About Parables

Jesus Teaches His Disciples

 

A1 Objectives

B1 Explain why Jesus taught in parables.

B2 Describe the meaning of various parables.

 

A2 Scripture

B1 Matthew 13:1-23 The Sower

B2 Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Feast

 

A3 Notes

B1 What is a parable?

C1 Define

D1 The Greek word is parabolee and comes from two other Greek stems para= beside and ballein= throw.

D2 Thus a comparison of two things

D3 So it is a comparison between a truth and an illustration of that truth

C2 Types/classification (Adapted from Strong and McClintock from "The Cyclopedia")

D1 A hard to understand saying

E1 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp. Psalm 49:4

E2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, Psalm 78:2

E3 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" (John 6:53-60, NKJV)

D2 A little story that is fiction

E1 The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor. The rich man had many cattle and sheep, while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him. One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to fix a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal for his guest." David became very angry at the rich man and said, "I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this ought to die! For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took." "You are that man," Nathan said to David. "And this is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. (2 Samuel 12:1-7, GNB92)

E2 Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash of Israel, challenging him to fight. But King Jehoash sent back the following reply: "Once a thorn bush on the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: 'Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down. Now Amaziah, you have defeated the Edomites, and you are filled with pride. Be satisfied with your fame and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?" (2 Kings 14:8-10, GNB92)

E3 Most of the New Testament parables are this type.

D3 A longer speech/discourse that uses figurative language.

E1 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak." So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his oracle and said: "Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. 'Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!' (Numbers 23:5-7, NKJV)

E2 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, (Job 27:1, KJV)

B2 Why speak in parables?

C1 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (Matthew 13:13, EMTV)

C2 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. (Isaiah 44:18, NKJV)

D1 This is the illustration/parable of the stupid man who cuts down a tree. Part of the one tree is used in the fire to bake, while the other is used to carve out an idol that he will bow down to and pray, "Deliver me."

D2 The eyes are shut because that is the state of all humanity before God imitates salvation.

C3 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 12:1-2, NKJV)

D1 This means, again, that this is the nature state of humanity.

D2 Since it is so, God sends the prophet Ezekiel to show them by illustration what was going to happen to Jerusalem.

B3 Matthew 13:1-23 The Sower

C1 Kingdom of God Parables.

C2 This the Parable of the Sower

D1 Setting (Matthew 23:1-2)

E1 Capernaum

E2 Jesus leaves house

E3 Jesus goes to the sea shore

E4 There is such a large crowd that Jesus gets into a boat, then he sits to teach them.

E5 The people are on the sea shore listening.

D2 Speaks many parables to them.

C3 The Parable of the Sower

D1 A sower goes out to sow.

D2 He sows.

D3 The seeds

E1 Goes to wayside

E2 Goes on stony ground

E3 Goes among the thorns

E4 Goes on good soil.

C4 The disciples question and Jesus's answer

D1 The questions, "Why do you speak in parables?"

D2 The answer:

E1 Jesus wanted the disciples to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

E2 Those who have will be given more.

E3 Those who have not will lose what they already have.

E4 Isaiah's prophecy has been fulfilled. (These people have fulfilled that prophecy).

E5 The disciples are blessed for they do see and hear (understand the meaning because Jesus interprets it).

E6 Many prophets and righteous people have wished to know these things and did not, but now you do.

B4 Matthew 22:1-14 The Wedding Feast

C1 Topic: The Kingdom of Heaven

C2 The parable

D1 A king plans and prepares a wedding feast for his son.

D2 Servants are sent to invite people to the wedding. Remember that these are the invited.

E1 At first no one wanted to come.

E2 The second time they made excuses and beat and/or killed the servants.

D3 The king became angry.

D4 The king sent soldiers who killed these murders.

D5 The king sent servants out again to those who did not deserve to come.

D6 These servants were successful.

D7 The wedding feast takes place.

D8 One person did not have wedding garments on.

D9 The king asks why he doesn't have wedding garments.

D10 This person had no answer.

D11 The King gives judgment.

D12 The servants take this person and throw him out into punishment.

C3 Jesus concludes with "...many are invited, few are chosen."

 

A4 Questions

B1 If Jesus used parables, should we?

B2 Is Jesus hiding the truth from people by speaking in parables?

