Church Attendance in the Summer

Posted on May 28, 2024 by russellmckinney

Memorial Day in America has long been called “the unofficial beginning of summer.” With that in mind, I’d like to talk to you about the “summer slump” most churches experience in regards to attendance in June, July, and August. I doubt there is a pastor alive who doesn’t have to deal with this issue at least to some degree.

Vacations, family reunions, camps, travel ball, etc. all take their toll on church attendance this time of year despite the fact that pastors try everything to keep folks coming. We’ll start a series on marriage or prophecy, two subjects which are always popular. Some pastors swap pulpits with each other for one Sunday morning. Others bring in guest speakers. These are all attempts to keep the flock interested in coming to church rather than going to the lake, the ocean, the campground, the ball field, or wherever.

Mind you now that I’m not saying all such trips are wrong or sinful. But as is the case with so many issues, there should be moderation and balance when it comes to missing church. God doesn’t mind you missing a church service every now and then if He approves of the reason, but far too many churchgoers don’t ask for His approval before they make their plans that cause them to miss church.

Truth be told, most people could do their summer stuff and yet still attend church if they put just the slightest effort into it. For example, instead of heading out for vacation on Sunday, they could do so on Monday. Or instead of checking out and driving back on Sunday, they could check out and drive back on Saturday. Rather than schedule the reunion or the family get-together on Sunday, they could schedule it on Saturday. And if they attend a church that offers Sunday night or Wednesday night services, they could attend those even if they have to miss the Sunday morning service. I’m telling you, with just a small amount of planning and effort, the amount of church services people miss in summer could be greatly reduced.

Of course, the world and all it has to offer gives us absolutely no help in this area. Let me give you just one example from a long list of them. Our oldest son, Ryan, once attended a Clemson Tigers basketball camp in Clemson, South Carolina, as part of our local high school’s basketball program. And what were the dates for that camp? They were June 17th (Friday), 18th (Saturday), and 19th (Sunday). My question was, why couldn’t those dates have been June 16th (Thursday), 17th (Friday), and 18th (Saturday)? After all, it was summer, the kids were out of school, and it would have been just as easy for them to have showed up for camp on Thursday as it was Friday. You see, whoever set up that camp seemed to go out of his way to ensure that the kids were there on Sunday rather than in church.

This same kind of thing plays itself out time and time again in tournaments for so-called “travel teams.” I assure you that if tournament directors scheduled their summer tournaments for Friday and Saturday rather than Saturday and Sunday, the teams would still be there. So, why do they schedule them for Saturday and Sunday? All I can figure is that the schedulers are lost people who don’t give a rip about church.

But I don’t mean to lay all the blame for the annual summer slump at the door of lost people. Let me tell you the dirty little secret that we Christians don’t want to acknowledge: The average church-goer actually likes missing church every now and then. Follow my logic here. People will bend over backwards and move mountains to get to a place where they truly want to be, right? I mean, if a destination becomes a priority, the masses will be there. As the old saying goes, “Hell or high water couldn’t keep them away.” Okay, doesn’t this prove that church isn’t really a priority with most people? Even the ones who regularly attend can be knocked out by just the slightest problem or misalignment of the stars.

On this subject, I’ll admit that church has become its own worst enemy. The problem is, church has now become so much a part of the fabric of our lives that we take it for granted. We think, “What’s the big deal if a service is missed? There will be another one next week.” Well, I suppose there will be, if you live another week to see it. But who’s to say what blessings you will miss at church if you skip for a reason that doesn’t pass God’s test of approval? You might miss the sermon that would change your life. You might miss the song that would carry you through the rest of your week. You might miss the prayer request for which you could make a major difference. You might be the source of encouragement that helps keep your tired, frustrated, out-of-heart pastor going. You might be the reason some visitors decide to become a part of your church. I’m telling you, you just never know.

So, in closing, I plead with you to consider these things any time you are planning to miss church. This goes for the summer months as well as all the other months. I guess what I’m trying to do with this post is get you to think deeper and more spiritually about your church attendance. Don’t be so casual or flippant about blowing off church. Remember that Hebrews 10:24-25 is still in the Bible. And what does that verse say?

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (N.K.J.V., emphasis mine)

Posted in Balance, Choices, Church, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discipleship, Faithfulness, God's Will, Memorial Day, Pastors, Personal, Priorities, Sports, Worship | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Class of Prayer (part 2)

Posted on May 24, 2024 by russellmckinney

When it comes to carrying a good attitude into a class (including the class of prayer), nothing will help you more than seeing the value of the class. In my last post, I told you about a French class I took in high school. Now let me tell you about another class from my days of academia.

In college my major required me to take an introductory class into the application of computers. At that time, computers were just on the brink of taking over the world, and my college was wise to mandate a basic class in how to use them. But to a young man who was still equating the electronic typewriter with advanced technology, such a class seemed at best optional and at worst unnecessary. I thought, “Good grief, it’s not like I’m ever going to work at NASA!”

So, as I had done with my high school French class, I began that computers class with a low level of enthusiasm. Since I had made it that far in life without relying upon computers, I figured that I could keep up that archaic pace. Little did I know that over the next few years computers would become nothing less than standard operating equipment for living in the modern world. I’m sure that when homes first began to be wired for electricity there were people who chaffed at the idea and couldn’t envision a home life void of lanterns and candles. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I wasn’t acting much differently as I sat in that computers class.

Perhaps, Christian, you are guilty of a similar mindset in regards to learning to pray. You are asking yourself, “Since I’ve made it this far in my life praying the way I pray, why should I change anything now?” At the risk of hurting your feelings, let me say that your attitude makes as much sense as my attitude toward that computers class. Whether you admit it or not, you need to learn how to pray more effective prayers. If you don’t learn how to pray ideally, you will forevermore be out of step with the times God has for you. Metaphorically speaking, you’ll be using lanterns and candles while others are enjoying the power of electricity.

Actually, though, my guess is that the majority of people would readily agree to the value of a class on prayer. With the exceptions of atheists and agnostics, most people would love to learn how to harness the power of prayer. The problem is that relatively few people are willing to put in the necessary work to excel in such a class. You see, learning how to pray takes work.

But let’s assume that you are willing to put in the work to learn how to pray better prayers. How, then, should you go about that work? As is the case with virtually any class, there is a textbook for the class on prayer. That textbook is the Bible. If you want to learn how to pray the best prayers you can pray, you must learn what the Bible teaches about prayer. This means you should study not only the Bible’s great passages on prayer but also the Bible’s great examples of prayers. To get started, seven of those great passages are: Psalm 66:18-19; Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13; John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26-27; Philippians 4:6-7; and 1 John 5:14. Likewise, seven of those great examples are found in: 1 Samuel 1:1-18; 2 Kings 20:1-7; 2 Chronicles 20:1-12; Daniel 9:1-19; Jonah 2:1-10; Matthew 26:36-44; and Luke 18:9-14.

So, Christian, are you ready for your class to begin? If you are, then make today the day you start devoting deep Bible study to the topic of prayer. And don’t forget that you must go into the class with a good attitude, see the value of the class, and put in the work to excel in it. If you will do these things, I promise you that nothing can stop you from learning how to pray prayers that produce manifested results in your life. Remember, the same Jesus who heard His disciples say, “Lord, teach us to pray” stands ready to be your teacher as well. His class is always in session and you can enroll in it anytime. As for what grade you make, well, that depends upon you. But don’t ever doubt that Jesus wants you to pass with the highest marks.

Posted in Bible Study, Commitment, Discipleship, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Scripture, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Class of Prayer (part 1 of 2)

Posted on May 22, 2024 by russellmckinney

In Luke 11:1, we read:

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (N.K.J.V.)

Christian, let me draw your attention to three things from this verse.

First, it was after Jesus had finished praying that His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Obviously, there was something uncommonly different about Christ’s prayer life. The disciples knew they didn’t pray as effectively and as powerfully as He did. Has anyone ever heard you pray and asked, “Will you teach me to pray like that?” What a compliment!

Second, it’s noteworthy that John the Baptist had taught his disciples how to pray. While the Bible describes John as a man who lived in the great outdoors, wore strange clothes, ate odd food, preached fiery sermons, and baptized multitudes in the Jordan river, we don’t usually think of him as being a prayer warrior. Nevertheless, he must have had expertise in the field if he was able to instruct others.

Third, notice that prayer is something that can be taught. Putting it another way, a person can learn how to pray. Prayer is not an inborn talent or spiritual gift. It’s not like a musical bent or an artistic ability. The fact is, nobody is a “natural” at prayer. That’s why we all need to become students in its class.

