Church pews discuss workload

Enjoy this guest post by Greg Miller and contact the author to let him know you saw him on Frugal Fancy's Blog!

A medium-sized church in a large metropolitan city was known far and wide for its Bible-based preaching.

The church's members loved God with all their hearts, and they encouraged the pastor to continue boldly proclaiming God's Word.

All of the church's members enthusiastically threw themselves into God's work. "I'm so proud of the way everyone works together to fulfill their roles in this church!" exclaimed the pastor.

Even the church's furniture and other inanimate objects worked tirelessly to advance God's kingdom. "Church Pews, Pulpit, Piano and Organ all go far above the call of duty to minister to the Lord, too," said the pastor.

Pulpit enjoyed a prominent position at the front of the church. "I thank the Lord every single day that He allows me to hold the Bibles while the pastor preaches the sermons," Pulpit said. "It's a tremendous honor."

Piano and organ were proud of their musical contributions to the church. "We are certainly noteworthy," piano bragged.

"We do have the keys to the music of the worship services," echoed organ.

Church Pews did not agree about the amount of work they shared. Prior to one Sunday evening service, Front Row Church Pew and Back Row Church Pew discussed their workload.

"It's great being at the front of the church," said Front Row Church Pew. "Normally, only a few people sit on me during the services. On holidays and other special occasions, my workload is a bit heavier, though."

"My workload is heavier than yours for almost every service," complained Back Row Church Pew. "For some reason, I'm a lot more popular than you are. For most services, I'm jam-packed and I don't have a square inch of extra space to spare. In fact, for many services, my twin brother, Back Row Church Pew Number Two, is also filled to capacity."

"I wonder why you're more popular than me!" exclaimed Front Row Church Pew.

"One reason," shared Back Row Church Pew, "is that according to some people, the preacher talks too loudly."

"Those people are wrong," sighed Front Row Church Pew. "Some of the people who sit on me say they can barely hear him because he speaks so softly!

"A couple of them complain about one of the brothers in the ‘Amen Corner' using a little extra volume, but other than that my job is pretty cool."

"You're right about that," agreed Back Row Church Pew. "One of the brothers who used to sit in the Amen Corner moved to the back row because during one service he shouted ‘Amen' so loudly that he upset himself!"

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Contact the writer of this column, Greg Miller, about speaking engagements and/or puppet ministry by email to kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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This Will We Do

Scripture: Hebrews 6:1-3 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.

Text: Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;

Greetings in the name of Jesus:

How far have we come in our exploration of the experience of Holiness?

What has God shown us in the Scripture about the place that Holy living has in His grand design for our lives?

We see,

(1) That holy character was God’s purpose in creating us;

(2) That man lost something essential in the Fall and is now born with a spirit of antagonism to God;

(3) But, God has provided a way for man to be freed from such indwelling SIN;

(4) That the method is through a second, instantaneous work of grace;

(5) And, that this work of grace is God’s will for all who are His redeemed children.

We come now to ask the question, How shall we enter in?

As the Holy Spirit leads us into the experience, what steps must we take and by what signs shall we know that we are making progress toward our goal of HEART HOLINESS?

This is the real purpose of all our preceding Bible study of the truth.

Our better understanding of divine things is not an end in itself.

We study in order to show our selves approved unto God.

The words themselves are only road signs in the highway of eternal life.

We seek to understand the truth of Holiness more clearly in order that we may enter in more quickly, or that we may aid others to do so.

How can we be SANCTIFIED WHOLLY?

How can we guide our Christian friends to this high experience?

We start by wanting it.

We are already moving in the right direction when we sincerely pray:

Purify our faith like gold;
All the dross of sin remove;
Melt our spirits down, and mould
Into thy perfect love.

—Wesley’s Hymns

He lives in my heart today.

Pastor Neal Stover
South Haven Church of the Nazarene

Watch Your Aim When Throwing Verbal Darts

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Ramsey and Rose were teenagers who lived in a huge metropolis where some teens were known for hurling insults at visitors, relatives, friends, enemies and everyone else. Sometimes they even stood in front of the mirror and called themselves names.