B3 Has God hidden truth to some people? Why or why not?

C1 The Sermon on the Mount was preacher earlier in time. (Compare Appendix #1 of things done before the Parable of the Sower).

C2 Evidently the people did not repent, did not listen, did not do what Jesus said, so now truth is through parables.

C3 There was also John the Baptist who had preached plainly.

C4 "By resorting to parables, Jesus effectively separated the truth-seekers from the mere curious." (Writer of Answers Bible Curriculum Lesson Adult Year 3, Quarter 2).

C5 The mere curious would be those who didn't want to know the truth, and if they do, would not follow or obey it.

B4 What are the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

C1 How to be a citizen of that kingdom.

C2 The kingdom rules.

C3 Who the citizens are.

C4 When it will start (not the date but the events preceding).

B5 Matthew 13:12. If someone has nothing, how can something be taken away?

C1 The passage doesn't say they have nothing.

C2 They have physical life and an eternal soul.

B6 Can people grasp spiritual truth or does God have to intervene?

B7 What is truth?

B8 Does truth change over time or in different cultures?

B9 What is the most important truth?

B10 What does the phrase "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear" mean?

B11 Matthew 13:13. Why can't people see and hear? What are they supposed to be hearing/seeing?

B12 Matthew 13:15. Why are people dull of hearing?

B13 Does Jesus not want them to see and hear?

B14 Are we to base doctrine on parables? (No, we may on Jesus's interpretation but not on the parable itself (via Wilbur Pickering)). We must be careful when interpreting these parables using the allegorical method of interpretation and making the text say something it does not.

B15 What is, who is, a sower? (Anyone sharing the Gospel).

B16 What are the four soils? (The road side, stony ground, thorny ground, and good ground).

B17 What is the seed? (The word of the kingdom--the Gospel).

C1 In Luke 8:11 it is called the Word of God. ("This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11, GNB92).

C2 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. (Acts 28:23, NKJV)

C3 "...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17, NKJV)

B18 "Hears the word..." (Matthew 13:19) The word hear is a continuous idea, so while hearing. What can we do to encourage hearing?

B19 Matthew 13:19. If someone does hear but doesn't understand, did we say something wrong? How is it that they can hear but not understand?

C1 The devil blinds them.

C2 The devil snatches it away. I take this to mean that a person's attention is drawn to something, anything, except the truth of the Gospel. It may be sleepiness, hunger, loud noises, argument, or something else that draws their attention away.

C3 Elon, "They don't want to hear, so the devil snatches it away." Ray Comfort often preaches but people ignore him and the message.

B20 How is the devil able to do this?

B21 Why don't some comprehend it? (Some have made up their mind already).

B22 What is the rocky/stony ground? (They hear gladly and receive it, but when any opposition comes they renounce). Is this the false convert?

B23 What are the thorns? (The worries and responsibilities of this life). How can we avoid this?

B24 What are four things about those seeds that fall into good ground? (They hear, they understand, they bear fruit and produce). Why some have a hundred fold and some thirty? Does God get angry at those who only have thirty?

B25 Who is the king and son? (God the Father and God the Son--Jesus)

B26 Is the king justified with punishing those who made excuses not to come? (Yes, because they were doing evil deeds--physical abuse, assault, and murder. These people were also practicing treason against their king).

B27 How do you think the son felt when people did not want to come?

B28 Who are the three groups? (Those who were indifferent, malignant, and receptive).

B29 What does the Scripture mean when Jesus says, "Many are called, but few chosen?"

 

Appendix

#1 List of what Jesus taught plainly before The Sower

First cleansing of the Temple at Passover

Nicodemus interviews Jesus during Passover

The disciples baptize

John the Baptist's last witness of Jesus

John Imprisoned (thus Jesus departs Judea)

Jesus departs Judea for Galilee through Samaria

Samaritan woman at Jacob's well

Jesus in Galilee

Healing son of nobleman

The first rejection at Nazareth

Jesus moves from Nazareth to Capernaum

Draught of fish – Jesus calls four fishers of men

Demoniac in the synagogue

Peter's mother-in-law healed

Many healed the same evening

The first withdrawal – prayer

First tour of Galilee

The healing of a leper

Second withdrawal of Jesus – prayer

Healing of man with the palsy

Matthew's call; feast in his home

Fasting question

Parable of the wine skins and new wine

Feast of the Jews

Jesus heals at Bethesda Pool – His Deity Challenged

Disciples pluck corn on the Sabbath – Controversy with Pharisees

Healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath

Multitudes healed by Jesus at Sea of Galilee

Choosing of the twelve – night prayer

Sermon on the Mount

Healing of the Centurion's servant

Raising of the son of the Widow of Nain

Message from John the Baptist – John's eulogy

Jesus upbraids Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida

Jesus anointed at Pharisee's house by sinful woman

Jesus on second tour of Galilee with companions

Demoniac delivered

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

Sign of Jonah – Scribes and Pharisees seek a sign

Unclean Spirit returns

Blessed if one keeps The Word

Eye is lamp of the body

Christ's mother and brethren seek to take Him home

Kingdom Parables by the Sea of Galilee:

 

Anger

 

 

What are we to do about our anger? What are the rules about anger for the Christian?

A1 What is anger?

B1 A response of displeasure

C1 Many understand anger to be a response to a threat.

C2 But in reality seems to be more a response to one's standard of life--their own personal rules, morality, and beliefs.

C3 May be calculated as a manipulation.

C4 May be suppressed, which can lead to other problems.

B2 Physical effects

C1 Usually documented are physical effects as increased heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.

C2 The face shows a distinctive red color, narrowed eye brows, piecing stare,, clenched teeth, and straight lips (if not curled).

C3 Sometimes the only expression may be in the piercing eyes.

C4 There are postures and other body language signs as clenched fists, fighting stance, quick movements, etc.

C5 Sometimes there is physical aggression as fighting, verbal outburst, or destructive behavior as vandalism or destruction of property.

B3 Emotional effects

C1 An outpouring of epinephrine and norepinephrine.

C2 Depression, remorse, guilt, shame, and alienation

B4 Others

C1 Anger may be controlled and calculating.

C2 Anger may be a rage of self destructive behavior.

C3 Judgment and insight are usually suppressed.

C4 Anger may come from misconceptions, misunderstanding, and a response to past triggers.

B5 Types (1)

C1 Passive

D1 Dispassion (showing little or no response as shrug, shutting the eyes as if asleep, or doodling, etc.)

D2 Evasiveness (walking away, turning the back, ignoring, etc.)

D3 Defeatism (setting up others for failure, passive aggression, etc.)

D4 Psychological manipulation

D5 Secretive behavior

D6 Self blame

C2 Aggressive

D1 Bullying

D2 Destructiveness

D3 Grandiosity

D4 Hurtfulness (hurting others feelings)

D5 Manic behavior

D6 Selfishness

D7 Threats

D8 Unjust blaming

D9 Unpredictability

D10 Revenge

A2 What are the rules?

B1 Don't have anger leading to murder. (Exodus 21:14,

B2 Don't make God angry with you.

C1 Disbelief (Zechariah 7:12, Nehemiah 9:29-30, Mark 16:14)

C2 Disobedience (Deuteronomy 4:21, Psalms 7:11)

C3 Making a vow to God and not keeping it (I'm sorry I just made a mistake.) (Ecclesiastes 5:6)

C4 Stopping or "deprograming" children from believing in God, praying, or Bible reading/studying. (Mark 10:14)

C5 Being a hypocrite. (Luke 13:15)

B3 Don't make your spouse jealous (Proverbs 6:34)

B4 Don't give the wicked what they want. (Proverbs 11:23). They wicked want more evil.

B5 Don't make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. (Don't make friends with people who have hot, violent tempers. You might learn their habits and not be able to change. (Proverbs 22:24-25, GNB92)

B6 When we are angry, we lose insight and judgment. We then make stupid decisions and do stupid things that we are later sorry for. (Proverbs 14:17)

B7 When we are angry, we make the situation worse. It will only escalate. (Proverbs 29:22).

B8 Anger leads to arguments. (Psalm 37:8, Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 29:22)

A3 How to handle anger

B1 A gift to the angry person. Give this in private otherwise it may make the angry person angrier as if you are trying to show them up. Consider the gift from Abigail to David. 1 Samuel 2:2-28

B2 Keep calm with an angry person especially if they are a government official (police, etc.) or your boss. (Ecclesiastes 10:4)

B3 Do not go to bed angry. (Ephesians 4:26)

B4 Do not make your children angry. (Ephesians 6:4)

B5 Listen for a long time and be slow to get angry (take time to really understand someone and what they are saying before becoming angry). (Proverbs 29:8, James 1:19)

B6 Pray. (1 Timothy 2:8)

B7 Speak to the angry person in a calm, quiet way. (Proverbs 15:1)

Take some time to think deeply what you are doing, as in do not plot revenge (Romans 12:19). It is better to suffer than take revenge. (Proverbs 4:4)

B8 Forgive. (Matthew 6:14) Forgiveness is not that the offender gets away with something but rather it is placed in God's hands who will deal with it correctly. Hopefully the offender will repent and ask God (and you) for forgiveness.

B9 Love as in being nice to the angry person. You might not succeed in helping them or even calming them down, but you have gone the second mile. (Proverbs 10:12, Proverbs 27:9, James 4:1)

B10 Leave the area. (Proverbs 14:7)

B11 We need to express our anger, but it must be done with self-control and when the rush of adrenalin is gone. Sit down with someone and talk about it. We need to listen to the difficulties of others.

B12 Not take it personally. (Proverbs 19:11)

B13 Even worldly philosophy points out. (2)

A4 What can we be angry at?

B1 The things that make God angry.

C1 Returning evil for good. (Romans 2:4)

C2 Thinking that our anger is righteous. (James 1:19-20)

C3 Revenge. We are to treat our enemy nicely. (Romans 12:19-21)

C4 Bearing grudges instead of forgiving. (Leviticus 19:18)

C5 Not forgiving those who ask for forgiveness. (Matthew 18:32-34)

C6 Worshipping idols (basically an idol is anything we look to for ultimate authority). (Exodus 32:19)

C7 Leaving/denying God. (Hebrews 3:12)

B2 Dishonoring God (Exodus 20:7)

C1 Who He is.

C2 What He does.

C3 What He decides (His decisions/judgments).

C4 What He says (the Scriptures in their plain, normal sense).

C5 What He promises.

C6 What He labels evil or good. When we call evil good and good evil, we are dishonoring God.

C7 His name.

C8 His character traits.

A5 Sources:

B1 (1) ANGER, 12 February 2015, Wikipedia Authors, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anger, Accessed 12 February 2015

B2 (2) THE DOWNSIDE OF ANGER, 1 July 2003, Hara Estroff Marano, https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200307/the-downside-anger, Accessed 12 February 2015

A6 Links and other opinions

B1 http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Hendricks,%20LaVelle%20The%20Effects%20of%20Anger%20on%20the%20Brain%20and%20Body%20NFJCA%20V2%20N1%202013.pdf

B2 http://www.gotquestions.org/anger.html

B3 http://biblestudycourses.org/proverbs-bible-study-courses-section-2/control-your-anger-exploring-the-passages/

 

Are You an Easy Prey for False Prophets?

False prophets abound. Jesus warned us

Holly Pivec writes in the Spirit of Error blog:

Are You Easy Prey for False Prophets?

The Bible is clear: false prophets are wolves that devour unsuspecting sheep.

Jesus said:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

And the apostle Paul had this to say about false teachers.

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30).

Despite these clear warnings from an apostle and even Jesus himself, many people are still naive to the threat. So, my question for you is, "Are you easy prey for false prophets?"

The answer is yes if any of the following statements–drawn from Scripture–describe you.

You think God won't...

More about false prophets.

1. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it? (Jeremiah 5:31, HCSB)
   
2. For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. (Jeremiah 6:13, HCSB)
   
3. But the LORD said to me, "These prophets are prophesying a lie in My name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds. (Jeremiah 14:14, HCSB)
   
4. Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (Matthew 24:11, HCSB)
   
5. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the false prophets. (Luke 6:26, HCSB)
   
6. But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. (2 Peter 2:1, HCSB)
   

Knowing who is a false prophet is serious. False prophets by the Bible standard fail in morality, truth, false predictions, covetousness, and leading to false teaching about God (e. g. denying the Trinity).

1. "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, "and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'–which you have not known–'and let us serve them,' "you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst. "If your brother, the son of your mother, your son or your daughter, the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entices you, saying, 'Let us go and serve other gods,' which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, (Deuteronomy 13:1-6, NKJV)
   
2. 'But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'– "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22, NKJV)
   
3. They know Christian terms and language. "But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15, EMTV)
   
4. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NKJV)
   

A little skepticism, a lot of prayer, Bible study, and knowing doctrine will go a long ways to protect us from all these wolves.

 

 

 

From Atheist to Christian

It is always an interesting to read testimonies of people who were atheists who became Christians. Dr. Bergman was raised by atheistic parents, was taught atheism, and taught atheism. He is a brief biography.

Creation Conversion: From Atheist to Creationist

By Jerry Bergman, Ph.D.

At Wayne State University, where I earned my bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees, I was exposed to evolution. Influenced by my atheist father and my professors, I accepted this worldview, as did most of my peers. We also accepted the atheist philosophy that came with it. The university invited a number of speakers to lecture on religion, at least tangentially, all of whom were quite negative toward Christianity. One even stressed that we have given Christianity 2,000 years to fix up the world, and it was high time to try atheism.

As I became more involved in the atheist movement, I got tired of hearing that all the problems in the world were the fault of Christianity and that if we got rid of all the Christians, the world would be a wonderful place. What especially bothered me was that my atheist peers were determined to suppress Christianity by any means, legal or illegal—first by banning it from the public square, then in the private domain. Atheists seemed to feel that the ends justified the means, so they ruthlessly sought to crush Christianity. I soon realized this goal was evil because in the end it always did more harm than good—and yet it has been tried in so many places.

As I studied evolution (the doorway to atheism), it eventually became apparent that the theory has some major problems. The first example I researched in detail was the "vestigial organ" claim. There are…

So real scientists do have faith in Jesus Christ and are not ashamed of it. Neither should we.

Critical Thinking

I've been wondering this myself. Well said and a short article well worth reading and pondering.

Let me do some critical thinking out loud for a moment. I am pondering two questions. First, if God is speaking to us through visions, dreams, personal prophecies, etc., why is it that so often those who receive these visions, dreams, personal prophecies are some of the weakest people I know? I am not going to lump all charismatics together here as I don't know all of them of course and that would be unfair but those that I do know who claim God is speaking to them in a dream or a "word" in their spirit are typically not committed to studying the Bible, are often ignorant of basic doctrines, don't pray too much, are not serious in evangelism, and for the most part are weak spiritually.

Secondly, how…

The Bible is the only source of 100% truth, yet people seek experiences rather than real worship as in prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and church attendance in a godly church.

The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. (Psalms 119:160, NKJV)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV)

And let us consider one another for the stirring up of love and of good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves, just as is the custom for some, but exhorting one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25, EMTV)

Pray without ceasing! (1 Thessalonians 5:17, EMTV)

Why Isn’t Your Church Growing?

A little piece of satire.

I actually saw this title on a Facebook post from a pragmatic church ministry site. I thought I would have some fun with this and try to come up with ten reasons your church is not growing from their point of view. Mind you this is satire so please don't take me serious here. Just laugh with me at how sad the pragmatism is in most modern-day church growth sites. So here we go….

1. You actually use the Bible.

2. You actually pray (and probably still read the Bible).

3. You mention Jesus or Christ is something like that way too much.

4. You teach docterines or whatever it is.

5. You never mention "sex" much in your "talks."

6. You don't wear skinny…

 

You can the whole article here.

Judas Iscariot

This is something I wrote long ago.

Three points

4 March 10

John 13:26-27

Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a morsel, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the morsel Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, what you do, do quickly.

1. Why did Satan enter Judas?

First, he did not want things to mess up; he didn't want any mistakes, so he did not delegate it; he did it himself. Second, betraying Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was something he would enjoy.

2. Why Judas?

Because he surrendered his will to do evil. Satan put the thought in Judas' heart, and he agreed. He loved money instead of God. He looked at the present rather than the future.

3. What can we learn?

We must seek the Kingdom of God first. We must set our minds, our wills, to live in the Kingdom of God. Obeying the truths of what the Lord Jesus taught us in the New Testament must be important enough for us, that we do them.