1 Corinthians 1:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas^[a]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

I start off with that verse which harkens to Bible times when early Christians thought they were better off than others depending on which team they followed.  And it is still happening today.  Each time I see a church bumper sticker I remember this verse…as if we are competing against one another.

It was brought up in an adult Bible class which I attend.  One person remarked “I am so glad we don’t play favorites!”  And in the back of my mind I thought, but we do play favorites!

Favoritism happens anytime a high school graduate announces what college they are going to and what major they’re perusing. Going to the designated Christian school that your youth minister / pulpit minister went to?  That’s a gold star.  Bonus points applied if your major is Bible.

However if a high school grad goes to a state school, it is frowned upon….even going as far as some treating state school freshmen as those who will ultimately being lost spiritually.

And whether or not this favoritism is intentional or subconsciously subtle, it is wrong.  Not everyone is made to be Bible majors, Bible teachers, or youth ministers.  Some want to quietly minister behind the scenes at church in their own way while perusing a secular career.

And realize this: Those who choose a secular career are given much more opportunity to minister to the lost compared to clergy.

We need to refrain from playing favorites, from gasping when a young person pursues a secular career.  We must come together as the body of Christ without respect to one’s alma mater or career.

Over the past week I am become increasingly aware that people simply do not take God’s word seriously anymore.

For example I was in an adult Bible class.  During class time I look over and the two guys sitting next to me appear to be texting on their phone throughout class.

That same night in a different setting I was reminded how many people would rather socialize loudly outside in the church foyer rather than going in a spend time in devotional studying God’s word.  And this is a chronic problem.

It breaks my heart.

I realize that we are all at different levels spiritually.  Some may not take that much stock in the Bible, nor have much faith outside of their Christian social circles.  But somehow I think even in non religious settings it is common courtesy to listen in class (even if the class is boring) and be quiet when a religious gathering is taking place.  Both adults and young people have this ineptness with common courtesy.  Our only hope is that the next generation is retrained to show respect to teachers and those around them.

When the early Christians gathered on the Sunday after the resurrection, were there some who were absent who had stopped believing?  Jesus was still with them and would continue to be with them for 40 days after the resurrection.  I’m positive this is the case.  Even Jesus’s disciples lost faith and sinned when being with Jesus.  Take Peter and Judas for example.  Both turned their back on Jesus with contrasting outcomes.

Certainly there were those back then, as their are today, who fail to attend church services regularly.  There are people at your church who will not show up for services for the rest of the year and into the next until Easter the following year.

And I also think that there are people who attend church who’s hearts aren’t into it.  They are there to punch their card, be seen, and leave with a clean conscious.  I’ve been at that mentality before and it is disheartening, to those affected and to those around them…and worst of all disappointing to God.

We all need that excitement and special feeling we get each Easter knowing that He has risen.  We need to remember that Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith and the most important event of human history, as it proves Christ’s divinity.

But it can be difficult for those of weak faith due to environment or circumstances.  I wish there was a way to gleam faith like one harvests wheat on a vast farm in Kansas.  But unfortunately faith doesn’t come that easy.  It can take years.  And I’ve found I’m still growing my faith and still will be many years into the future.

What is wrong with these pictures?  The recent generation may not see anything wrong with it.

Many people just feed on whatever their preacher or pastor says without cracking open their Bible to see if it is true or not.  This is the case here.

Saturday night worship services in lieu of Sunday morning services are not shown as an example in the New Testament as to when Christians gathered together to worship.  See Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2

The reasoning for this is that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday.  See Mark 16:9, John 20:1-2.

To preach that it is ok to have a Saturday night worship service in lieu of a Sunday morning service goes against Biblical examples.  It is a very loose interpretation of scriptures and more or less for convenience sake…that is people prefer to sleep in on Sundays….or in the case of Easter Sunday, they prefer to be with their families on Easter.

Yet the Bible says…

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14:26

That is, the love for God should be so strong that it could be interpreted as hate toward one’s own family.  In other words any one who puts their family first over God, cannot be Jesus’ disciple.

“It’s a gimmick” I thought to myself as I saw this sign on my way to work.  Why would a church post a sign stating “Easter is a Lie.”  Yet in smaller letters it shows “What if…” totally negating the statement.

It’s a gimmick because it tries to bring in the skeptics, the uninformed, the casual believer into the flock on Easter Sunday. Every church does it.  Some churches play the card harder than others.

But in some ways, Easter is a lie.

I did some searching and found Ēostre pagan Germanic goddess was the namesake for Easter.  It happens frequently throughout history. That is…replacing a pagan holiday with a Christian holiday while keeping some of the same traditions to keep everyone happy.  Easter and Christmas are a few examples.

So the pagan goddess of Easter is a lie.  I’d prefer if we called it resurrection Sunday.  Although as a member of the church of Christ I have to point out that my congregation celebrates the resurrection every Sunday, not just one time a year.

