The Christian Ear is a forum for discussing and listening to the voice of today's church. The Lord spoke to churches,“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev 2&3
January 31, 2019
Senior Citizens Sit at the Feet of Church Leaders
In the waiting
room of the doctor’s office I visited with an older woman who proudly said she was
a life-long Southern Baptist. She loves her church, but grieves because hymns have
been replaced with repetitive praise songs. She said, “I so miss the hymns. They
want to sing other songs to bring in younger people.” I often hear the same
lament from other seniors and I’m becoming more convinced that church
leadership is practicing favoritism — favoring the younger generation over the
needs of the older generation. James said, “My brothers, as believers in our
glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a
man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor
man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special
attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for
you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my
feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts” (James 2:1-4 NIV)?
January 30, 2019
Preach the Word
After the
stoning of Stephen, a great persecution broke out against the church at
Jerusalem and Saul began to destroy the church. If something similar happened
to the church in our town today many of us would likely keep our heads down and
pray for the persecution to pass, rather than looking for opportunities to
serve. Luke wrote, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever
they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and
proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip
and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he
said” (Acts 8:4-6 NIV).
January 29, 2019
The New Has Come
A couple
weeks ago I went shopping for some new tops and it dawned on me that from a clothing-style
perspective, I no longer know who I am. The styles I once wore no longer fit
who I am today. In my teens I felt something similar after I accepted Jesus as
my personal Savior, made the good confession and was baptized. As a born-again Christian,
I was no longer who I once was. Paul said, “So from now on we regard no one
from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do
so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:16-17 NIV)!
January 28, 2019
Doing Your Best
The enemies
of President Trump are rejoicing because in their words, “Trump caved and
opened up the government without getting any money for boarder security.” The
picture they paint is that Trump failed, lost and was defeated. Parents teach children
that it is not always about winning or losing, but rather that they tried their
best. From my perspective Trump is a winner, whether or not he succeeded,
simply because he did his best to fulfill the campaign promise he made to
voters. Paul tells people of faith to do their best. He said, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth” (2 Tim 2:15 NIV).
January 25, 2019
Mediator
People of
faith sometimes view church leaders as the head of the church. Priests,
preachers, and elders are shepherds of the church; however, church leadership
is not to assume the role as mediator between believers and God. Paul said, “For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the
testimony given in its proper time” (1 Tim 2:5-6
NIV).
January 24, 2019
The Progressive Wing
My friend
remains active as a Seventh Day Adventist, but she shared with me that she would
be much happier if there were a progressive wing of the denomination. Webster’s
definition of progressive is, (1) of, relating to, or characterized by
progress. (2) making use of or interested in new ideas, findings or
opportunities. No doubt there are also people in mainstream churches who have a
similar desire be progressive. However, Paul cautioned, “As we
have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel
other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am
I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please
men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I
preached is not something that man made up. I did not
receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by
revelation from Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:9-12 NIV).
January 23, 2019
The Father Knows What We Need
A friend and
I were discussing various churches and he said, “I think my church is the
poorest [financially] in town.” He went on to say that most of the church
membership has a hard time supporting themselves, much less supporting the
church. It occurs to me that the words Jesus applied to individuals are also
applicable to the collective body of Christ. Jesus said, “Look at the birds of
the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who
of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life” (Matt 6:26 NIV)?
January 22, 2019
Stand Firm
At the
Lincoln Memorial this weekend Native American veteran Nathan Phillips encountered
a group of Catholic high school students who were participating in the Right
for Life march, and who were also wearing Make America Great (MAGA) hats. The 64-year-old
Indian activist approached the students, beat his drum and sang Indian chants
just inches away from the face of one young man. Catholic student Nick Sandmann
responded by simply smiling and standing firmly in place. Sandmann, who described
himself as a faithful Christian and a practicing Catholic, thought if he just
stood still without reacting it would defuse the situation. Because of the MAGA
hats, the mainstream media painted the Catholic students as aggressors and many
on social media piled on without knowing the facts. Young Mr. Sandmann showed
remarkable Christian maturity by standing firm. Paul said, “Therefore, my dear
brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1
Cor 15:58 NIV).
January 21, 2019
You Are a Seal
Some people
questioned Paul’s apostleship and he responded, “Am I not free? Am I not an
apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in
the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to
you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord” (1 Cor 9:1-2 NIV). It
occurs to me that the spiritual maturity and strength of believers today is
also the result of the work of church leaders (preachers, elders, deacons) and
that we are a seal of their positions in the Lord.
January 18, 2019
Do What is Right
Returning
home from Denver I stopped for a break in a mountain town and went through
three roundabouts before I could get to the rest area. On my way back to the
Interstate I took the off ramp in one of the roundabouts and wound up on the
Interstate…but going the wrong direction. I was forced to go nine miles to the
next exit before I could legally turn around and retrace my steps. In those
nine miles I passed numerous highway crossovers with signs that said
“Authorized Vehicles Only,” but I resisted the temptation to use the emergency
services crossover for fear of getting a ticket from the State Patrol. Paul
said, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is
no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist
have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels
against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those
who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold
no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be
free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will
commend you” (Ro 13:1-3 NIV).
January 17, 2019
Advancing the Enemy
During a
speech in Cairo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated the position of the US in
working with others and the repercussions. He said, “…and when we partner with
our enemies they advance.” In hindsight there are times when believers
unintentionally partner with Satan. We repent and move on; however, we seldom
give much thought to the long-range effects, and that we have in fact advanced the
enemy. “But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” He
answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so
I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you
eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The
man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree,
and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is
this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen
3:9-13 NIV).
January 16, 2019
Lacking Zeal for the Gospel
In
preparation for writing a book I’m going through the articles I wrote about church
visits and categorizing the elements of worship — hospitality, sermons, bulletins,
etc. After reviewing the sermons, I realize that many of them were a social, political
and denominational gospel, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Out of more
than 120 church visits there are only a handful of sermons that were convicting
and thought provoking enough for me to tell others about the message I heard. Paul
said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is
revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is
written: “The righteous will live by faith” (Ro 1:16-17 NIV).
January 15, 2019
Vantage Point
When I visited
my daughter, who lives on the side of a mountain overlooking Denver, we were
hit with a major snow storm. For over 24-hours we didn’t see the sun and we received
over nine-inches of snow. From my vantage point I thought the whole area was
getting hammered, but not so. While her subdivision roads were almost
impassable, the metro area below received a mere three inches of snow. When we
get caught in a spiritual storm and can’t see the rays of the Son we need to
remind ourselves that God’s vantage point is different than ours. Proverbs
said, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous
stand firm forever” (Proverbs 10:25 NIV).
January 14, 2019
Church Coveting
I discussed
the lack of growth with a church leader and he said, “I just wonder how
Saddleback Church does it.” God has not allowed all churches to become a mega
church, but the desire of church leadership to become another Saddleback can
have the appearance of coveting. James said, “What causes fights and quarrels
among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you
cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you
do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because
you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James
4:1-3 NIV).
January 11, 2019
Have a Blessed Day
After I complete
a transaction it’s my habit to tell the clerk or customer service representative,
“Have a good day.” During my last trip
to Walmart the clerk who scanned my purchases turned our brief encounter into
an opportunity to share his faith in God. When he handed me my receipt the rote
phrase “have a good day” didn’t seem quite adequate; however, “Have a blessed
day” rolled easily off my tongue. Paul said, “Consider Abraham: “He believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand,
then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced
the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of
faith” (Gal 3:6-9 NIV).
January 10, 2019
Called to Preach
More and
more pastors are getting sermon material off the internet and from other
sources, rather than preparing sermons specific to the needs of their
congregation. Paul said of Jesus, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and
teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so
that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach
unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:1113 NIV). I’m
now trying to imagine an apostle or a prophet going to other sources in order to
accomplish the task the Lord called them to.
January 09, 2019
Appearances
I called a
local church to find out their denominational roots and the secretary said, “Why
do you want to know?” Churches today, in an effort to market themselves, are
doing their best to conceal their denominational identity. They have removed
denominational tags from the church name, bulletins, websites and letterheads. We
all know the Lord would prefer we not have denominations and divisions. However,
denominational tags help people determine where they want to worship. It is
deceptive and manipulative for a church to withhold their denominational slant
in order to give the appearance of a non-denominational church. Paul said of
divisions, “No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of
you have God’s approval” (1Cor 11:19 NIV).
January 08, 2019
The Law is Good
A couple
years ago our kids gave us a weather station for Christmas. Last week, during
our first cold snap of the year, I sat in a warm house and watched the
temperature plummet to -6 degrees. Had it not been for the weather station continually
updating the data I would not have known how bitterly cold it was outside. I
now have a better understanding of Paul explanation of the law. “What shall we
say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what
sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really
was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing
the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of
covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I
was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and
I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended
to bring life actually brought death” (Rom 7:710 NIV).
January 07, 2019
Love Does Not Boast
Many of us
remember going to school and finding out that all our friends attended a
Birthday party, but we weren’t invited. I felt that same familiar sting when a pastor
announced, “Some of us went to a party last night, and you know who you are…” I
have no doubt the pastor was trying to use the anecdote as a warm up to start
his sermon. However, knowing his intention made me no less uncomfortable for
those who were not invited to the party. Paul said, “Love is patient, love is
kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Cor 13:4
NIV).
January 04, 2019
Sermon Prep
A snippet from a brief bio describing a Christian workshop leader said, “She also does
biblical research, sermon prep, and styling for pastors at a multi-site
Midwestern megachurch of 12,000.” It appears that the days of a pastor spending
20-hours a week in sermon preparation are over. I now wonder how many of today’s
pulpits are filled with actors who simply want to learn a script. Paul said, “It
was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be
evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to
prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure
of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13 NIV).
January 03, 2019
Harvest Field
On my way to
church the last few weeks I’ve noticed a sandwich-board on a sidewalk in front
of a trailer park advertising a place for people to go to learn about Jesus. I’m
guessing this is a fledgling church, but I find it curious since there are at
least five established churches within a mile of the trailer park. That being
said, I love the fact that someone in the trailer park saw the need to bring
Jesus into their neighborhood. Jesus
said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the
harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2
NIV).
January 02, 2019
Solid Food
My
bookshelves are full of books on the craft of writing and when I decided to
de-clutter I started going through the books. Because I highlight and underline it was easy re-read the highlights and evaluate whether or not I
needed to keep them. I was surprised at how I have grown and implemented
most of what the books had to offer. I’m now looking at my Bible with a new perspective — as a measure of maturity. The writer
of Hebrews said, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain
because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to
be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word
all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk,
being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about
righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Heb 5:11-14
NIV).
January 01, 2019
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