There is a difference, however, between merely enrolling in a class and fully embracing the class. I remember a French class I took in high school. I only enrolled in the class to please my guidance counselor. She wanted me to take French I and French II because some colleges required two foreign language courses for admittance, and French I and French II were the only options my school offered at that time.

The problem was that I had no interest at all in learning to speak French, and it was absolute torture for me to drag myself into that classroom in the afternoons. It should come as no shock, then, that I bombed out of that class. Even though I was an honor student, I felt lucky to pull out a D- for the first six weeks of the class. Frankly, my teacher was generous in giving me that grade.

So, what did I do? I dropped that class and never looked back! I can’t speak one word of French today, and I still don’t care. As for admission to college, I just looked around and found a good school that didn’t require two years of foreign language. Not only did I not regret foregoing that French class and the follow-up one, it irked me that I had lost six weeks of my life sitting in a class I loathed.

My point, Christian, is that even if you enroll in the class of prayer, you can’t go in with the attitude I had concerning that French class. Nobody can make you want to become a student of prayer. It has to be a personal decision on your part. If you see learning to pray as just one more chore to add to your list, you won’t be much of a student. It’s well nigh impossible to teach something to someone who isn’t interested in learning it.

In the end, me dropping out of that French class didn’t do any long-term damage to my life. But that won’t be true for your life if you drop out of the class on prayer. Whereas I could get by without learning a second language because I already knew a first one, you dropping out of the class on prayer would be akin to me dropping out of an elementary school English class. Do you understand the difference? Prayer is the basic language by which you talk with God. It is Communication 101. Therefore, the class on prayer really is core-curriculum education.

Posted in Discipleship, Personal, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Sanctification | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

God’s Opinion of Virginity

Posted on May 20, 2024 by russellmckinney

Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, “When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.” Then the woman’s father and mother must bring the proof of her virginity to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. Her father must say to them, “I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he has turned against her. He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.’ But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.” Then they must spread her bed sheet before the elders. The elders must then take the man and punish him. They must also fine him 100 pieces of silver, which he must pay to the woman’s father because he publicly accused a virgin of Israel of shameful conduct. The woman will then remain the man’s wife, and he may never divorce her. But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin. The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 22:13-21, New Living Translation)

According to its website, the National Center for Health Statistics (NSFG) “gathers information on pregnancy and births, marriage and cohabitation, infertility, use of contraception, family life, and general and reproductive health.” Its latest completed round of interviewing, with published results, covers the years 2017-2019. During those years the NSFG interviewed 6,141 women and 5,206 men. All those interviewed were between the ages of 15-49 and were either currently married or had been married at least once. (I should probably point out that Kansas and Hawaii actually do allow 15-year-olds to legally marry.)

In regards to premarital sex, 89.3% of those surveyed women and 93.4% of those surveyed men said they had engaged in premarital sex. Both of those percentages were increases from the 2015-2017 interview period, which reported that 85.9% of similar women and 90.3% of similar men had engaged in premarital sex. If these numbers paint an even remotely correct picture of premarital sex in America, it is indeed a very troubling one.

Standing in stark contrast to America’s current mocking of virginity, we have our text passage, which was a part of God’s Old Testament law. How highly was virginity valued in a newlywed Jewish girl in ancient Israel? If her husband’s initial sex with her led him to conclude that she wasn’t a virgin when she married him, he could take her to court before the elders of his town and formally charge her with shameful conduct. At that point, the burden of proof for the girl’s premarital virginity would fall to her parents. In order to clear her of the charge, they had to produce proof of her virginity. This proof would have been in the form of a blood-stained bedsheet or a blood-stained garment from the wedding night.

If the girl’s parents were able to produce this proof, the husband who had made the false accusation was to be punished, fined 100 pieces of silver, and never allowed to divorce the girl. Presumably, the word “punished” refers to the man being whipped. As for the 100 pieces of silver, they were to be paid to the girl’s father because the good name of his family had been soiled by the false accusation. Not only had the accusation cast his daughter in a bad light, it had cast him and his wife in one for not being able to raise a sexually pure daughter.

But on the other hand, if the girl’s parents were not able to produce the required proof that the girl truly was a virgin when she got married, the required sentence for her was death by stoning. She was to be taken to the door of her father’s home and stoned there by the men of the town. By doing the stoning at the door of the home in which the girl was raised, a stigma would be associated with that home. Also, the girl’s parents would recall the memory of her stoning every time they entered the home. That memory would serve to remind them that they had somehow failed her in her upbringing.

