Monday, May 17, 2010
No comments allowed for the time being
Moderating comments did not discourage spammers and their ilk. I have turned off comments, and will leave them turned off for what I consider a reasonable length of time, after which I will turn them back on to see if I have discouraged the spammers. I just recently had my computer in the shop - Mike's, too - to clean up the malware. I have been given to understand that there has been a spate of malware showing up in computers in the past 6 months, according to the shop we had ours in. We think we may have a handle on it now, with various anti-malware programs and firewalls. What I'm thinking is that the spam is coming from the same places as the malware, and it may not go away any time soon. I think it is better to have the comments turned off than simply reject them, because I believe the spammers get paid regardless. I am sorry if I have inconvenienced anyone - I do like to have comments on my blogs, but I have had very few genuine comments recently - only 2 that have shown up since I started seeing spam, so it's probably no loss. I don't see a method of allowing selective posts to the point that I want to allow them - it's either risk spam, or allow none.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Notice Concerning Blog Comments
Due to a spate of spamming comments, I have been moderating comments lately. If a comment is obviously spam, it will be rejected; if a comment is so general it doesn't seem to apply to any of my blogs, it will be rejected. If I can't see clearly what blog entry it applies to, it will be rejected. There may be other reasons that I will feel that a specific comment will be rejected. I don't get many comments, but I am not so comment-hungry that I will allow just anything on my blog. Since I started moderating comments, I have seen only one that clearly applied to anything I wrote. So spammers, etc., don't bother - they will never see the light of day.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
How the Church Hinders the Kingdom of God - Part X
This is the last in a series of sermon notes based on a series of sermons by my pastor, Kevin Bockus.
X. Accepting the Unacceptable
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, everyone knows,
Anything Goes.
Matthew 13:24-25
Introduction:
The story was related about the two men who made an agreement with each other, that the one could kill and eat the other. As horrific as that incident was, many people defended the action because they were “two consenting adults.”
What was once unacceptable is now acceptable.
The church is not just quiet when it comes to these things, but has become comatose.
An anecdote was told about a couple in a church who seemed to be very devout Christians. When the pastor called on them, as could be expected, there was a Bible on the coffee table and a wall plaque attesting to their faith. They talk about thing that would be expected to be of interest to Christians. But as the pastor sits on the sofa, in a shelf just 3 feet from him are the family’s collection of movies. A quick glance shows him that most of them are what would be called “hard ‘R’” rated movies.
Let’s look at thinkgs the church needs to do in order to avoid accepting the unacceptable.
We need to wake up.
Matthew 13:24-25
We learn two things about the enemy:
• He’s calculating
• He’s conniving
Somebody needs to sound the alarm!
We need to speak up.
We cannot depend on the media to sound warnings for us.
Good things happen when God’s people speak up.
There was a boycott on Pepsi for donating money to a Gay & Lesbian organization. The boycott is no longer on. Why? Because Pepsi listened, and stopped supporting this organization.
Ephesians 4:15 – speaking the truth in love
We speak up because of love, not because we want to look “holier than thou.”
We need to shape up.
We must make sure that what we do matches our witness.
If you would feeling uncomfortable watching something on television, or a movie, if Jesus were sitting beside you watching, then you need to cease watching that type of thing.
II Timothy 2:16-23 – verse 21 “keeps himself pure”
Conclusion:
Don’t say,”I’m just one person; I can’t do anything.”
The most powerful alliance in the world is the Lord and His people.
Stop accepting the unacceptable!
X. Accepting the Unacceptable
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, everyone knows,
Anything Goes.
Matthew 13:24-25
Introduction:
The story was related about the two men who made an agreement with each other, that the one could kill and eat the other. As horrific as that incident was, many people defended the action because they were “two consenting adults.”
What was once unacceptable is now acceptable.
The church is not just quiet when it comes to these things, but has become comatose.
An anecdote was told about a couple in a church who seemed to be very devout Christians. When the pastor called on them, as could be expected, there was a Bible on the coffee table and a wall plaque attesting to their faith. They talk about thing that would be expected to be of interest to Christians. But as the pastor sits on the sofa, in a shelf just 3 feet from him are the family’s collection of movies. A quick glance shows him that most of them are what would be called “hard ‘R’” rated movies.
Let’s look at thinkgs the church needs to do in order to avoid accepting the unacceptable.
We need to wake up.
Matthew 13:24-25
We learn two things about the enemy:
• He’s calculating
• He’s conniving
Somebody needs to sound the alarm!
We need to speak up.
We cannot depend on the media to sound warnings for us.
Good things happen when God’s people speak up.
There was a boycott on Pepsi for donating money to a Gay & Lesbian organization. The boycott is no longer on. Why? Because Pepsi listened, and stopped supporting this organization.
Ephesians 4:15 – speaking the truth in love
We speak up because of love, not because we want to look “holier than thou.”
We need to shape up.
We must make sure that what we do matches our witness.
If you would feeling uncomfortable watching something on television, or a movie, if Jesus were sitting beside you watching, then you need to cease watching that type of thing.
II Timothy 2:16-23 – verse 21 “keeps himself pure”
Conclusion:
Don’t say,”I’m just one person; I can’t do anything.”
The most powerful alliance in the world is the Lord and His people.
Stop accepting the unacceptable!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
How the Church Hinders the Kingdom of God - Part IX
IX. Allowing Wolves to Live Among the Sheep
Titus 3:10-11
Introduction:
There are three truths we must realize if we are to protect ourselves against these wolves.
A story was told about a lone gunman entering a church and shooting up the place, killing several people, at last turning the gun on himself. Churches immediately started taking measures to protect their people physically. But what about those who are on the prowl to attack and destroy us spiritually?
Truth #1 – We’ve Been Warned
II Corinthians 11:14; I Peter 5:8
If we are going to be prepared, we must know who our enemy is.
• Fact #1 – Spiritual wolves are masters of deception; they disguise themselves as sheep and make themselves look like super Christians
• Fact #2 – Spiritual wolves are dangerous.
• Fact #3 – Spiritual wolves are evil – “Satan’s servants”
• Fact #4 – Spiritual wolves always reveal themselves. Don’t label a person a wolf on one incident; a wolf will have a consistent pattern.
• Fact #5 – Good people can morph into wolves. Some will distort the truth to gain a following
• Fact #6 – Spiritual wolves love power. They are “upwardly mobile” – false prophets, teachers and apostles.
Truth #2 – We’ve Been Hesitant
• We foolishly believe people will change without discipline.
• The intertwining of personal relationships.
• We’re afraid of collateral damage.
• We don’t know what to do.
Truth #3 – We’ve Been Instructed
Conclusion #1 – No one should get a free pass for bad behaviour.
Galatians 6:1 Do all in humility, gentleness and love. We need to keep the goal in view that we may restore the offender without becoming a wolf ourselves.
Conclusion #2 – Not all bad behaviour makes a person deserving of confrontation or removal from the church.
Don’t confront someone just because they get on your nerves, or disagree with you, etc.
Conclusion #3 – Biblical discipline is a process, not an act.
Titus 3:10-11 There must be a first warning, then time allowed to pass for them to correct the situation; then a second warning. When adequate time has passed after the second warning, they should be put out.
Conclusion #4 – Biblical discipline should be carried out with patience, but not to an extreme.
Warn once, twice – no more. More warnings, more time would tend to undermine authority.
Conclusion #5 – The removal of a person from the church's fellowship should be a last resort.
Conclusion #6 – There should be no guilty feelings on the part of the church leaders who exercise church discipline…and no animosity directed toward them by members of the congregation. They are following the process of scripture.
Conclusion:
Our goal is not to move them out, but to see them transformed into sheep through repentance.
Titus 3:10-11
Introduction:
There are three truths we must realize if we are to protect ourselves against these wolves.
A story was told about a lone gunman entering a church and shooting up the place, killing several people, at last turning the gun on himself. Churches immediately started taking measures to protect their people physically. But what about those who are on the prowl to attack and destroy us spiritually?
Truth #1 – We’ve Been Warned
II Corinthians 11:14; I Peter 5:8
If we are going to be prepared, we must know who our enemy is.
• Fact #1 – Spiritual wolves are masters of deception; they disguise themselves as sheep and make themselves look like super Christians
• Fact #2 – Spiritual wolves are dangerous.
• Fact #3 – Spiritual wolves are evil – “Satan’s servants”
• Fact #4 – Spiritual wolves always reveal themselves. Don’t label a person a wolf on one incident; a wolf will have a consistent pattern.
• Fact #5 – Good people can morph into wolves. Some will distort the truth to gain a following
• Fact #6 – Spiritual wolves love power. They are “upwardly mobile” – false prophets, teachers and apostles.
Truth #2 – We’ve Been Hesitant
• We foolishly believe people will change without discipline.
• The intertwining of personal relationships.
• We’re afraid of collateral damage.
• We don’t know what to do.
Truth #3 – We’ve Been Instructed
Conclusion #1 – No one should get a free pass for bad behaviour.
Galatians 6:1 Do all in humility, gentleness and love. We need to keep the goal in view that we may restore the offender without becoming a wolf ourselves.
Conclusion #2 – Not all bad behaviour makes a person deserving of confrontation or removal from the church.
Don’t confront someone just because they get on your nerves, or disagree with you, etc.
Conclusion #3 – Biblical discipline is a process, not an act.
Titus 3:10-11 There must be a first warning, then time allowed to pass for them to correct the situation; then a second warning. When adequate time has passed after the second warning, they should be put out.
Conclusion #4 – Biblical discipline should be carried out with patience, but not to an extreme.
Warn once, twice – no more. More warnings, more time would tend to undermine authority.
Conclusion #5 – The removal of a person from the church's fellowship should be a last resort.
Conclusion #6 – There should be no guilty feelings on the part of the church leaders who exercise church discipline…and no animosity directed toward them by members of the congregation. They are following the process of scripture.
Conclusion:
Our goal is not to move them out, but to see them transformed into sheep through repentance.
Friday, February 26, 2010
How the Church Hinders the Kingdom of God - Part VIII
VIII. Settling for Mediocrity
Colossians 3:23
Introduction:
Excellence ought to be a priority in the Lord’s work.
We cannot thrive on mediocrity.
At this point, the pastor gave a humorous look at the “slipshod hall of fame.” I will identify the entities, giving some of the detail as I remember it. You can probably use your imagination pretty well.
1. Jerry the Janitor – needed a job, so they’re paying him $200 a week. Cleaning the restrooms involves emptying the waste baskets and flushing the toilets. His entire contribution to the job is about 20 minutes a week, making him the highest paid (by rate) employee of the church.
2. Willie the worship leader – I don’t remember any of the details about him.
3. Sarah the soloist – never saw a high note she didn’t like – or could reach.
4. Pearl the pianist – donated the piano, so no one else will ever get a chance to play.
5. Gary & Gwen the greeters – after the hassle of getting ready for church, they are not on the best terms with each other.
6. Larry the lawn mower – always does the mowing on Monday morning, so the grass is nice and tall again by the following Sunday.
Why excellence is important.
#1 – God Loves Excellence
We know God loves excellence because everything about Him bears its mark.
God’s Creation
God’s Character
God’s Commands
God’s Faithfulness
#2 – The Bible Commands Excellence
“Good enough for government work” isn’t good enough for God's work
#3 – People Respond to Excellence
If you have two churches that are pretty much the equivalent of one another, and one decides to pave their parking lot, people will tend to prefer that one.
This example reminds me of something that happened when I was in my teens. I attended a small country church, and the grass was not kept mowed. When it got very tall, they had a farmer come in and mow it with his sickle-bar mower. The mowed grass was just allowed to lay. I was griping about it once when riding home on a Wednesday night with a neighbor – we had no transportation of our own. One statement made was that “if the Holy Spirit is on the inside, what’s on the outside won’t matter.” I didn’t think at the time to say, “But how can they encounter the Holy Spirit on the inside if they balk at what the outside looks like?” Anyway, before we got home, the neighbor said, “OK, you come over here tomorrow, and I’ll loan you a rake and a pitchfork, and you can take care of it.” I agreed. But I didn’t go alone; my father came with me, and I raked most of the hay; Daddy took the pitchfork and hauled it back into the woods. He also spread out a pile of cinders that had been brought in to make a non-muddy parking surface. I have no idea what the people of the church thought about our action.*
Excellence requires five qualities on our part.
#1 – Courage
It takes courage to make the necessary changes in order to become and excellent church.
#2 – Giftedness
Mismanagement of God’s gifts is one of the greatest obstacles to excellence.
Know your gifts and use them; don’t insist in serving in an area you’re not gifted in.
#3 – Money
Quality costs. “If it bears His Name, it’s worth our best.”
#4 – Planning and Preparation
#5 – Perseverance
When we meet resistance, we must persevere.
Conclusion:
Are you willing to commit to excellence?
Excellence comes when we give up ourselves.
*Anecdote about the church grounds is the blogger’s own experience. I don't think the neighbor expected me to take him up on that.
Colossians 3:23
Introduction:
Excellence ought to be a priority in the Lord’s work.
We cannot thrive on mediocrity.
At this point, the pastor gave a humorous look at the “slipshod hall of fame.” I will identify the entities, giving some of the detail as I remember it. You can probably use your imagination pretty well.
1. Jerry the Janitor – needed a job, so they’re paying him $200 a week. Cleaning the restrooms involves emptying the waste baskets and flushing the toilets. His entire contribution to the job is about 20 minutes a week, making him the highest paid (by rate) employee of the church.
2. Willie the worship leader – I don’t remember any of the details about him.
3. Sarah the soloist – never saw a high note she didn’t like – or could reach.
4. Pearl the pianist – donated the piano, so no one else will ever get a chance to play.
5. Gary & Gwen the greeters – after the hassle of getting ready for church, they are not on the best terms with each other.
6. Larry the lawn mower – always does the mowing on Monday morning, so the grass is nice and tall again by the following Sunday.
Why excellence is important.
#1 – God Loves Excellence
We know God loves excellence because everything about Him bears its mark.
God’s Creation
God’s Character
God’s Commands
God’s Faithfulness
#2 – The Bible Commands Excellence
“Good enough for government work” isn’t good enough for God's work
#3 – People Respond to Excellence
If you have two churches that are pretty much the equivalent of one another, and one decides to pave their parking lot, people will tend to prefer that one.
This example reminds me of something that happened when I was in my teens. I attended a small country church, and the grass was not kept mowed. When it got very tall, they had a farmer come in and mow it with his sickle-bar mower. The mowed grass was just allowed to lay. I was griping about it once when riding home on a Wednesday night with a neighbor – we had no transportation of our own. One statement made was that “if the Holy Spirit is on the inside, what’s on the outside won’t matter.” I didn’t think at the time to say, “But how can they encounter the Holy Spirit on the inside if they balk at what the outside looks like?” Anyway, before we got home, the neighbor said, “OK, you come over here tomorrow, and I’ll loan you a rake and a pitchfork, and you can take care of it.” I agreed. But I didn’t go alone; my father came with me, and I raked most of the hay; Daddy took the pitchfork and hauled it back into the woods. He also spread out a pile of cinders that had been brought in to make a non-muddy parking surface. I have no idea what the people of the church thought about our action.*
Excellence requires five qualities on our part.
#1 – Courage
It takes courage to make the necessary changes in order to become and excellent church.
#2 – Giftedness
Mismanagement of God’s gifts is one of the greatest obstacles to excellence.
Know your gifts and use them; don’t insist in serving in an area you’re not gifted in.
#3 – Money
Quality costs. “If it bears His Name, it’s worth our best.”
#4 – Planning and Preparation
#5 – Perseverance
When we meet resistance, we must persevere.
Conclusion:
Are you willing to commit to excellence?
Excellence comes when we give up ourselves.
*Anecdote about the church grounds is the blogger’s own experience. I don't think the neighbor expected me to take him up on that.
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