Hymnals -Just a worn out tire or what?

Today on the way home I saw someone throw something out of their car – it looked like a book.

Intrigued – I stopped and went to pick it up.   This is not really like me – but for some unknown reason I felt compelled to go and get that book.

After pulling over I got out and walked over to the book, picked it up and found it to be an Old hymnal.

This got me to thinking about the many messages hidden in the hymnal – Are they still relevant or just old like the tires in the picture above?

Could it be that the Gospel has changed?    Or is it something else.

Why don’t people continue to to sing these hymns?   It is as if the message is no longer relevant –   Have we, the church, lost something so important in our  misguided attempt to be contemporary, relevant, and progressive?

I then kicked over the radio – and heard David Crowder singing “All Creatures of Your God and King” –   I at once thought about how the Bible speaks and says “Even the Rocks will cry out…”     Here on this paper – in this book I can hear a Tree Extolling God’s Glory.

I really wish we had more like the David Crowder Band because the messages contained in this old book – thrown out into the corn field on Miami Trace Road in Fayette County has something more than just a Treble Clef and a few notes –   Contained within are the Joyous words of a Christian Heritage Glorifying the same God who was the same Yesteryear – as He is Today as He will Forever be.

The release of the film (DVD) and book is scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, 2011.

• I would convince pastors and other church leaders, (Denominational folks etc.) that to focus on Quality and not Quantity.   One quality saved soul is much better than 100 nominally saved souls …   It is the Quality of your message, the Quality of your Discipleship and not the Quantity of the people you reach with the Gospel Message.    I would teach them to criticize the Mega Churches, the Evangelists, and others who are reaching large numbers for Christ and convince them to take pride in the fact they are reaching virtually no one.  Heaven is a hard place to get in after all -  you gotta work to get there !
• Once they have bought into the Quantity portion I would work with others to begin attacking the Quality portion… I would convince church leaders that the quality of their worship services do not need to be Church 2.0 but rather lectures only.   No Audio, No Video, No blogging or Twitter or Text Messages during or after the service…  Share nothing !
• CONVINCE PASTORS TO DREAM SMALL:  Deal with everything first – inside the walls of your church.   Going outside of this is to much of a daunting task!   You have so much that needs to get done that you need to master all of those things long before you could ever Dream Big with your ministry…  You after all are no Billy Graham!
• Dear Pastor -  Don’t you know that politics are the most important thing in ministry!     Who get’s elected is not just pre-ordained by God – but YOU HAVE INFLUENCE!     After all your freedoms to worship – to not pay taxes – to do what you want are at stake!  What happens if you can no longer talk about all these gods you worship -   (you know the church, the people, the new steeple, the new worship style, …  all that stuff )
• HEY YOU _ CHRISTIAN —  STAY OUT OF THE WORLD -    Going into the world will only pollute your mind.    You after all are not an apostle – You are not Jesus – You cannot make a difference if you begin liking the things of this world !    Attack everything in the world – and do so always -   don’t worry those that are called will still come and those that don’t like it were never meant to be saved anyhow.
• Reformers must unite and work together to let all the other nominal Christian groups know they are wrong and are hopelessly going to Hell.    Go ahead and fight these points – hate each other -   you will forget about me and my work while I silently sit in your pews, in your Sunday School classes and small groups like a lion dressed as a lamb eating all up…..   It’s okay not to celebrate the fact that Jesus after all Died for all of you.
• Attack blogs of fellow Christians and other ministries – after all they are not yours and the collection plate is only so small in this economy after all!
• Dear Christian – it is okay that your pastor preaches from books other than the Bible -   He learns better that way.   Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the words of — well just words !   God inspires all kinds of things anyhow …  you don’t need that bible anymore…
• Hey church goer – your pastor doesn’t have a personal walk with Christ – They simply do ministry and forget about spending time with God in thought, in the Word and prayer….     Hey Pastor -  it is okay to use ministry work for your personal walk – no one will ever know.    Your doing ministry after all – and hey did you ever see Jesus spend time talking to His father…
• Pastor – your church sucks !   So get your leaders together and start looking for other churches that suck so you can tell others -   put the blame elsewhere !
• Boycotting Funerals of Fallen soldiers is what we call EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM! -   Keep it up and people will know you as BAPTIST!
• FORGET ABOUT SCRIPTURE -   Proper exegesis makes no sense in today’s world.   Just begin making stuff up – and when that fails – write a book about your doubts with Biblical Theology.    Don’t apologize for the new gospel -  just apologize for the OLD Gospel – after all accepting Christ is hard enough work to do.
• Pastor -  your next placement will be better -    Don’t dig roots in the community,  don’t focus on relationships – after all relationships are the lifeblood of any community – but this community stinketh – and you deserve better!
• Hey church attendee – how come your pastor has not settled in?   Why does he always focus on this Jesus guy and not the issues causing such problems in society.
• The King James Bible is the only Word of God -  Can’t you see the RED LETTERS !     (or was it the NIV this week, or the ESV) … hmmm    forget this bible thing and just use a few books – they are easier than all that Greek and Hebrew  translated stuff anyhow.

Those are just a few things…

- a brief note – i have been collecting these for some time – many are not my own thought but pretty interesting

Imagine being the guy tending to the flock of sheep only to see the sky brighten up and hear the Angels Glorifying the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – telling you a farmer – that GOD IS WITH YOU!

Imagine being the Son of Man – the Son of God walking into the temple at such a young age knowing that these are the same people that you came to die for – the same people who will crucify you because you threaten their CREED but saving them with your Final deed of your resurrection.

Imagine being the proud disciple of Christ knowing that one day the writings of the Old Testament – the same writings that many in your culture have grown up to memorize, would be carried out to end the life of your blessed friend.

Imagine hearing that friend tell those in the temple that he would raise it up again in just 3 days… and wondering what that really meant.

Imagine being the one who kissed Jesus,  what was once a sign of respect would be forever eternally changed to a sign of betrayal.

Imagine being the one who wanted to kill the guard for taking away your master – only to have that master heal the guard.

… now

Imagine only moments later you run away and deny the Christ you have spent so much time with.

Imagine watching your friend be beaten, bruised, scorned – FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS -

Imagine being the one to help your friend carry the tree – the Cross – knowing that soon he would be killed – murdered – crucified – after being tried by a kangaroo court where the justice of the peace washed his hands of the situation…

Imagine hearing those words -   IT IS FINISHED -  and watching your friend – your master – the Son of Man – the Son of God Dead on the cross – as the guard cuts his side open to ensure death’s final blow has actually been completed…

… Can you – just for a moment

Imagine those things in your life that this Jesus has died to wash away so that you may be presented faultless to the Only Wise God…   Were you born to live a life of happiness, a life of getting and having all your desires – or to die to self so that others may Gain?

Don’t you realize that you Killed Jesus?

after all my friend -  It was Your Sin that He died for.   (and mine…)

Stop imagining and take Faith knowing that the Father who sent His Son sees you as faultless – because of this sacrifice.

Rejoice -HIS GLORY HAS JUST BEGUN.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARdwIWDnE90

So what does this have to do with Faith?    - dont worry I will get there I promise:

Over on the CARM website I have been discussing with a number of folks – some who are Mormon, others who are Jehovah Witness – and some who are professing christians even -

WHAT does it take to become a Christian.

1. Repent of our sins and Trust in Jesus Christ.

So what exactly is this “Repent” thing –   is it feeling sorry for our sins?  is it changing the way we think about our sins,  is it a “Transformation” of the mind?  or is it stopping from sinning all together?…

The greek word for repentance comes from their word metanoia – its root is meta “to change ones thinking”

Paul wrote that God saves us:

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:5-7) King James Version

In Romans Paul tells us that Grace is no longer grace if we have to work for it… Grace simply put is an undeserved gift.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So how does this fit in with POOP?   

I think the issue of salvation by works is simply that – a bunch of Poop.   Will we ever be good enough to merit the grace of God based on our actions?   Based on our feelings?   Based on our ability to follow the law?

My daughter would have been content going to sleep sitting in her poopy pannies ~ she only said sorry when she was caught.

I thought this was an interesting illustration – we come to the Heavenly Father sitting in our Poo unable to get the stench of our sin off of us – and God takes us as we are because of the Propitiation of His Son – The place Christ Jesus took on the cross.     Suddenly our noses become open and we realize that we smell like poo… and we want to change.   That change – that transformation is done by the “renewing of your mind”

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2) King James Version

My daughter was only convicted because she was caught.    I am happy that my God has saved me – in spite of my blindness – even for the things I have not been caught on and don’t even realize yet.

My daughter will grow out of this phase – I hope quickly but I cannot help but imagine what God thinks about my poopy faith sometimes.

Four monkeys were placed in a room that had a tall pole in the center. Suspended from the top of that

Are we not smarter than a monkey

pole was a bunch of bananas. One of the hungry monkeys started climbing the pole to get something to eat, but just as he reached out to grab a banana, he was doused with a torrent of cold water. Squealing, he scampered back down the pole and abandoned his attempt to feed himself. Each monkey made a similar attempt and each one was drenched with cold water. After making several attempts, they finally gave up.

Then researchers removed one of the monkeys from the room and replaced him with a new monkey. As the newcomer began to climb the pole, the other three grabbed him and pulled him down to the ground. After trying to climb the pole several times and being dragged down by the others, he finally gave up and never attempted to climb the pole again.

The researchers replaced the original monkeys, one by one, and each time a new monkey was brought in, he would be dragged down by the others before he could reach the bananas. In time, the room was filled with monkeys who had never received a cold shower. None of them would climb the pole, but not one of them knew why!

So – is the crowd pulling you down?

We are told in Ephesians that God’s vision is Bigger than ours.

Now unto HIM that is able to do more than we can ask or imagine! – Ephesians 3:20

What would you be willing to attempt for God if you knew you could not fail?     is this not the same question as WHAT IS GOD CALLING YOU TO DO?

Kerianna on the other hand – now age 9 going on 10 soon enough, (ok so maybe its really 30 in her mind)  has come to the realization that hugs can be fast…

Is this something we passed on to her?   I hope not.

Since they have been in NJ now for a few weeks (Since June 4th) I have been missing them quite a bit… and It dawned on me how much I just crave their hugs and yes even the fighting.

Parenting Technique: "Hug Your Kids Until They Let Go"

I am for now on however refusing to be the one to give up when we hug… That’s right.  They will need to let go.

this might be a bit of a struggle for my aspergers diagnosed son – Ben – as he might just never let go – none-the-less they need to know that We – as parents are their rock.   I want my children to realize that we – my wife and I are a rich source for the assurance and comfort they need in life.

I wonder if this will work with my wife as well. . .   Time will tell.

Anyone want to join in with me on this new venture not to be the one that lets go?

I think this is Biblical -  God does not work by rushing us, bugging us, begging us…  so why should we do the same with the hugs – & God never lets go.

Perhaps this can be a great but simple example we as fathers (and parents) can give to our children and our spouses…