Okay, so am I advocating that we implement God’s Old Testament law here in America? No, I’m not. I’m simply pointing out that law’s standard in regards to virginity and using that standard as evidence of just how highly God values virginity. In other words, if you want to know what God thinks about premarital sex in America becoming about as common as dirt, Deuteronomy 22:13-21 will give you your answer.

As a closing reminder, Hebrews 13:4 still says: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (N.K.J.V.). The teaching of this verse is simple: Any sexual activity that is done anywhere besides the confines of marriage is sin and is therefore worthy of God’s judgment. That’s not hypothetical Old Testament law, either. It’s New Testament fact.

If we can believe the statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, 89% of American women and 93% of American men either don’t know that teaching or don’t fear it enough to bring their lives in line with it. Obviously, no Americans are getting stoned to death with rocks these days, but God does have other forms of judgment, and I have no doubt that America is experiencing them in one way or another right now. This is just one more way in which the American train has derailed, and I find it simply impossible to believe that any real changes will ever occur apart from Christ’s Second Coming.

Posted in Capital Punishment, Children, Current Events, Fatherhood, God's Judgment, Lust, Marriage, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal Holiness, Sanctification, Sex, Sin, Singleness, The Death Penalty, The Old Testament Law | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mitchell County (We’re Not All Leaving)

Posted on May 17, 2024 by russellmckinney

In March of 2024, the United States Census Bureau released its 2023 county population estimates for North Carolina. Of North Carolina’s 100 counties, 85 of them had either grown in population or at least remained almost identically the same in terms of population since the previous year’s census. The other 15 counties had experienced a loss in population.

Guess which list my county, Mitchell, made. As has been the trend for the past several years, we experienced a loss in population (-.03, a decrease of 49 people). By contrast, the counties that surround us experienced gains: Avery (+.01, an increase of 20 people), Yancey (+.09, an increase of 170 people), and McDowell (+.03, an increase of 138 people).

While a decrease of 49 people might not seem all that significant, it becomes very significant when it fits into a larger pattern that has been playing itself out for several years now. In 2011, our county’s estimated population was 15,356, but according to the 2023 estimates, it now stands at 14,999. That, by the way, is in spite of increases of 72 people in 2021 and 73 in 2022, increases which momentarily had stopped the downward plummet that had been occurring since at least 2011. With these latest numbers, those years of 2021 and 2022 now look more like anomalies than evidences of permanent fixes.

I could write a book on the topic of Mitchell’s declining population. In one chapter, I could describe once thriving furniture factories being shut down. In another chapter, I could explain how our high school went from being 3A when I was there 40+ years ago to being 2A to now being 1A. In a chapter about recent events, I could mention that this coming August the student populations of our two middle schools will be combined for the first time and begin attending a newly built middle school. But what would be the point of writing such a book? No one around here needs to read a book to know that these occurrences don’t indicate long-term numeric vibrancy.

To the credit of some of our local folks, they are working hard to address the problem even though they are not in lock step as to how to go about it. Some of them are trying to make Mitchell County a hotbed for tourism. Others want to focus upon the local arts community and push that angle hard. And then there are those who are trying to attract new textile businesses into the county.

Of course, standing indifferent to all of these efforts are the residents who like our county just the way it is. As you might guess, these are the people who have the local setup licked and don’t want it altered to favor anyone else. These people remind me of so many “family run” churches in that their attitude is: “As long as me and mine are fine, I really don’t care about anybody else.”

There is, however, one other thing that I know about Mitchell County: I know it is where God has placed me. Call it “blooming where you’re planted.” Call it “lighting a candle in the midst of the darkness.” Call it whatever you like, but this is where Tonya and I are supposed to be right now. This is where I’m to pastor a church called Roan Mountain Baptist Church. This is where I’m to write posts for this blog. This is where I’m to do a radio broadcast each week. This is where I’m to vote. This is where I’m to pay local taxes. This is where I’m to do all the rest of the things I do (with the exception of going on vacation).

Who knows? Maybe one day God will do some uprooting and plant me and Tonya somewhere else. Then again, maybe He won’t. But no matter how God leads us in the days to come, I understand that His will is perfect and His plan is best. As Adrian Rogers, the longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, used to say, “God’s will is what you would want for yourself if you had enough sense to want it.” Well, I’ve got enough sense to want it, even if it means staying on in a county where the population numbers are declining. And, at least for now and the foreseeable future, that’s exactly what it means.

