Church House Christianity.

The Acts of the Apostles: Chapter 1, Verse 8 (New King James Version, NKJV).

“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

There was once a farmer who had some very smart ducks on his farm. One day they decided to have religious meetings. The leader quacked, “We can meet in the abandoned chicken house,” so they all followed him into it. Eventually it became a weekly gathering. One Sunday morning all the ducks waddled over to the chicken house. They waddled up the ramp and took their places. A little duck choir assembled and quacked out a few hymns. When the little duck preacher came up he told them, “We are ducks! We are above the land animals! God has given us wings!” Then all of the ducks quacked, “Amen, we have wings, Amen!” Then he told them, “We can fly!” God has given us the ability to fly above the barnyard!” All the ducks began to jump up and down and flap their wings quacking, “We can fly! We can fly! We can fly!” Feathers filled the air as the duck choir quacked out praise songs! After the service ended they all waddled back out of the chicken house, waddled back across the barnyard, and waddled back into the pond.

Happens weekly all across the world. Born again Christians meet to worship and praise and honor our Lord and God. We get excited hearing of His mercy and grace and we enjoy experiencing His presence among His people. We sing and pray and worship the Lord in the assembly. Then after the closing prayer we head out to the parking lot, get in our cars, and drive back into society. We waddle back into life after being lifted in the service by the Spirit of God.

Did you know that when Jesus said the power He would give us by way of the Holy Spirit was not just to preach the Word or ask people if they are saved? A witness is one who can testify to a truth he or she has experienced firsthand. What would happen if we took that same Spirit into the restaurant with us after church? What effect would it have on others if we had that same Spirit in the checkout line at the market or department store? What if someone in the waiting room at a doctor’s office saw that we were a Christian rather than us having to tell them? Hmmm. Something to think about today.

To Proud to Change?

 

Proverbs 5:12 (New Century Version (NCV) 

Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do!  I would not listen to correction!

Let me tell you a parable about pride. Before the day of radar technology a U.S. Navy warship was headed to harbor one foggy night. A crackling voice came over the radio to the operator, “You need to divert your course 45 degrees north, as you are on a collision course with us.” The operator immediately called the Captain. “Tell them to divert their course 45 degrees to the south to avoid the collision, we are on course,” ordered the Captain. The voice on the other end said, “Cannot do that, you must change course.” Intimidated the Captain told the radio operator to tell them, “No, you will change course! We are a United States Navy Warship and you will change course!” After a moment the voice came back over the radio and said, “We are a lighthouse; your call.”

I cannot tell you how many times in my life that I have had to swallow my pride. Let me put that a different way; how many times I have had my pride shoved down my throat. King Solomon warned us that we do not want to get to the end of our life only to wish we had followed good instruction. What is it about our human nature that causes us to want things our way even to the point of fighting for it? Does it somehow make us inferior to others to admit we are wrong and they are right? You bet it does! At least we think so in our egotistical human mind. Take for just one example the speed limits on the highways. “Seventy miles per hour, why I can run eighty safely on this road. Who posted this limit anyway?” Of course we have our reasons for going faster and the state never took those into consideration. Perhaps the Trooper will.

We just do not like to be told what to do; even if our life depends on it. Most will gladly obey the guy who tells us to exit the building because it’s on FIRE! Of course some will have to smell the smoke or see the flames first before being convinced. Are there things you need to change in your life today? How you treat others, how you feel toward someone, maybe think you know more than they do? If so consider the words of the lighthouse attendant; “it’s your call.”

Rejected and Resented

Luke 15:30 (New King James Version, NKJV).

But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

You and I have been raised in a culture that places emphasis on winners and losers. We even call those who we think have no chance of winning underdogs. Under – dogs? Really?  I mean, does that term represent someone who is lower than a dog? Anyway, the gist of this message today as I believe God would have me focus on is rejection. Losers are rejected by the majority of winners. Other terms like success and failure are also associated with winners and losers. Our culture goes even further and distinguishes between rich and poor as being winners or losers. Some even think what you look like determines whether you are a winner or a loser; or else we would not have beauty pageants. It is all about acceptance and rejection. Most of us like to be accepted. We did not want to be chosen last to be on a team. We generally do not want to be looked upon as uneducated or ignorant. A person’s worth should not be determined by categorizing them as a winner or a loser. Jesus went right to the heart of rejection by men in His parable of the rebellious son, the resentful son, and the father that loved them both.

“My brother does not deserve all this attention. You are making him out to be some kind of hero. Have you forgotten he took money out of your bank account and wasted it? Now he comes crawling back smelling like a pigsty and you make over him like he is royalty! He made his bed, let him lie in it! He chose his path, leave him to walk in it! He’s a loser!” That is what the resentful son is really saying to the father. Jesus drew a contrast between the love of God for sinners and the love of man for them. The resentful son should have felt the same way about his brother coming back as the father did; if he really loved him.

What a story. This is a story of acceptance and not rejection. A story that many need to hear today. They have been rejected and resented by everyone from parents, to siblings, to neighbors, to schoolmates, to coworkers, and yes, even by churches. They are the wrong ethnicity, or the wrong gender, or they dress wrong, or they smell wrong, or they are to smart or to dumb, or they have tattoos, or body piercing, or they have blue hair or gray hair, or they are not pretty, or they are to pretty, or they are to old, or they are to young, or they come from the wrong side of the tracks, or they are to fat or to skinny; get the picture? Jesus wants them; He accepts them; and so should we if we love them as He does.