I’ve had help like that!  The way some help jobs are finished in twice the time!  I’m sure I have been that kind of help. Leave it to me to slow things down and make easy jobs difficult.

There’s a neat verse in 1 Cor 9:12 (NASV): If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.  Have you ever been a hindrance to the gospel of Christ?  Have you ever been a hindrance to Jesus?  Peter was.  You remember the words: Get behind me, Satan!  You (Peter) are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.  Another sobering thought, Romans 14:13: Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Striking words – a hindrance to the gospel… a hindrance to Jesus… a hindrance to a brother.  Let me ask you this, would you rather be a hindrance or a Barnabas, the great son of encouragement?  Would you rather build the church up or tear it down?  Would you rather the a troublemaker or a peacemaker?

Thanks. With your help I should…

In our class Wednesday night we talked about the two parables told by Jesus in Matthew 13 – finding a treasure hidden in a field and finding the pearl of great price.  Both symbolic of those who find the Kingdom of Heaven.  In both there is great joy.  It seems one was found by accident, the treasure in the field, and one was found as a result of a great search, the pearl.  The parables suggest that is often how people find the church.  Some by accident… some by a life-long search.  We also suggest that there was a third way like in the case of Timothy.  His faith was passed down from grandmother… to mother… to him.  True, at some point Timothy had to accept that faith and make it his, but it is a great blessing to be raised in the church.

Opinions vary, but my sense is that those who are raised in the church often appreciate less the treasure, the pearl of great price, that is theirs.  Salvation is a treasure to be appreciated! My parents were not raised in the church.  A friend converted my father, who in turn converted my mother. However, once converted they totally embraced the church and the restoration concept – going back to NT Christianity.  My earliest memory in life was of the church.  I do not remember when church was not a part of my life.  I remember cookies and Kool-aid at VBS.  I remember Sundays and Wednesdays were church night – period, it was never a choice.

Hopefully, we have past that love onto our children and the church does seem to be ingrained into their life – and with joy!  However, often after a few generations many fail to appreciate the church in their life.  Often, they even become rebellious.  Often, they argue against the very thing they loved.  Reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:6: Blessed is he who takes no offense at me.  Or as another translation says, The person who can accept me is happy!   Jesus gave plenty of reasons to believe in him – blind see, lame walk, lepers cleansed and the deaf hear.  Good advice: Don’t lose your reason to believe.  Appreciate what you have.

What causes wars?  It is us.  It is our selfishness.  It is our discontent.  As James goes on to say we want something and don’t get it.  So… we are jealous and commit murder… Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

Remember Achan who stole the goods from the city of Jericho which God said were devoted to him.  There would be many more opportunities for spoil while taking the land.  But, God wanted the first spoil to be his.  Everything was devoted to the Lord and it was to be destroyed.  Everything was ok until Achan saw the things – the gold… the silver… the mantle.  Then the selfish desires… the inside Achan… took over and he took the things.  In a word Achan’s – discontentment.

We are hard to satisfy.  I like the cartoon that showed two fields separated by a fence.  Each field was the same size… each field had plenty of lush green grass.  In each field was a mule with his head stuck through the wire fence, eating grass from the pasture on the other side of the fence, though it was hard to reach.  In the process each mules’ head became caught in the fence.  They were both braying unable to free themselves.  The cartoon had a one word title:   Discontent

But the term a capella could hardly be applied to the music heard in most churches today. That which used to be the only means of praising God in church (a capella) is seldom seen in most houses of worship.

When Everett Ferguson was doing his graduate study at Harvard, he lived in the same dormitory with a Greek Orthodox student who was a graduate of the University of Athens and a candidate for an advance degree at Harvard. Everett asked him it if was correct that the Greek Orthodox churches did not use instrumental music in their worship. He said, Yes. When asked the reasons why, he replied: We do not use instrumental music because it is not in the NT and it is contrary to the nature of Christian worship.

Under the OT, instruments of music certainly had a part in the worship of God.  But when we come to the NT they are not mentioned. The nature of Christian worship is spiritual. Thus even those who had formerly used the instrument failed to adopt it in primitive Christian worship. In fact, the general introduction of instrumental music can certainly not be assigned to a date earlier than the fifth and sixth centuries. Even Gregory the Great, who toward the end of the sixth century added greatly to the existing church music, absolutely prohibited the use of instruments.

Chrysotom gives us a picture of what Christian worship was like up to the fifth century. It was the ancient custom, as it still is with us, for all to come together, and unitedly to join in singing. The young and the old, rich and poor, male and female, bond and free, all join in one song… All worldly distinctions here cease, and the whole congregation forms one general chorus.

In the words of the apostle Paul, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him (Colossians 3:16-17).

The results???  The men were called home immediately.  Suspended from their jobs.  Reprimands on their records.  Embarrassed.  Some if not all will lose their jobs (as I write this I read that 3 of them have already been fired).  Promising careers down the drain.  Those were the consequences that I read about.

But, looking deeper these men had to come home to their wives and families.  Can you imagine how they must have felt having to face their wives and families?  The career punishment is bad enough in and of itself.  One must wonder if their families will survive. What are the consequences for their marriages?  What do they tell their kids?

Former Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino had a secret.  He was having an affair with a 25 year old woman that he had hired, no doubt, because of the affair.  It all came apart as a result of a motorcycle ride on which they had an accident.  He tried to cover up his secret affair. (Reminds me of a Bible story – David tried to hide a similar secret!)  The result?  He lost a $3.5 million job and reportedly was now working on saving his marriage and family. The results of that effort are yet to be seen.

The secret to a happy life: The right way to live is to live right.

Well, it is a rather subjective opinion, but there is some pride in being named the best place to raise a family.  In my 25 years here I have wondered and complained about seeing elders retire and move south.  The church needs strong leadership. Grand Rapids being a mission point for the church could really profit by leaders who are committed to stay. So, I wonder, Why leave such a great place?

Actually, the best place to raise a family is in the Lord.  We are blessed to have so many young families at SouthSide who are just beginning to have children and beginning that awesome task of raising their families. It is an awesome task… it is an awesome responsibility.  Grand Rapids is a great place to do it!  We now have proof!  And, the church is a great asset to raising a family.  My prayer is that you will make Grand Rapids an even better place… and that you make SouthSide an even better church!

In the movie , The Godfather, Part 3, Don Corleone visits Cardinal Lambert to tell him that a legitimate business deal involving the Vatican Bank had gone bad.  The bank is run by a coalition of Catholic businessmen and the Archbishop.  The Cardinal listens to the Godfather and then says something very profound.  He picks up a rock and says, Look at this stone.  It has been lying in the water for a very long time.  The water has not penetrated it. Then, he smashes the stone into small pieces.  Look.  It is perfectly dry.  The same thing has happen to men.  They have been surrounded by Christianity for centuries, but Christ does not live in their hearts!

I think of Christ preaching and teaching and the reaction of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They had been surrounded by the Temple and the Scriptures for years and years and years, but none of it had sunk in.  The Scripture had not penetrated their hearts.

Ok, where does Christ live?   That’s the question for each of us.

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today…

I know that He is living, whatever men may say…

I see his hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer…

And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart.

Someone has done a takeoff on the old adage.  The end does not justify the mean-ness. Actually I like the takeoff better than the adage.  Can I be mean to someone in order to promote some good?   I think the takeoff makes it more personal.  Can I hurt someone if the end result is I accomplish some good?  Can I ridicule a person in order to make a point?  Can I hurt someone by what I say or do in order to promote something I believe in? Ummm… maybe I’ve been watching too many campaign debates lately!  Have you seen an attack ads?

I think of Galatians 6:1: Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

The ends do not justify the meanness!

Wow! Almost 2 and never had a Happy Meal.  I wonder why they call them Happy Meals? Is it because of the chicken McNuggets?  Is it because of the cheap price?  Is it because of the toy?  Is it because everything is child-sized, the perfect size for a 2-year-old?  I think they come with apples now.  I’m going to get it with fries, just like I used to buy them for my kids.  I figure her first Happy Meal should be a real one!

They have a kids play area at the McDonald’s we’ll be going to.  We will check that out.  As I write this I’m thinking it’s going to be a great time.  It’ll be a time to watch.  It’ll be a time to watch her eyes as she discovers the play room.  It’s always fun watching young eyes discover things.  It’ll be a time to spoil.  Whatever she wants to do… whatever she wants to eat… Mom will be working so there will be no one to say, No.  Unless it’s Trish and I haven’t decided to let her come just yet.  Eden is talking now.  Actually, talking a lot.  I don’t always understand the words.  Sometimes the words don’t make sense.  Often it takes her awhile to pick the words and put them together.  You can see her thinking.  But, strangely even words that don’t make sense – are meaningful.

I make every attempt to visit when parents have newborn babies. I enjoy holding them for the first time in the hospital.  It is a time of wonderment for me.  I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for such a tiny newborn baby.  What is neat for me as I teach the middle/high school kids now is… I remember holding some of them as babies!  Many who are now having babies – I held as a baby!  Those kids are special to me.

And, as I write this I now know why they call them Happy Meals.  It has nothing to do with the meal.  It’s the time spent together with someone special. Happy Meals are really Happy Times. It will be the best $1.99 I have spent in a long time.  I hope there are more in my future – and yours.

The man was taken to several sites being told this was the hospital the missionary had helped start… this was the school that he also started and now had over 200 students meeting every day… this was the community center he had founded where children come to play… this went on for about 12 to 15 sites.

The man was busy writing his story based on all he was learning.  BUT, what he wanted most was to meet the man and be able to interview him.  Finally, he was lead up a hill where he thought he would find the house the missionary lived in, but there was no house and no man. When finally he asked point blank where the missionary was, he was informed that he had died. Angry he said, Why didn’t you tell me this from the start?  The leader replied, You didn’t ask about his death.  You asked to see where he lived!

Though dead – he lived!  Where does Jesus live?   It’s a great question.  Christians demonstrate where Jesus live-s in many ways.  As the song we sometimes sing says: I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today…  He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!… He lives, He lives, salvation to impart.  You ask me how I know He lives?  He lives within my heart.