Posted in Adversity, Business, Church, Commitment, Contentment, Current Events, Faithfulness, God's Omnipotence, God's Will, God's Work, Individuality, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Pastors, Personal, Problems, Prosperity, Service, Submission, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Words

Posted on May 15, 2024 by russellmckinney

Kent Crockett is a Bible teacher who is the President of Making Life Count Ministries. Like many of us, he is old enough to understand what the terms “8mm home movie camera,” “VHS,” and “VCR” mean. In reference to these items, he tells the following story from his past:

Years ago my wife and I recorded many of our family highlights using an 8mm home movie camera. We collected years of precious memories in numerous spools of film, which became antiquated after the invention of video cameras. Some friends living in another state offered to combine all our films into one videotape. We gladly accepted their generous offer and sent them our films.

Our friends placed an 8mm home movie camera in their living room to project our movies. They also set up a VHS video camera pointed at the screen and recorded the films while the other camera’s reels turned. They sent the completed videotape to us.

Cindy and I were anxious to watch the tape of our old movies. We brought out the popcorn and inserted the video into our VCR. But that’s where the fun stopped. As we beheld our old home movie films on videotape, we also listened to our friends’ remarks. They had not realized that when they recorded our films, the video camera also taped their critical comments about us!

When the videotape began, they started making fun of us. As the film continued to roll, their comments turned vicious. With every new scene came a cutting remark or hurtful joke. Daggers entered my heart as I listened to what our friends honestly thought about us. My wife was devastated.

Our friends looked at us through judgmental glasses. Although they were cordial to our faces, the video recorded the true thoughts of their hearts.

The Bible features numerous passages that are downright terrifying, and one of them is Matthew 12:36-37. In those verses, Jesus gives us an ominous warning:

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (N.K.J.V.)

When we consider this awesome weight our words carry, not just in this life but in the “day of judgment,” I think you’ll agree with me that our frequent prayer should be David’s from Psalm 141:3:

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.(N.K.J.V.)

Posted in Character, Communication, Discipleship, Doing Good, Friendship, God's Judgment, Lying, Personal Holiness, Reward, Sanctification, Sin, The Tongue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Those Children of Israel

Posted on May 13, 2024 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 , , , , , | 1 Comment

That’s What Christians Do Now

Posted on May 10, 2024 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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Idolatry

Posted on May 8, 2024 by russellmckinney

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21, N.K.J.V.)

The Old Testament’s history of Israel is dominated by the Jews committing the sin of idolatry. Even though the first two commandments of Israel’s law prohibited idolatry, the Jews still succumbed with shocking frequency to the worship of false gods. These false gods were the gods of the inhabitants of Canaan, the people the Jews were supposed to have eradicated from the land before taking possession of it. The fact that the Jews didn’t do a thorough enough job in regards to that assignment set them up for centuries of failure at resisting Canaan’s gods.

Eventually, however, the Jews did fully repent of the sin of idolatry. It took God severely punishing them by allowing the Assyrians to conquer Israel’s northern kingdom (which ended that kingdom) and the Babylonians to conquer Israel’s southern kingdom, but after centuries of breaking the first two commandments of God’s law, the Jews finally did quit with that form of idolatry altogether. This explains why Jesus didn’t have to preach against the sins of fashioning idols and worshiping them.

What Jesus did, instead, was preach against a more subtle kind of idolatry. For example, He said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, N.K.J.V.) Do you see how that quote makes serving mammon (riches, material wealth) a form of idolatry? Furthermore, He hinted at this same teaching in His conversation with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23) as well as in His parable about the rich man who planned to tear down his barns and build bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21).

It’s also probably not a stretch to say that Jesus classified the Pharisees’ and the Scribes’ incessant craving to be honored by the common people as idolatry (Matthew 23:6-7; Luke 11:43). The same can be said of the Sadducees’ desire to keep control of everything that went on at the Jewish temple (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 16:5-12). Therefore, we can see that even though Jesus didn’t speak against the Old Testament’s version of idolatry (at least not according to the record of the gospels), He did speak against making false gods of money, prestige, and power. Along these same lines, God would later inspire Paul to label all covetousness as idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

So, is the idolatry described in the New Testament exclusively the less overt kind of idolatry? No, it isn’t. In the wake of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the apostles had to hit the old kind of idolatry head on as they took the gospel to the Gentiles and began winning thousands of them to Christ. Whereas the Jews had long ago stopped worshiping man-made images as gods, that brand of idolatry was still pervasive among the Gentiles. In addition to our text verse for this post, this is clearly on display in passages such as: Acts 17:22-34; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 10:7; 10:14-22; Galatians 4:8; 5:19-21; and 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10.

