Marching Forth!

There are a lot of positive things to say about Sunday School for kids.  For parents, however, there is a hidden danger.  Decades ago it was not uncommon for kids to attend the same service as their parents.  This gave parents an opportunity to explain thoroughly what had been preached and apply it personally to the lives of their children.  Frankly I do not know the exact history of what has brought us to the current system of kids having their own separate classes with activities, crafts, and snack apart from convenience.  As much as children have benefited from having a class geared to their level of understanding, teachers have also grown through the preparation and prayer for children and services.  This is good.  But I believe parents should live as if their kids never went to church at all.  Allow me to explain. Sunday School attendance has the power to subversively deceive parents into thinking their children are being taught the Word o...

I'm preparing a Bible study for Tuesday night, and I was deeply challenged by the introduction.  I find that God must challenge me first so I can properly convey the truth of His Word to others.  Hopefully it is an exhortation you too will find profitable! Can man ever appreciate God enough? Our appreciation is limited by our awareness. An infant which is practically blind and without understanding has hardly the capacity to appreciate all the parents have done for his survival and growth. What pains a pregnant mother takes in eating food and dietary supplements which promote heath, and abstains from drink and activities which could do harm. What of the purchase of clothes, buying a crib, a safety seat for the car, cleaning wipes, diapers, ointments, and the arranging of a nursery? The child realizes none of this. The baby cries when he is hungry, feels the stab of a gas pain, or when he is held in the arms of a stranger. But appreciation? This the child in his immaturity c...

Last night I went with John and Tina Graves to the house of Paul and Christina for a Thanksgiving meal and celebration.  2010 will mark the second time in five years the I will spend the American holiday of Thanksgiving outside of the U.S.  It was fun to watch a downloaded football game ("gridiron" in AUS) and sit around the table with friends new and old.  No one cooks a Thanksgiving meal like my dad or grandpa, but it was delicious just the same. No matter where I am or what I eat, I can give thanks to the same God.  Celebrating a holiday is so different from house to house, especially from country to country!  The more and more I experience in Australia, the more I am struck by differences.  When I woke up this morning, I did the washing (laundry) and hung it outside to dry.  I vacuumed the pool, read my Bible, played with the dog, and tried to figure out why my computer keeps crashing when I watch streaming video.  Just the daily morning rou...

I was driving down the street today and observed a church sign which read:  " Jesus came to earth to make peace with us ."  Interesting, I thought, because I couldn't disagree more.  Jesus did not come to earth to make peace with men:  He came to earth so men could have peace with God.  There's a big difference.  God did nothing to separate or ostracize mankind from Him, nor did He declare war on man at any time.  It is man who rebelled and sinned against God!  It is man who declared in the Garden of Eden that he would not submit to the rule, authority, or commands of God.  It is man who wars against God, not God with man.  If that was the case, the battle would have been over long ago!  And contrary to the opinion of some, God would have won! Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, through faith we are forgiven and His righteousness is imputed to our account.  Romans 5:1-2 reads:  " Therefore, having been justified...

" And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ... " Ephesians 6:17 As I read this scripture yesterday, a powerful realization come to mind.  If the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, than it is the implement He uses to do His searching work.  When we remove the Word of God from preaching or evangelism, it renders Him without His weapon!  Think of this in terms of warfare:  take away the pilot's jet and he is grounded; remove the gun from the sniper's hands and he is neutralized.  If we desire the power of the Holy Spirit to impact the hearts, minds, and lives of others, we are fools to substitute clever sayings or logical postulates for the Word of God.   We unknowingly play the hypocrite when we ask God's Spirit to move and neglect the use of His Word. Hebrews 4:12 reads, " For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, a...

In preparing for preaching this Sunday, I have been struck by the critical importance to use of God's Word in sharing the Gospel and prayer.  Before he was filled with the Holy Spirit, I cannot immediately recall a single time when Peter quoted from scripture.  Yet during Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost, when he preached to the people after the lame beggar was healed at the temple, when he addressed the religious leaders while on trial, and in prayer afterward he quoted scripture!  The Holy Spirit not only brought passages to remembrance, but caused the disciples to rightly divide the Word of truth.  They were able to bring the truth of God's Word upon any situation with the accuracy of a skilled sniper.  It was the Spirit who caused their words to engage and persuade hearts with power.  When they prayed God answered, and the earth quaked as God moved in power among them to boldly proclaim His Word. Consider this quote from R.A. Torrey's book How t...

A man stared into the clouds as they morphed into puffy shapes overhead.  The air was damp and heavy.  Thunder could be heard afar off as an occasional raindrop the size of a grape whizzed and smacked the ground.  The stored heat in the asphalt from the sun evaporated the spot in moments, though the aroma of summer rain continued to grow.  The man knew God was up above.  He stood transfixed in the middle of the street, trying to see a break in the clouds. "There is a dark cloud over this country, Father," the man said slowly.  "There is also a cloud over your church.  We struggle to see.  I know you can part the seas...won't you part the clouds that hang over my soul as well?" The clouds continued to billow and change.  Sometimes a spot of blue shone brightly through the where the clouds were wispy thin.  There was no thunder, no crack of lightning.  Only the sound of the wind in the trees and pattering of rain could be heard....