Two weeks ago we were caught off guard when our minister of 18 years was announced as the president of a nearby Christian school. It happened so quickly and without warning. The decision was finalized on a Friday night and news had already spread back home before our minister had be able to announce it to the congregation.

When I asked the faceless Facebook account of the school, I got back a “Well we had to quell rumors which had already started. No blindside was intended.” And no apology was given either. Nope, this news service of a Christian school was there for one purpose only: spread positive news about the school. Nevermind if someone might have been hurt or blindsided. It was there to confirm the rumors were true.

Who spread the rumor? Someone involved with the hiring process. Either the board of directors; human resources; or some other candidate for the job. Those who spread the rumor without it being announced hurt our congregation. Even what someone perceives as good news for a school, can hurt those of a local congregation. It’s rude and unwarranted. The school should make an apology to our congregation.

I kept seeing this sign on a local Baptist church on my way to work. I made a special effort to stop and take a photo of it.

I wonder if the church leadership (and Christians as a whole) truly believe what the sign says….that is…”Is Easter truly for everyone?”

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;” – 1 Peter 3:18

No mater how you feel about what kind of people belong at the church you attend, realize that Jesus died for everyone. For the poor, the criminals, the warlords, the drug dealers, the murders….any sort of despicable person you can think of….Jesus died for them. And they can take part in the grace garnered by Jesus’s death on the cross by submitting to God’s commandments.

It was brought up in my men’s bible study class Wednesday night that some people may not even know what true worship is. They may have been raised their entire life thinking that worship is a concert peppered by prayers and a feel good message in between. I feel it’s not in our authority to look down on someone like that. Rather we should gently admonish them to open their bible.

God has prescribed what worship should be. My preacher likes to use the analogy about how God is not a beggar and will not accept any worship because as long as it feels good, then God is pleased. Rather we have specific examples of acceptable worship and non acceptable worship in the bible. I wish those people participating in worship would just kindly read the Bible.

I’m seeing more an more millennial churches, in an effort to appeal to it’s namesake, have Saturday evening services as an alternative to Sunday morning services. Why do they do this? I think people who may have come from a secular or casual church background are used to doing entertaining on Saturday nights. A Saturday night worship service is just an extension of this entertainment but makes participants feel positive without having the burden of going to an early church service the next day. And when I say entertainment, I truly mean entertainment. Have you seen worship services lately? It’s nothing but a big concert peppered with prayers and a self help message in between.

There is nothing wrong with worshiping God on Saturday.  Although to do it in lieu of a Sunday service is not in accordance with what the Bible teaches.

Examples:

“And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.”
Acts 20:7

“Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Paul instructed the Corinthian and Galatian church to take up a collection on the first day of the week. What is in question is if this was a instruction just for those churches or if we should follow the example of the Corinth and Galatia churches and take up a collection on the first day of the week. I side with the latter. After all, the only way we have to know we are following Christ’s teachings is to follow Biblical examples and foregoing any of our own ideas.

Obviously from the above examples, the first day of the week was so important to the early church. Peter preached the first sermon on the first day of the week, the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). In Acts 2:42 it says the early believers devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching. Somehow I’ve got to believe that based on the examples of Galatia, Corinth, and Troas was just an extension of the Apostles teaching in Acts 2.

So why the Saturday night worship? Are they looking to the Jewish calendar where a new day started at sunset? Or is it just a matter of convenience? As a reminder worship is never a matter of convenience. Was it convenient when Cain did not offer his best to the Lord? Was it convenient when Abraham set off in a multi-day journey to sacrifice his son Issac? I just get the feeling that those around me who call themselves Christians are only Christians when it is convenient to them.

Even Doc Brown got it wrong.  “Witness the birth of Christ?”  December 25, 0000?  Most scholars point to the Roman pagan practice of honoring the god of agriculture, Saturn, which just so happened to have a festival ending on December 25th.  Conversion from paganism to Christianity wasn’t so easy for some people.  They enjoyed their holidays and rituals.  Honoring Jesus on December 25th seemed convenient.

Today we occasionally see a church sign saying “Happy Birthday Jesus” or a like mannered Facebook post.  To say Jesus was definitely born on December 25 would likely be a falsehood…or at the least an unsubstantiated claim.  To say “We celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25,” is more appropriate.

Growing up attending a church of Christ I did not attend a Christmas Eve service centered around Christ’s birth.  Christmas hymns weren’t sung during December for fear of legitimatizing the belief of Christ’s birth on December 25th.

So for fear of celebrating a non Biblical holiday of Christmas I feel sometimes we did not study Christ’s birth as much as some other church groups.  We studied it, but much of the time it was in a different part of the year.

During a conversation with my girlfriend (Hi Sharon!) she speculated that we as members of the church of Christ lost out on some religious activities that our other church friends experienced.  I would tend to agree.  Sometimes I wonder if a Christmas Eve candlelit service or an Easter Sunrise service would provide a greater impact in my Christian walk compared to treating Christmas as a secular holiday.

At the church I attend we do have special thematic services such as “The Second Greatest Commandment Day” or the “Sanctity of Life Day,” which we focus on Bibical or social issues.  I think churches of Christ tend to stay away from designating a specific Sunday to remember Christ’s birth for fear of appearing denominational.

Regardless of what anyone says it’s becoming more and more common to hear curse words today.  I think we’ve become desensitized to it.  Whereas the evening news at one time would not think to air a video with curse words on it, now they do it regularly with the words bleeped out.  I regularly see Christians sharing links on social media from vulgarly titled Facebook pages.   I’ve seen a Christian friend glory in hearing a celebrity friend curse at her over an instant message.  The whole thing makes me cringe.

The one thing is that vulgarity isn’t a compulsion…except for maybe a Tourettes sufferer.  Someone isn’t making someone curse.  It is an activity that is learned and acted upon voluntarily.  Why do people do it?  It might be to express anger, disgust or put an edge on a discussion or exclamation….and it totally unnecessary.

Just a few Bible verses for your perusal on cursing….

“…and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Epheisans 5:4

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Epheisans 4:29

I recently read this post about modern day churches that tend to turn worship services into a talent show.  I’ve seen this happening since I was a teenager.  My denominational friends would have those Sunday night services that tended to turn to a concert to the enjoyment of the audience.

“What are you doing?”  I asked.

“Showcasing my talent,” my musician friend would comment.

Reflecting on this I see that my friend back then and most of my denominational friends now, have missed the point.  Worship isn’t about showcasing one’s talent.  It’s a humble offering to God.  You can see this through early church music which was hardly easy on the ears.  Instead it was chants.

It saddens me.  It saddens me that so many are led astray by God fearing, but woefully mislead people. It saddens me that people look for a popular feel good church to go to, rather than look for a church that is Biblically sound which will give them the meat of the word.

Periodically I will see a well-intentioned Christian friend post a prayer request on social media and include the phrase “Prayers, good thoughts, good vibes requested.”

Doesn’t the 2 latter statements discount the role of God in healing and intervention? I realize the requester is not wanting to offend non Christian friends, but doesn’t it leave the door open to say other spiritual factors have a role to play in the healing process?

I can somewhat understand the request for “Good thoughts,” as in “I was thinking of you and your surgery today.”

What is even stranger is “Good vibes, which is more of a hippie phrase to use which harken back to a Sunkist commercial.

We must realize that good thought and good vibes do absolutely nothing in the healing process.  Sure, it might smooth things over or be politically correct to a non believer.

Jesus said:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

– John 14:6

The apostle James said

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” – James 5:16

“Good thoughts” and “good vibes” do nothing without God.  See what the apostle James wrote:

“You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss..”

– James 4:3.