Rev Bill

Perry Noble, Lead Pastor at New Spring Church, has a great post — “7 Thoughts I Am Wrestling With”.

Here they are:

#1 – Why is the church so content with being normal when God has promised the supernatural?
#2 – Why are some in the church obsessed with obtaining information but have no desire to live out the transformation that Jesus brings?
#3 – Why do some in the church excuse non excellent standards by saying phrases such as, “well, after all…it’s just church?” Our standards of doing things should not be lower than the worlds…they should be higher; after all, what the church does matters!
#4 – Why do we claim to follow a God who changes things…and yet often times we refuse to change things?
#5 – Why do we set our expectations on the lives that Jesus wants us to live so low when Scripture sets them so high?
#6 – Why does the church always try to control people when Jesus died so that we could be unleashed?
#7 – Why is it that so many church leaders would rather lead through imitation (becoming just like someone else) rather than revelation (listening to God and then doing what He says?)

Great questions — and ones I need to wrestle with myself!

You can read Perry’s post here.

Jim Watkins has posted “The Watkins Church Dictionary” — which gives definitions to terms you may have thought you heard before but now will understand their meaning.

Here are a few of them:

Bibull: Sermon that takes Scripture out of context.

Bored Meeting: (No definition required!)

Byelines: Third verse of hymns skipped over in congregational singing.

Carnal nurture: Replacing sermons with motivational talks

Church growth: Side effect of too many carry-in dinners.

Commviction: Psychological technique used to coerce parishioners to serve on church committees.

Deafline: Point pastors pass when their message goes over twenty minutes.

‘damentalist: Believer who has lost the “fun” in his/her faith.

Geek Orthodox: A member of an online church.

Ground Zero: youth pastor’s office

Guessin’: Sunday school lesson that leaves students wondering, “Now what was the teacher trying to say?”

Guestimony: Message of a former drug-crazed hippie, former female impersonator, former multi-level marketer, etc. Especially popular in churches where there are no “sinners.”

Heaven’s Gate: Senior Bible class.

Helloship: Shallow conversation in church foyers often mislabeled as “fellowship.”

Justavacation: Excuses for skipping church

Lite sin: Antonym of “deep sin;” having one-third less disapproval than other leading sins.

McMessage: Entertaining sermon with little nutritional value.

Meology: Self-centered doctrine.

Messchatology: Deriving theology from “last days” novels

Ministry: Suffix, which applied to any activity immediately spiritualizes it (ie., beach ministry, mall ministry, softball ministry, etc.).

Non-prophet organization: Politically-correct church that doesn’t want to offend anyone.

Pastornoia: Overwhelming fear that the minister will: a) visit your home while you’re watching Swingtown, b) see you on your way to the lake on Sunday morning, c) ask you to serve on a committee.

Pew mold: a) globs of gum stuck to the bottom of church seats, or b) person who has been sitting in the same seat, reciting the same testimony, and praying the same prayer for six months or more.

Preloud, postloud: Opening and closing music performed by deaf organists.

Prophits: People in ministry for the money.

Sinspiration: Motivation to do something right for the wrong reason.

Tele-Vision: Special revelation given to a TV evangelist when contributions fall behind budget projections.

Two-timers: Parishioners who only attend at Christmas and Easter.

Read all of these new definitions for new terms here.

I have posted today’s sermon on my sermon blog. It’s based on Psalm 8 and a book I recently read by Archibald Rutledge entitled

Life’s Extras

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Here’s a portion of the sermon:

Rutledge writes that God’s gifts to us can be put into two categories – the things that are necessary and the extras. Under the things that are necessary Rutledge lists sunlight, air, water, food and shelter – what he calls the bare necessities for living. Under the things that are extras he lists music, the perfumes, and flowers. He then writes that the wind might be necessary, but – as he writes –“the song that it croons through the morning pines is a different thing”.
What truth is in these words!
God has blessed us with things that we need for living – the things that are necessary – but God has also blessed us with “extras” – things that may not be necessary but without which life would be dull and without much joy.
Rutledge’s book made me start thinking about the “extras” God has blessed me with.
What are some of the “extras” – some of the things not necessary but that fill your life with joy?

You can read the sermon here.

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I have posted today’s sermon on my sermon blog. It’s based on Luke 4:14-30 and entitled “God’s Spirit Can Be On Us”.

Here’s a portion of it:

Just as God’s Spirit was on Jesus – God’s Spirit can be on us!
Jesus said: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing!”
Today — Jesus still says — the Scripture is still being fulfilled.
Not just that day in Nazareth – but today!
Commenting on this passage Fred Craddock writs:
“By reading Isaiah 61:1-2 Jesus not only announced that prophecy was fulfilled (vs. 21) but was also defining His role in the world. The passage says that Christ is God’s servant who will bring to reality God’s fulfillment of the longings of the poor, oppressed, and imprisoned. Jesus says “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. The ministry of Jesus and the early Church showed that today God is active. The Church today needs to show others that God is active in the world – not just in a vague “someday” and “sometimes” but today – here – and now!”
Indeed, God is active in the world – here and now!
The Spirit of God can be on us – here and now!
The Spirit of God can be on us as we take God’s message into the community and the world through words and actions that show God’s love and care to all who are in need.

You can read the entire sermon here.

If I can help somebody as I pass along, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, If I can show somebody he’s traveling wrong, Then my living will not be in vain. If I can do my duty as a Christian ought, If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought, If I can spread the message as the master taught, Then my living will not be in vain. Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right or your left side, (Yes) not for any selfish reason. I want to be on your right or your left side, not in terms of some political kingdom or ambition. But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.

These are the words of a brave man, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was not perfect — but none of us are. Dr. King worked for justice and to give rights and liberties to all people — a goal that is a part of God’s will for all people. He was indeed a Godly man and a brave man at that.

Here is a link to a post I made a few years ago about my Dad, his history with the Civil Rights movement, and how my opinion of Dr. King has changed over the years.