Rose and Ramsey, who had known each other since kindergarten, especially enjoyed throwing verbal darts at all the senior citizens and young children they met.

The two friends became known as the Verbal Dart Throwers Club. They enjoyed throwing those fiery darts so much that they held a special meeting to come up with an idea that would greatly enhance their evil efforts.

Rose considered herself the leader of the club, and Ramsey seemed content to play along with that notion. During the meeting, Rose suggested a drastic change in their mode of operation. "Instead of continuing to toss verbal darts at everyone, why don't we begin saying nice things?," she asked.

"Where did you get such an idea?," asked Ramsey. "Aren't you afraid our reputations will be ruined by such a big change in the way we do things?"

"Absolutely not!," exclaimed Rose. "That's the beauty of the plan. People will be so shocked that they won't know what to think. Then when everyone thinks we've become goody-goody, we'll just go back to our old ways."

"When do you want to start this new and improved plan?," asked Ramsey.

"The sooner the better," said Rose. "I can't wait to see how well this little scheme works."

The next afternoon after school, Ramsey and Rose met at their local mall, their usual location for verbal dart hurling. As they were walking into the mall, Ramsey taped a piece of paper to the back of Rose's jacket.

Rose walked up to a man named Ron, flashed her most charming smile and said, "Good afternoon, Sir. That's a very beautiful tie you're wearing."

Without waiting for a reply, Rose bounced over to a woman named Rexanna, who was pushing a baby carriage. "Your baby has the most beautiful red hair," Rose said.

Rexanna replied, "You can't fool me with your goody-goody act. I've seen you here on numerous occasions, and I've observed you when you were being yourself...not putting on an act!"

"How did you know that I'm putting on an act this time?," inquired Rose.

"Because someone wrote a message on the back of your coat...It says 'ACTRESS,'" said Rexanna.

Rose realized that Ramsey had played a trick on her. "I'm really going to try to stop throwing those verbal darts," she said. "Sometimes they have a tendency to hit you instead of the person you're aiming at!"

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Unborn Baby Wants To Become Professional Thief

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Everyone who knew Esther could tell that she was extremely happy that she was going to have a baby.

“I have dedicated my son, Elijah, to the Lord,” Esther said. “When he grows up, he will accomplish great exploits for God! “I think he may become a great preacher or a well-known Christian singer!”

A couple of months later, when Esther was six months pregnant, she and her husband, Elisha, were on their way home after the Sunday morning worship service.

The radio’s smooth Christian music was interrupted by a soft, “Hi, Mom and Dad! Would you mind changing the station to something geared more to us in the younger generation!?”

“Esther, I thought I just heard someone ask us to change radio stations,” said Elisha. “But we’re the only ones in the car.”

“That was Elijah, our son,” said Esther. “He and I had a nice conversation last night. I almost thought I was dreaming. He told me that he was going to talk to us today after church.”

“So, how are you doing this afternoon, Son?,” asked Elisha, as he tuned the radio to a Christian station with a more contemporary sound.

“I’m great, Dad!,” exclaimed Elijah, his feet tapping to the music. “And thanks for changing stations for me.” “While we’re having this little discussion today, there is something specific I want to talk to you about,” said Elisha.

“What’s that, Dad?”

“I know you haven’t been born yet, but you’re my son, and I’d like to give you a bit of a head start in life. So, I’d like to talk to you about your career options.”

“And we have already dedicated you to God, so your career needs to be one that will honor and glorify the Lord,“ said Esther. “I‘m thinking about you becoming a pastor, evangelist, youth leader, music director, or a Christian actor.”

“How about you, Dad? Do you have any ideas on a career that will be the best for me?,” asked Elijah.

“My ideas would tend to be more secular in nature,” said Elisha. “A field like information technology or science. But even if you work in a secular job, you’ll still have lots of opportunities to serve God.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Dad, because I guess you might say that I’m interested in a secular field. I want to be a professional thief.”

“I professional thief?,” gasped Esther.

“Yes, Mom, a professional thief. Dad, you know how you always watch professional baseball games on Sunday afternoons after church? Well, I’ve been listening in, and I’m sort of thinking about a pro baseball career. I want to be the all-time stolen-base king!”

For a couple of seconds, Elijah gave his mother a couple of unusual kicks. “What’s that all about?,” she asked.

“I’m just practicing sliding into second base!” Elijah laughed.

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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The Sovereign Lord is in Charge of Climate Change

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Blizzard 2010 was a small city in the Land of Virtual Winter, USA.

Many cities and towns in the Land of Virtual Winter had seen so much snow that even the residents who loved the white stuff were ready for a reprieve.

The Blizzard 2010 City Council, which met on the second Friday of each month, decided to consider an ordinance forbidding snow, freezing rain or sleet to fall inside the city limits for the remainder of the winter.

Councilman Snowz Grate was the first to speak in favor of the ordinance. “Fellow citizens, we’ve had entirely too much snow this winter,” he said. “I have so much snow at my house that the last bunch of snow flurries started talking among themselves. They were complaining that they were working much harder than this winter’s raindrops.”

“I have more than one hundred cattle on my farm, and they were mooing among themselves,” said Councilman Daree Farmur. “They said the amount of snow, combined with the extremely cold temperatures, was making their lives utterly unbearable.”

Councilman Snow E. Rhoads said the town had used nearly all of its winter salt supply. “So there will be no salt to take care of the streets during the additional accumulating snows that are heading in our direction,” he said.

Councilman Snowz Grate then asked if anyone from the community had additional comments.

SnowCreme D. Zert stood and walked to the podium in the center of the council chambers. “Members of the council, you will be making a huge mistake if you pass the proposed ordinance,” she said.

“It will be a mistake because even if the ordinance passes, the blizzards, blowing winds and arctic temperatures can still come into town. Wind, rain and snow are not subject to our laws.”

“They can’t be subject to our laws now because we have no laws governing bad weather and climate change,” stated Councilman Snowz Grate. “But after we pass the ordinance, they will be required to obey the law, and they must never again enter Blizzard 2010.

The Lord was observing the city council session from his throne, from where He controlled the rain and snow, hot and cold temperatures and whatever climate change He deemed necessary. “I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear!,” said the Sovereign Lord.

“The Blizzard 2010 City Council has no jurisdiction over the weather or the climate!,” exclaimed the Lord. “And I’m the only weather forecaster with a 100 percent accuracy rating.”

“Why are you always so accurate?,” asked Councilman Daree Farmur.

The Sovereign Lord replied, “Because not only do I predict the weather, I decide what it is going to be!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Every Day is Thanksgiving Day

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

Once upon a time in the Official Land of Thanksgiving, lived a man who was truly thankful for his blessings, although he occasionally experienced a bump on the Road of Life.

ThanksAlot, who was always promoting the advantages of living in the Official Land of Thanksgiving, was special to the Lord because of his attitude of gratitude.

One morning, ThanksAlot prayed, “Thanks a lot, Lord, for a good night‘s sleep. Thanks a lot for letting me live in a free country. And thanks a lot for sending Jesus Christ, your Son, into the world to die on the cross for my sins.”

After breakfast, ThanksAlot walked outside, got into his car and drove to work. When he arrived, ThanksAlot ran into one of life’s minor bumps on the Road of Life - someone had parked in his assigned parking space. Because ThanksAlot was considered the hardest worker at his place of employment, his supervisor had granted his request to paint his parking space his favorite color - green.

ThanksAlot parked in a space near the rear of the parking lot. “Thanks, Lord, for helping me to find this parking space, “ he said. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re a couple minutes late this morning,” observed Alwayz Thankful, the receptionist.

“Someone else parked in my space this morning,” replied ThanksAlot.

“Yes, I know,” said Alwayz Thankful. “That’s my car. I’ve been promoted to your position, so it’s now my parking space. By the way, the company president, Thank U. Lord, wants to see you right away.”

ThanksAlot walked down the hallway and knocked on Thank U. Lord’s door. “Come in,” said Thank U. Lord.

“Am I in trouble, Sir?,” asked ThanksAlot. “Alwayz Thankful said she has been promoted to my job, and she parked in my parking spot.”

“No, you’re not in trouble,” said Thank U. Lord. “You’re doing such a great job of promoting our town that I am promoting you to a newly created position. You’re going to be our new Officer of Public Thanksgiving. Your job will be to build an army of thankful people within our corporation.

“This army will encourage everyone else in our corporation, as well as in our great nation, to both publicly and privately, express their thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for his continual blessings.”

“We’re giving you your own car, and you’ll have a new indoor parking spot next to your office. You’re getting a new salary of $250,000 per year.

“Thanks, Sir,” said ThanksAlot. “Thanks a lot.”

ThanksAlot left the building and walked to his car. He entered the vehicle, and bowed his head. “Thanks a lot, Lord, for your blessings of today,” he prayed.

“You’re welcome, ThanksAlot,” replied the Lord. “I appreciate your heart of thankfulness and praise. Thanks for your continued faithfulness to me every day. Thanks, my child. Thanks a lot!”

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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Baseball Player Says Jesus is Life’s Greatest Power Hitter

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christen Daily Blog

Brodie and Braxton were twin brothers who played in a baseball league which highlighted the potential of players who were twins.

Brodie was the team’s star first baseman, and Braxton was the team’s backup catcher. The boys were always offering support and encouragement to each other, while thinking about the team’s success.

At their local church, the twins played on the Church Baseball League team. Teams in the league only played one game each week, due to the congregation’s many other ministries.

Both Brodie and Braxton had decided to pursue careers as professional baseball players. “Just make sure you pray about it and follow God’s leading,” said Bernice, their mother.

“That’s right,” said Barkley, the boys’ dad. “You’ll always do fine in life if you allow God to lead you according to His plans.”

Brodie and Braxton attended the church’s Youth Baseball Sunday School Class each week and, as Easter drew closer; their attention became more focused on the life of their savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Their teacher, Bertram, asked all of the boys to give a brief oral report about the impact Jesus had made in their lives.

Brodie told the class that Jesus had helped him to focus more intently on his homework. “I just pray and ask the Lord to help me concentrate on the process to get the correct answers to my math questions,” he said.

Braxton said the Lord helped him realize the importance of obeying his parents. “I won’t always be a kid,” he reasoned. “One day, I’ll want to have a family of my own, and I’ll want my children to obey and respect me!”

Bertram complimented everyone for sharing their faith. “As long as you live, you’ll be asked to tell others about your love for God,” he remarked.

Brodie raised his hand and asked for permission to address the class. “As you all know, Braxton and I play baseball in two different leagues,” Brodie said. “And we hope to become major league baseball players.

“I’ve been thinking about Jesus being the savior of the world and about His love for each of us. And I’ve made an observation. Jesus came into the world as the perfect sacrifice. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, was crucified and died on the Cross, was buried and resurrected, and will soon return.”

“Do you have any other observations?,” asked Bertram.

“Just one,” said Brodie. “Jesus is alive and well. In baseball terminology, Jesus was the biggest all-time power hitter in the game of life. Not only did He die on the Cross, he is now living forever for all of us to tell others about it!”

Braxton chimed in, “When he arose from death, he hit the biggest home run in the history of the world!”
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Dude Ranch Bans Texting While Horseback Riding

Enjoy this guest post from Greg Miller and visit his website to let him know you saw him on Christian Daily Blog!

The Jesus Loves Everyone Christian Dude Ranch prided itself in making all of its visitors as comfortable as possible.

The ranch allowed guests to bring radios, TVs and other electronics with them.

"We encourage our guests to bring their Christian CDs, movies and other praise-and-worship tools," said Tex, the ranch's foreman. "We want everyone to grow closer to the Lord, and these types of things can help us to accomplish that goal."

Guests were permitted to share a bunkhouse with their pets. "It's purr-fectly fine to bring your cat with you," said Rex, the manager of the "People and Their Pets Department.”

"And your precious pooch, too," agreed Lex, Rex’s assistant.

The ranch boasted a wonderful restaurant, which specialized in custom-ordered meals. The motto of Rexanna, the manager, was “A happy visitor is a well-fed visitor!"

The ranch, however, banned cell phone use while horseback riding. "It's too dangerous," reasoned Tex.

Roy and Roberta had been engaged for more than one year before they were married. They both loved old western movies and horses, so they decided to visit Jesus Loves Everyone Christian Dude Ranch on their honeymoon.

The couple arrived at the ranch, ate supper and turned in for the night. Roy and Roberta awoke at 5 a.m. After eating a huge breakfast, they went to one of the ranch's many corrals and selected the horses they wanted to ride down the Honeymoon Trail.

Roy was riding an appaloosa named "Appy," and Roberta was aboard a palamino named "Pallie."

The hours went flying by, because Roy and Roberta were having so much fun. About an hour before supper, the couple decided to return to the restaurant for a relaxing meal.

"I'll race you back to the restaurant," said Roy.

"First one back has to buy supper," grinned Roberta, as she spurred "Pallie" into a gallop.

"Pallie" heard a faint unusual noise, and the horse reared up on his hind legs, throwing Roberta to the ground.

Prior to being unceremoniously dumped on the trail, Roberta had used her cell phone to text Roy, “I love you.” The sound of Roberta's thumbs against the cell phone's keys had spooked the horse.

Roberta's minor injuries were treated at the ranch's mini-hospital. "You'll be fine," said Dr. Renee.

The ranch, as a result of Roberta's accident, decided to change its cell phone usage policy. Realizing that cell phones could come in handy to call for help, Tex decided that the official policy of only using cell phones after guests had retired for the evening would undergo one minor change.

The foreman chuckled as he told Roy and Roberta that the policy would include the following statement: "You may have your cell phone with you while horseback riding only if you know ahead of time that you're going to have an emergency!"

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To contact Greg Miller for speaking engagements or puppet ministry, please email kidcool4jesus@yahoo.com.

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But I Just Can't Change!

Enjoy this guest post from Katherine Swarts and visit her website to let her know you saw her on the Christian Daily Blog!

Do you believe that the Bible is truthful?

Does that include the passages that say you “can do everything” through Christ’s strength (Philippians 4:13, NIV) and that “no temptation has seized you except what is common” to humanity (1 Corinthians 10:13)?

You don't fully believe it if you say, “I can't get rid of my temper/worrying/unclean thoughts—what works for others never works for me!”

I know—the temptation to do so can be practically irresistible. I’ve spent much of my own life whining aout how unfair it is that I have to live with this temperament combined with these circumstances. Implying that my bad attitudes are God’s fault for having made me—and arranged my life—the way He did.

Even once we accept that God knows better than we do, we still complain about the difficulty of changing for the better. Like six-year-olds screaming, “I’ll never learn to ride this bike!!!,” we howl at every fall. We demand instant and easy perfection. We threaten to quit trying if God doesn't change us faster.

And He, ever the understanding Parent, keeps a supporting hand on us and bears with us patiently until we finally learn.

Assuming we don't actually give up. Perhaps when Jesus advised us to “become like little children,” one thing He had in mind was that with children, persistence ultimately wins over frustration. No toddler gives up on learning to walk, however frequent the falls along the way. Few six-year-olds really abandon their bikes permanently. But give children ten years to “grow up,” and a surprising number drop each new venture with the first failure: “I tried, and I can't do it.”

In Christian growth, perhaps the ugliest four-letter word is “can't.” It implies God is too weak to lead us to victory.

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Katherine Swarts is founder and owner of Spread the Word Commercial Writing, a copywriting service based in Houston, Texas. Visit her devotional/poetry blog at http://newsongsfromtheheart.blogspot.com.

The Heart of the Gospel

Enjoy this guest post from Pastor Gary Earls...

The fundamental nature of the heart

I've been relatively healthy all my life yet recently I had a little scare. When walking only short distances my heart would start to pound. It rang in my ears in a similar way to the sound of one of my kids bouncing a basketball off the garage door, which of course results in my yelling "stop it right now"(not that any of you would say something like that). This response of my heart to what in the past would have been such a small demand to function was a little disconcerting. There was even a couple of times where it seemed a rush surged to my head and I became dizzy.

You know the thoughts that might go through your mind at a time such as this, "I'm having a heart attack", or "Lord please don't take me before I have completed what I've been called to do", or simply "man, I gotta get my life straight". Of course during such incidents we are struck with a glaring sense of our own fragility. Life is fleeting and those of us who know Christ often have a true awareness of purpose. We may sometimes feel as if there is not enough time to finish what we've been called to do before the door closes on this life and the door of eternity opens. Let's face it we're always in midst of a transition, some subtle and some not so. However the final transition is something that one might dread yet another long for with anticipation depending on their particular situation. Of course that begs a question that we might ask ourselves, "which one am I?".

It's not my aim in this particular writing to wax philosophical but I guess I have a tendency sometimes to over analyze, especially when it comes to matters of self. Therefore the above also got me thinking about the heart in general. Obviously if our heart quits, for all intents and purposes we do as well, baring mechanical continuation. That's why we have phrases in our culture like, "the heart of the matter", which seems to imply, the very central point or substance of a particular thing. Our physical heart is seen as vital to our existence. Of course there's the brain as well and other vital organs, yet it's not my purpose here to get into a physiological debate let alone an anatomy lesson.

How the Hebrew people perceived Heart

Now I don't know about you but I have a penchant for linking chains of logic together. I started then thinking about how the physical heart represented the foundation of life. To the ancient Hebrew people and in their covenant writings, God's revelation of Himself (the Old Testament to Christians),the heart is portrayed metaphorically in various ways. It can mean the intellect or the emotions. It can also mean the desire or the will. Moreover it can of course even mean courage. Additionally one of the ways that the heart is portrayed to those that God had called to be the bearers of His presence in the earth from ancient times was as the total of someone's personality, who they were in essence. This is metaphorical conception of the heart that I found myself thinking about.

As the physical heart in many ways represents to us the very center and foundation of life, so in a way does the spiritual heart represent the very essence of our spiritual existence. The condition of our heart is representative of the condition of our life before God.

Jesus spoke to that very point in Matthew 15:19-20.

19 " For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." (Matthew 15:19-20, NASV)

At this particular occasion the Pharisees and Scribes were upset with the disciples of Jesus because they perceived that they had broken the "tradition of the elders" because they hadn't ceremonially washed their hands before eating. Jesus used this instance as an juncture for teaching in which he pointed out that they were violating the command of God for the sake of their traditions (15:3-6). Ending with this poignant statement,
7 "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
9 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'" (Mt 15:7-9) NASV (c.f. Isa. 29:13)

The Lord went on to say that it's not what we eat the makes us unclean but that which we speak for our words reveal our hearts. After these rather hardy exchanges of course the disciples came to their master, having been the focal point of the attack and as usual their depth perception was at the time less than skin deep. They were even concerned that Jesus' words had offended the religious leaders. This might have been a valid concern in the culture in which they lived because those very religious leaders could cause a myriad of troubles. You can imagine from the earliest childhood they had been taught in their homes that they were to respect the leaders of Israel.

Jesus instructed His disciples saying,
14 "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
(Mt 15:14, NASV)

To this, Peter the disciples' point man, asked a further question, "explain the parable to us". To which Jesus replied,
"Are you still lacking in understanding also? 17 "Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 " For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man." (Mt 15:16-20, NASV)

Certainly the disciples had heard the Scriptures all their lives, they of course would have known by rote the various meanings of the phrase "heart" although they may not have been able to enumerate them at that particular time, as with all cultures it most likely was implicit in the context of the statement. Jesus was getting to the "heart" of the matter. It wasn't ceremonial defilement that was of utmost importance but the the sin that was at the very center of humanity. David, Scripture declares, was a man "after God's own heart (1 Sam. 13:14)". This was because David valued God's will above his own and was used in this particular passage to be a contrast to Saul, who had done his own thing because it was expedient at the given moment. It was of the lack of obedience that Saul was removed, and it was because of his obedient heart that David was appointed.

What's the point?

So what's all this about? It was the very heart of humankind that needed changed on an individual level.

The covenant God had spoken these words to the prophet Jeremiah,
9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it? (Jer 17:9, NASV)

Yet the living God would later promise the prophet Ezekiel that,
19 "...I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. (Eze 11:19-20, NASV)

"They will be My people, and I shall be their God." Do you hear the covenant formula in this statement? This was the promise of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus. The very essence (heart/soul) would change of those that God had called to Himself as they responded to the message of the Gospel.

The heart of the Gospel

What is the heart of the Gospel, the very center and essence of God's message? That's simple, Jesus is that heart. It is His blood that pumps through the spiritual arteries and veins of the body of Christ bringing life giving oxygen and taking away impurities. We had mentioned above that when the natural heart stops the body that it beat within stops as well. Yet the heart of the Gospel, Jesus, will never stop cleansing and bringing life because He is eternal, He is God. We can trust that even if our hearts fail us He never will. If my heart were to stop beating tomorrow I have the confidence that the new covenant life that beats within me would escort me into the presence of God because His life is eternal. This confidence is not based on anything which I have done, but on the sure truth that God is faithful and the blood of Christ paid the price for my sin.

Do you have that confidence as well?

Pastor G.

Re-Examining My Expectations

Why can't people just put their turn signal on and think about somebody else for a change?!” That was the recent headline in my brain that sparked a whole series of interesting thoughts and eventually, a new perspective.

I consider myself a generally considerate and courteous person. In the past, I have often found myself puzzled and frustrated when others neglect (what I would consider) even basic courtesies. For example, simple things like holding a door open a moment longer for the person following them into a building, expecting that items in a parked car will be safe and not stolen, counting on others to tell the truth, and of course putting a turn signal on so other drivers know what to expect. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to realize my expectations of the world are too high.

Jesus says:

“In the world you will have troubles, but I give you my peace.”

Part of this peace is understanding that the world will not live up to the “do to others as you would have them do to you” expectations that God commands. Worldly, or carnal wisdom says to look out for number one first. Selfishness is always the natural tendency, unless a Godly wisdom is introduced and applied.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

“That is to be expected” is the new phrase and perspective that I have about the world’s behavior. Although I don't agree, and will try to assert a Godly influence and show a different example with my life, my expectations are now lower for those who are outside of God’s Kingdom. It has given me a new grace and compassion. It has also given me another viewpoint of how large of a gap there is between God’s ways and the ways of this world.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

It’s not that we are accepting their behavior (certainly not!), but just realizing that it is the world’s “default setting." Don't get me wrong, my own behavior, attitudes and actions are not always optimum. However, I know that God will finish the work He has started in me! My hope is in the Lord and I have great expectations of Him. I know He is trustworthy and is making all things work out for my good. Let’s consider in our own lives who we may have expectations of who didn't agree to or cannot meet them. The world cannot meet God’s expectations, nor do they understand that they need to (yet). Pray for those around you that they will have a new revelation of God’s love for them and of His glorious purpose and plan for their lives.

Guest post by Krista Dunk of Koinonia Business Women.

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