I’d like to say that the church’s tradition of holding one Sunday above another Sunday is a false teaching.  Something I can’t exactly pinpoint.  Certainly the early church remembered the death, burial and resurrection every Sunday through the Lord’s Supper.  But I can’t comment on if they had a yearly celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection as I don’t have the facts in front of me.

The decision whether or not to use a gimmick to attract followers depend on who you want to attract.  If you use flimsy slogans which will pass away once the next big thing comes to fruition, then they will attract weak faith congregants. Whether or not that congregation and strengthen their faith is up for grabs.

Me personally would prefer to attract knowledgeable people who are thoughtful in their faith and not dragged around by every whim of doctrine.  But all souls are important, even those with fickle belief systems, so I am at a quandary…..which souls to attract to worship…and what tactics to use.

Certainly the simple truth of the Gospel should be enough for those sincerely searching for the mystery of salvation.

It’s that time of year when we hear of mission trips during Spring Break.  This year, as with many years in the past, my congregation is no exception to this yearly rite of passage for many of our young people.  I too experienced this when I was unemployed between jobs in 2003.  I’d describe it as a trial by fire.  I didn’t catch the mission bug and doubt I will ever catch it again.

I decided to do a web search on if mission trips do any good and came up with the obligatory Odyssey Online essay of “Why Going on a Mission Trip Is Nothing to Be Proud of.”

The Odyssey Online is everyone’s favorite college essayist blackboard for opinion pieces. I’ve seen it used before with uplifting essays from Freed Hardeman college acquaintances.  The only problem is that this particular author comes across as a huge hypocrite for begging others to contribute to stateside service without mentioning her own service endeavors.  Sure, it could be that she put in her time stateside, but we really don’t know.  And this is why I am hesitant to criticize those who go on mission trips (although I do feel as though many of the younger people have alternative goals)

I put in my time in 2003 in El Salvador and I’m perfectly fine not going back.  I applaud those who go and do real work, rather than turning it into some Spring Break feel-good-about-yourself trip.  There are people who work; preach the word; go door to door having those multiple Bible studies with adults.  Others play soccer games with the youth, which is fine to an extent, and probably serves a purpose.  Although I would argue that doing real work as Bible studies reaps the real fruit.  Others who play soccer and do VBS’s with the kids are sowing seeds.  No doubt many of these seeds will flourish, but there’s not scientific study over who’s seeds flourish.

Why wouldn’t I go back?  Probably about 10 years ago I would have said I don’t felt as though I fit in adequately.  Now, it’s that my personality has changed so much is that I’m even more introverted than before and I’m sure it would not be a healthy environment mentally for me.  Maybe that’s a cop out, but I’m fine with that.  Somehow I’m fine not having close relationships with fellow church members over fears of being hurt.

As shared by someone who thinks it’s ok to worship on Saturday evenings in lieu of Sundays….thereby going against Biblical examples throughout the New Testament.

I’ll admit it.  I don’t care for sports.  Whenever someone brings up sports my eyes gloss over and I stop listening.  I would say at some point my mind wanders to other subject….even physically sliding away from the conversation.

So it happens sometimes with devotionals and sermons.  The preacher or speaker, who also happens to be a sports fan, uses a football or basketball analogy.  I’ve heard more football analogies during my Christian life listening to sports sermons, compared to baseball and basketball.  I guess if I lived in Kentucky I might hear more basketball sermons, but its a moot point.

I guess the general public enjoys the sports.  People around here drive to Knoxville on Fall weekends to watch UT play (when they’re good).  Every office seems to have a Final Four office pool.  Fantasy Football is a thing.  NASCAR seems to be a topic of choice with a certain group of church members.

So it is no surprise that ministers try to appeal to a significant interest of their flock.  I guess I’m the lone man out being in the (perceived) minority that doesn’t enjoy sports.

I guess sports analogies have been happening since Biblical times.  As in 1 Corinthians 9:

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. ²⁶ Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; ²⁷ but I ^[l]discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Probably sports analogies (read races) might be in the top ten analogies in the bible with agricultural themes being first.  The Corinthian writer’s and preacher’s goal is to present a Biblical theme in a way that would make their audience understand.  Hence the sports perspective in today’s sermons.

I however wish there were other ways to present a lesson…in a more broader appeal.

John 15:1-2

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 

I have a neighbor that, since 2006, when I moved into the neighborhood, has pruned their trees twice, both seemingly during a short time from each other.  Pruned trees look awful.  They look like something off of another planet…more like in the forbidden zone in Planet of the Apes.

However pruning does extend the life of the tree.  Just as in the case of our vinedresser pruning those who bear fruit so that we can bear even more fruit.  Sometimes I wonder if pruning means hardships to make our faith endure….so that we can bear even more fruit.

Whereas just like the separation from the wheat and the chaff in Matthew 3:12, and Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree in Mark 11:12-14,20-25 and Matthew 21:18-22 the vinedresser will take away the branches that don’t bear fruit.

So what’s the fruit we’re to be bearing?  Good works.  We always should have a good attitude toward a Christian life.  And even more so we should be trying to bring others to Christ.  That is the true meaning of bearing fruit.