But what about our day and age? What kind of idolatry exists today? The answer is, pretty much all kinds. There are still some primitive people who worship graven images, and there are plenty more people who worship money, prestige, power, etc. Basically, anything that a person puts ahead of the true and living God in his or her life can be called an idol. That can be a relationship, a job, a pursuit, a hobby, or just about anything else we want to put on the list. You name it, if it’s getting more of your time, energy, zeal, money, and devotion than God is, you’ve got yourself a false god and you are committing the sin of idolatry.

Then, of course, there are the false gods of the Hindu religion. Supposedly, there are 330 million gods in Hinduism. This is illustrated by the story of the Christian missionary who was one day walking along a street that ran beside the Ganges River. Suddenly, he came upon a native woman who was standing and looking out at the water. In her arms was a sickly, whining infant, and at her side stood a beautiful, strong, healthy little boy.

When the missionary stopped and began a conversation with the woman, she told him that she was in deep distress and was considering giving an offering to her god, the Ganges River. Naturally, the missionary took the opportunity to tell her about Jesus and ask her to believe in Christ as Savior. But in response to hearing the gospel, the woman only shook her head and would not heed Christ’s call. After some time had passed, and with his efforts producing no results, the missionary left and went on to his other duties.

Later, when the missionary returned to the spot, he found the woman still there, but now she was sitting and rocking the sickly child in her arms. Tears were streaming down her face and she was moaning loudly. Missing from the scene was the strong, healthy son that had been standing by her side. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. To appease her god, the woman had sacrificed her healthy child to the river’s crocodiles. That was her way of offering her best to her god.

Let me close by encouraging you, Christian, to examine your own life and be honest as to whether or not you are making a false god of something or someone. And if you must admit that you have such an idol in your life, it’s obvious what you need to do. Confess your sin, repent of your idolatry, and bring that something or someone under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus might want you to give up that thing or that person altogether, or He might just want you to bring a more balanced approach to the whole situation, but whatever He tells you to do, do it. You see, until you repent of your idolatry, you really aren’t much better than either than the idolaters of the Old Testament or the New Testament. Yes, I know that’s hard preaching, but it’s the truth nonetheless.

Posted in Backsliding, Balance, Commitment, Confession, Discipleship, Idolatry, Priorities, Repentance, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Look for the Best

Posted on May 6, 2024 by russellmckinney

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, N.L.T.)

A Baptist preacher of another day wrote this:

Don’t ever send a buzzard out to report on the landscape. He’ll fly over all kinds of beautiful flowers, green meadows, blue lakes and gorgeous mountain ranges; and when he comes back and you ask, “Buzzard, what did you see?” he will answer, “I saw a dead cow covered with maggots and big purple flies.” That buzzard may have flown over ten thousand beautiful flowers and trees and placid lakes to see maggots and flies on cows. Being a buzzard caused him to see that.

But send a honeybee out to report on the landscape, and when he returns ask him, “Honeybee, what did you see?” and you will hear a different story: “I saw ten million little flowers filled with nectar, and I got all I could take and added it to my honeycomb. My! I must have made a pint of honey today!” It flew over the dead cow and didn’t see it. It was looking for something else – flowers.

If you look for the worst, you will probably find it. If you look for the best, you will find that down the road too. SO GO THROUGH LIFE LOOKING FOR THE BEST.

Our text verse tells us to fix our thoughts on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. That’s another way of saying, “Go through life looking for the best rather than the worst.” Unfortunately, the worst is usually easier to spot. That is not to say, though, that the best isn’t out there too if we are willing to search for it.

Keep this in mind, Christian, whenever life funnels you through a difficult season. Right there in the midst of your struggling, pain, disappointment, and frustration, look for the good in all the bad. Ask the Lord to help you reprogram your mind so that you can fixate on everything that is right rather than on everything that is wrong. And wherever you find something that is (to use Paul’s description from the conclusion of our text) “worthy of praise,” take the time to actually praise the One who has blessed you with that particular thing.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Balance, Complaining, Criticism, Depression, Disappointment, God's Love, God's Provision, Human Life, Leadership, Loneliness, Praise, Problems, Sickness, Suffering, Trials, Worry | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments