Things I Think…
1. Heard a preacher yesterday scolding any in his congregation who wore masks, socially distanced, or God forbid, took the Covid10 vaccination. This was , in his view, not trusting in the providence of God. Next week, he should preach against yearly health exams, then do a special message on how seat belts steal your liberty…
2. I can easily preach an exegetical sermon on why you should wear a mask, socially distance , and get the vaccine. I haven’t done that and I won’t do that because when you only have an hour to tell people about Jesus, that’s what you should do…
3. I listened to another preacher teaching his people how to die and I received the message gladly and was thankful for hearing the Gospel…
4. If your sermon would make no sense in a place where they have no understanding of American politics, it makes no sense here, either…
5. Ken Burns’s documentaries are beautiful. They are also riddled by historical and factual inaccuracies that make them almost unwatchable if you know anything about the subjects he’s documenting.Reminds me of great sounding sermons that have little to do with what the Scriptures actually say…but you’ll never know how bad they are unless you study on your own…
6. Preaching Jesus is a responsibility that I often take with literal fear and trembling . I simply have no desire to take on the additional responsibility for determining your health care, how you vote, or what color shirt you wear today…
7. Someone asked me if I’m afraid of my upcoming surgery…I thought that person a moron. Of course, I’m scared…courage is doing something in the face of fear, trusting God for either recovery or resurrection…
8. The reason some of us love our pets so much is because they reflect the image of God better than most of the humans we know…if we could learn to love and forgive as they do, we’d change the world…
9. The early church turned the world upside down through love and martyrdom…reminds me of the old song “Everyone Wants To Be Elvis, But No One Wants To Die”…make your own application…
10. Masks in public serve the same purpose for some as hiding behind a keyboard does online…if you’re going to be abusive and cruel you should show your face and sign and your name, coward…
Amen! Love #10 especially!
Of course love #8 also.
#8? Do they love and forgive? Or, is iit trust from experience?
Neighbor has a magnificent quarter horse mare, but she can’t be ridden because she was rescued from a ham handed abuser and if she’s saddled, she braces for a beating.. . Her mind goes out to lunch.
“The reason some of us love our pets so much is because they reflect the image of God better than most of the humans we knowâŠif we could learn to love and forgive as they do, weâd change the world⊔
Wow! Stunning insight!
I believe that animals actually choose to love and forgive…dogs more than cats… đ
#8, wow. We can get so caught up on arguing obscure verses, building whole doctrines, like done with Matthew 24:37-40. Yet we ignore the clear and concise teachings like the call to “love one another” that is repeated again and again and again. Why? Well, I’ll admit that sometimes I find it more fun to sit around and argue than to get off my butt and actually “do the stuff”. To love means that you have to get close, to know and be known, to commit to caring, to endure on through- from strangers to acquaintances to friends to becoming Christian family.
For those who believe that being required by the government to wear a mask is taking away their “God given” freedoms, I am reminded of a story I once heard where a family with a new baby on the way was being required by their pagan government to travel, at their own expense, to a different city to register with this pagan, rather evil, government for the purpose of taxation, and when they got to this town, the government had bungled (or didn’t care) about suitable accommodations and the family had to camp out in a stable, where the mother gave birth…. to Jesus Christ.
Jean and Michael, YES Christians should love and forgive, but doesn’t the forgiveness come from a request to be foregiven?
I am not advocating for grudges, just forbearance…..
Xenia, you left out the fact that ma!a had to travel on a donkey! đ
but doesnât the forgiveness come from a request to be foregiven?<<<
I don't think so. Forgiveness is not transactional. It's not "I'll only forgive you if you behave in the way I want you to first." If we wait for the other party to act first, we may never forgive, and Christ says if we don't forgive people He won't forgive us. So I wouldn't risk it, personally.
Xenia, the danger is that by completely overlooking sinful behavior, we give permission for its continuance. Do we take vengeance? No! Do we gossip or complain to others? No!
But even God says hat if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. .
#5 & #9 worth the price of admission.
Scolding a congregation over masks would make me get up and leave…perhaps giving a rating of one out of ten…a middle one. It’s intolerable.
Yestrrday was the day i listen to the late Adrian Rogers. Even though it was broadcast on Mother’s Day. His sermon was devoted to examining your concept of Redemption. What brings one into the family of God?
Quite appropriate I?MV
If you are a woman with children and you are Redeemed, the uppermost concern that you have for those souls is that they understand and accept God’s plan of Redemption. .
âbut doesnât the forgiveness come from a request to be foregiven?â
No it doesnât.
Michael,
Simply stated, you and I are diametrically opposed on most things, political leanings, et al. However, your #8 is so eloquently stated that I find myself aligned with you in totality. Recently, I had to have my yard resewn which included numerous truckloads loads of dirt. Part of the project included using landscape mesh to keep the grass seeds from washing down the hill. This was some months ago. Little did I know how difficult this mesh would be for certain of God’s creatures to navigate. In the last 3 days, I have cut loose a big black snake that had become entangled in the mesh. Took some 45 minutes to do so. Today, I found another black snake that had become entangled and literally strangled itself to death. I cut the snake loose and took it to the woods surrounding my property, prayed about it, literally shed tears over its demise. At my age, I abhor death of any variety, and for lack of a better description, I have that much Buddhist in me. Yes, we could take many lessons from animals and their ability to love and forgive. May you be blessed as you await your reunion with Miss Kitty…….
The decisive action in loving oneâs enemies (Mt. 5:44) is overcoming evil with good (Rm. 12:21).
One cannot love an enemy while withholding forgiveness. Stephen understood that as he was being stoned (Acts 7:60).
The zeitgeist of a majority of American conservative Christianity is diametrically opposed to biblical and historical Christianity. The zeitgeist says, demonize your enemy, dehumanize your enemy, call them un-American, enemies of the State, thieves of elections, lie about them, call them ugly, accuse them of murder; in other words, do anything to destroy your enemy.
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good”
Jean sometimes i think precision escapes you.
Sin and evil are not synonomous
Where do they diverge?
ChrisA,
Thanks for reading despite our differences and God bless your heart for the creation…may your tribe increase!
Jean, they diverge in the Lord’s prayer
“Lead us not into temptation (sin, our choices), but deliver us from evil …”(humanity is no match for evil, thus we pray to e delivered. ..)
God keep
Jean,
I think this shows that the Religious Right has officially lost its mind. In case there was any doubt…
Bishop Larry Gaiters Calls Death of Joe Biden’s Wife, Daughter and Son ‘Satanic Sacrifice’
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bishop-larry-gaiters-calls-death-of-joe-bidens-wife-daughter-and-son-satanic-sacrifice/ar-BB1gA0BD?ocid=uxbndlbing
i am knee-deep in grading projects and preparing final grades for 250 students, but I enjoyed scanning the contents. I do believe that forgiveness is a choice we can make at any time, even if the other person never asks our forgiveness. Eph. 4:32, Matt. 6:14, Col. 3:13 (among other verses) lead me in that direction. It doesn’t sanction the behavior, nor the fact that the person is so toxic that I may need to avoid them. My father was just plain dangerous when I was young, both verbally abusive and physically abusive (mostly towards my mother). As an adult, I chose to forgive him (I was too angry to even mention his name), but I also put some boundaries on the relationship. At last, I could pray for him, and yet not feel bound by the obligation to try to see him all the time. Over many years, the situation improved, but I don’t think it would have happened if i hadn’t made that conscience decision, with God’s help, to forgive him.
bob1,
Is Gaiters a fringe influence or does he speak to a meaningful audience? Iâve never heard anyone, Christian or not, speak so disgustingly.
âReminds me of great sounding sermons that have little to do with what the Scriptures actually sayâŠbut youâll never know how bad they are unless you study on your ownâŠâ
Amen
Jean,
I tend to think all these charlatans are a fringe element.
Unfortunately, they’ve been given oxygen.
I’m hoping few if any are taking in this demonic dribble.
I meant drivel, not dribble.
Need my morning coffee!
Linn, praying for those who are hostile toward us! AMEN !
Great list! So much to consider here.
“Reminds me of great sounding sermons that have little to do with what the Scriptures actually sayâŠ. ”
Unfortunately, many people want some form of religion that essentially bolsters their sense of the false self rather than giving themselves over to a life of following Jesus that will look much different than their neighbors, most people they attend church with, and their pastor. They would rather keep their safe identity of a moralistic, unregenerate person who attends church than to truly walk in newness of life.
“The reason some of us love our pets so much is because they reflect the image of God better than most of the humans we know”
Exactly………
Well said pstrmike…
Unfortunately we have one of those in the fringe occupying a political position here in Georgia. Elected by other people who are giving the thumbs up to her beliefs.
Let’s not kid around…
These fringe-element adherents are enemies of the cross.
Dan,
Like the Q-Anon Congress-critter from Rome, GA.
I guess she has plenty of free time since she has NO committee assignments….
Ha! Yep, thatâs who I am talking âbout!
Humming birds – if you need a break
My daughter has a hummingbird feeder outside the window over her kitchen sink…
It was empty and one of those little birds came up to the window and tapped on the glass with its beak to get her attention
Okay, my 9:57 wasn’t meant to stop the thread .. .. Or the other threads. đ
Thatâs cute Em….the hummingbird apparently is little anxious to get fed!
I love hummingbirds…they’re always welcome here…
Hummingbirds can fly backwards, just like insects.
âHeard a preacher yesterday scolding any in his congregation who wore masks, socially distanced, or God forbid, took the Covid10 vaccination.â
Who was it that said that ? (why would you not name the man ?)
Naming would start a war…and you could spend all day naming those who believe the same thing.
I’ve spent many hours watching these sort of sermons to try and understand what is believed and why…to try to find a place of engagement.
There isn’t one as far as I can tell and it depresses me beyond words…
The foundation of these beliefs is a deep distrust of any government institution and of government itself…except for Trump.
Democrats, educators, doctors, and anyone with authority that is mainstream is part of the anti-Christ system.
Supporting vaccines or mitigation efforts is simply acceding to being “controlled” and is practice for the mark of the Beast.
They despise the government…but if you take a knee to protest it…they despise you too.
And, there are so many of them, I donât even know how you could name them all.
Therefore…unless you first accept the premise that “they” are out to get us (Christians) and no one in government has a noble motive…discussion is impossible.
Some of these people used to be my friends…
Linn,
Exactly…
To make matters even more difficult, they believe they have discerned these things by the Spirit of God…and if you disagree it is because you have not the Spirit…
My church has communicated to the congregation that we all need to mask up tomorrow (mandated in our county). I am going to be curious to see how many do. We have been asked to refrain from comments pro or con. The narrative a year ago was âitâs just the fluâ and the church stayed open despite the attendance caps (all of which they ignored). However, many chose the zoom option, anyway. Itâs going to be interesting…I think our leadership is about evenly split in how to proceed.
I cannot imagine inviting people into an enclosed space right now without masks or distancing.
On the other hand, the front page of our newspaper declared the hospitals overflowing and few are masking up again…
Masks and hummingbirds – diversity reigns. đ