jewish families to be absolutely saturated with His commandments. That was the meaning behind Moses’ words, “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Regardless of how hyper literally God intended for Jewish parents to take that writing assignment, there was no denying that He wanted all of Jewish life to be filtered through His commandments. Not only were Jewish parents themselves expected to live the commandments, those parents were also expected to teach their children how to live those commandments.

While it’s true that Gentiles today are not required to keep the Old Testament’s Jewish law, the fact is that various New Testament passages make nine of The Ten Commandments commandments for Christians as well. The one Commandment that isn’t carried over into Christianity is the fourth one, the one about keeping the Sabbath day. The New Testament teaches that a Christian should not be judged in regards to keeping a Sabbath day because the keeping of Sabbath days was merely a shadow of the eternal rest for the soul Jesus would provide through His life, death, and resurrection (Matthew 11:28-30; Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:9-11). With that one exception, though, we Christians are like the Old Testament’s Jewish parents in that we are to ourselves live out God’s prescribed commandments and teach our children to do the same.

So, Christian parent, how are you doing on that? Do your kids see you living God’s commandments for you? And are you consistently and creatively teaching those kids to live those same commandments? Once you have held your child in your arms for the first time, your job as a role model/teacher begins, and death is the only thing than can ever end it. You are supposed to be on this job as you are sitting in your house, traveling down the road, going to bed at night, and getting out of bed in the morning. Summing up the situation, you are supposed to make your entire home, and by extension your whole life, a display for the keeping and teaching of God’s commandments. That really is what us “grown-ups” are supposed to be doing, and the better job we do of it, the better off our kids will be.

Posted in Backsliding, Character, Children, Commitment, Doing Good, Faithfulness, Family, Fatherhood, God's Work, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal Holiness, Repentance, Righteousness, Sanctification, Sin, The Old Testament Law, Youth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A “Bring Your Own Board” Kind of Church

Posted on January 31, 2011 by russellmckinney

A man named Squire Hughes was one of the first settlers west of the Miami River in Ohio. Being a religious man, he would ride twenty miles on horseback just to worship at the Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. There was a problem, however, the first time he attended worship at that church. The church’s pews were the style that had a door on the outside of each one, and all those doors remained closed to Hughes when he initially walked down the church aisle. That meant that not one person from one pew was hospitable enough to open their door and invite him into their pew to sit with them.

After Hughes had walked all the way down to the front of the church, he started making his way back up the aisle. By this time, a few of the “good Christians” were feeling ashamed enough of themselves to open their doors for him, but Hughes had a temper and the damage had already been done. So, he angrily stormed back up the aisle, past all the pews, and walked out the back door.

A short time later he came back into the church, this time carrying a board he had found. He walked all the way back down to the front of the church, sat down on the board, and remained there until the end of the service. Then he picked up the board, put it on his shoulder, walked out the back door, and rode away. And what do you think happened the next time he attended that church? Every pew door was opened to him!

Have you had any visitors to your church lately? If so, how did you treat them? Did you greet them with a smiling face, a warm welcome, and a hearty, “Here, sit by me”? Or did you look at them with an upturned nose and think, “Now what are they doing here?”

Ah, the church of the “frozen chosen.” Most towns have at least one. It might be a rich church or it might be a poor church, but it’s the one where the folks have the mentality, “We’ve got our select group and we don’t need anyone else.” I’m telling you, Christian, beware of that mentality. Why? Well, first and foremost, it is highly displeasing to God because it is lethal to outreach. But second, you just never know when some Squire Hughes type might put you in your place one Sunday.

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, Evangelism, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One is Enough

Posted on January 29, 2011 by russellmckinney

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. (1 Corinthians 12:7, N.L.T.)

When a person is born, he or she comes wired with certain talents, skills, and natural abilities. Obviously, these must be recognized and honed as the individual grows, but the point is that these things are inside the person even in infancy. They simply need to be put to use.

Along the same lines, the New Testament teaches that when a person believes in Christ as Savior, God the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside that person’s body (Romans 8:9-11). Thus, the person is born again (John 3:1-21). And one of the things the Spirit does is impart to the person at least one “spiritual gift” (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:7-11).

What is a spiritual gift? It is a talent, skill, or ability that the person did not have before becoming a Christian. As with natural talents, skills, and abilities, it might take the new Christian (who is called a babe in Christ: 1 Corinthians 3:1; 1 Peter 2:2) a while to identify the spiritual gift and hone it, but the gift is present from the moment of salvation. Some Christians are given more than one spiritual gift, but every Christian is given at least one (1 Corinthians 12:7). The good news is that one is plenty by which to serve Christ in great and mighty ways.     

A young man who lost his left arm in an automobile accident wanted to learn judo. His family, delighted that he wasn’t letting his disability keep him down, hired an old Japanese master to teach him judo’s throws. After three months had passed, the master had taught the young man only one throw, but that specific throw had been perfected. Surprisingly, the master felt that it was time for the young man to enter his first competition. Even more surprisingly, the young man actually won the event, defeating the defending champion in the finals.

After the finals, the young man asked the master the question that had been on his mind: “Why did you teach me only one throw?” The master replied, “There are two reasons. First, by mastering that one throw you have mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that throw is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

You see, that young man knew only one throw, but one was enough. Likewise, Christian, God the Holy Spirit may have imparted to you only one spiritual gift, but that one is enough. So use it, use it, use it, over and over and over again in service to Christ. Why? Because Satan won’t have a defense for it and it will surely help others.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Doing Good, God's Provision, God's Work, Ministry, Salvation, Satan, Spiritual Gifts, Talents, The Devil, The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Arms of God

Posted on January 28, 2011 by russellmckinney

The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms… (Deuteronomy 33:27, N.K.J.V.)

A family was awakened one night by the blaring of their smoke detector. Sure enough, their house was on fire. The father immediately raced into the kids’ room and came out carrying his eighteen-month-old baby with one arm and holding his four-year-old son’s hand with the other. They were halfway down the stairs when the four-year-old realized that he’d left his teddy bear in his room. Impulsively, he broke away from his father’s grip and ran back to get the bear. With the house beginning to fill up with smoke, the father made the split-second decision to get the baby out and then go back and retrieve the four-year-old. He calculated that he’d have enough time.

Unfortunately, the fire accelerated faster than the father expected, and by the time he got the baby outside, the flames had trapped the four-year-old in the second-floor bedroom. Frantically, the father looked up to the window and through the thick smoke saw that the boy had raised the window and was trying to get out. The man yelled, “Jump, son, I’ll catch you!” The boy, who was now engulfed in smoke, said, “But I can’t see you, daddy.” To that, the father answered, “That’s okay, son. Jump. I can see you!”

Tell me, is God calling you to make some “jump” in your life right now? In other words, is He asking you to do something that you’re just not sure about? Maybe you are hesitating to obey Him. Maybe you are arguing with Him. Maybe you’ve passed through the stages of hesitation and argument and are now in full-blown disobedience.

If any of that describes you, I want you to remember that if you know for certain that it’s God who is doing the calling, you needn’t worry about not being able to see where you will land. Where you will land is in the strong arms of a God who loves you more than you can imagine and knows what’s best for your life. You see, if God is calling you to “jump,” He is already standing with His arms open wide to catch you, and the reality of life is that His arms are always the best place to end up in the aftermath of any decision you will ever make.

Posted in Belief, Choices, Faith, Fatherhood, Fear, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Will, Obedience, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

That’s What Christians Do Now

Posted on January 27, 2011 by russellmckinney

Here’s a piece that was written some time ago by the late Donald E. Wildmon, who at the time was the President of the American Family Association. The piece has been passed around for several years now, and so maybe you’ve read it. If you haven’t, I hope you will find it thought-provoking. Wildmon writes:

In 1973 The Supreme Court said it was ok to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire population of Canada. And it continues. A woman’s choice? Half of those who have died in their mothers’ wombs have been women. They didn’t have a choice. It is called abortion.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

First it was in dingy, dirty theaters. Then, convenience stores. Then, grocery stores. Then on television. Now it is in the homes of millions via the Internet. It is called pornography.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

They called it no-fault. Why should we blame anyone when something so tragic happens? Haven’t they already suffered enough? Half of the marriages in America end this way. The children suffered. The family broke down. It is called divorce.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

At one time it was a perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it, and elected officials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. Even some Christian leaders and denominations praise it. It is called homosexuality.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

It used to be an embarrassment. A shame. Now a third of all births are to mothers who aren’t married. Two-thirds of all African-American children are born into a home without a father. The state usually pays the tab. That is why we pay out taxes, so that government can take the place of parents. After all, government bureaucrats know much better how to raise children than parents do. It is called illegitimacy.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. But just look at all the money the state has raised. No longer do we teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positive image of Christians in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as the bad guys – greedy, narrow-minded hypocrites. The teacher can’t have a Bible on her desk, but can have Playboy. We don’t have Christmas and Easter holidays – just winter and spring break. We can’t pray in school, but can use foul language. It’s called being tolerant.

Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

Yes, all these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? Why, they were in church. All these things are for someone else to deal with. Times have changed. Involvement has been replaced with apathy.

But don’t blame me. I didn’t do anything. I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

Posted in Abortion, Church, Church Attendance, Current Events, Divorce, Gambling, Government, Homosexuality, Politics, Sex, Sin, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments