A Healthy Church

"You'll never have a church-going people until you have a people-going church." - B.R. Lakin

Respectability

"We have let respectability murder our spirituality." - B.R. Lakin

Without Witness

Given enough time, even the most conservative church and school that you and I can think of will be liberal and no longer believe the Bible. However, we needn't worry, God will raise up new ones to take their places because He will not be left "without witness" (Acts 14:17).

Improved Worse

After years of comparing the new translations of the Bible (NIV and NASB mostly) with the AV1611 (KJV), I've come to the same opinion as Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales who said at the 400th anniversary of the Authorized Version at Westminster Abbey, "Our banalities are no improvement on the past; merely an insult to it and a source of confusion in the present. In the case of a cherished religious writing we should leave well alone, especially when it is better than well: when it is great. Otherwise we leave ourselves open to the terrible accusation once levelled by the truemaster of the banal, Samuel Goldwyn: 'You've improved it worse'."

Exceeding Sinful

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. (Romans 7:13 KJV)

I'm afraid that the church no longer sees sin as "exceeding sinful" anymore.

Technology

I really can't help but wonder which direction technology has really taken us in the modern day church, i.e., audio, video, slick Power Point presentations. Are more people coming to Christ today than yesterday because of it? If so, it is certainly not the case in the American church as far as I can tell. Maybe, just maybe, we've learned all too well how to entertain the flesh and call it worship.

One Pastor Away

I heard a pastor say today that most churches are only one pastor away from total apostasy and I tend to agree.

Christmas

"If Jesus Christ had never been born, there would be no Christmas celebration. The American economy depends on people buying other people Christmas gifts each year. That is why the idea of "holiday" shopping is so ridiculous. No one buys gifts to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. The kids don't run downstairs at 5 a.m. on New Year's morning. Overwhelmingly, Americans exchange gifts with friends and family precisely because it is Christmas. Ask American retailers and they will tell you--it's the most wonderful time of the year. It is hypocrisy of the highest order for retailers to make their living from Christmas sales, and yet be too politically correct to even acknowledge that fact in their advertising, pretending that people are "holiday" shopping. Who are they trying to kid?" - Tim Wildmon

Tim Tebow’s Gospel of Optimism

Tim Tebow’s Gospel of Optimism - NYTimes.com

There is no doubt that this author wants nothing to do with God, but he is definitely impressed with what is happening with Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Who knows? - it may even lead to his eventual salvation.

The Calling of God

Here is something to think about. I read this in "Crazy Love" the other day for about the fifth time: "Most of us use "I'm waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life" as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? Probably not, but you still did it. The point isn't that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God."

Repentance

"Evangelical repentance is repentance of sin as sin: not of this sin nor of that, but of the whole mass.  We repent of the sin of our nature as well as the sin of our practice.  We bemoan sin within us and without us.  We repent of sin itself as being an insult to God.  Anything short of this is a mere surface repentance, and not a repentance which reaches to the bottom of the mischief.  Repentance of the evil act, and not of the evil heart, is like men pumping water out of a leaky vessel, but forgetting to stop the leak.  Some would dam up the stream, but leave the fountain still flowing; they would remove the eruption from the skin, but leave the disease in the flesh." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon