Monday, April 30, 2012
Confessing Sins
James 5:16
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
Different religious groups have different practices that are based upon this verse.
The Catholic Church has a confessional booth where “confessing your sins” is done before a priest and is mandatory.
Those who are affiliated with Churches of Christ typically confess their sins before the whole group. These confessions are generally very generic in nature and are voluntary.
Each practice is generally consistent with the text but neither practice is the primary intent of the verse.
First of all this instruction is not given to the church as an organization to establish some rule but is given to individual Christians. It is an individual responsibility.
Secondly, this instruction is not given to receive forgiveness of sins. Only God can forgive sins and that is freely given to any who would pray directly to him.
What then is the purpose of this verse? In my opinion the purpose of this verse is to build humility and closeness among Christians.
Pride is the greatest weapon Satan possesses. When an individual can find another individual and tearfully recount the mistakes that have been made in the past, then that builds humility and unity.
When Christians are unified and humble, each seeking the other’s good, then God’s light is shining in a dark world.
It’s not easy confessing the worst about our selves. My suggestion is to find the person you are the closest in the world to, your husband or your wife, and practice confessing your faults. See what that will do for the two of you and then take the next step.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Song Leader Tips
I sent this out before but am including it here so people can reference it better.
At our last meeting someone raised the question about how many songs to lead at the various services.
On Sunday mornings I figure I can lead 6-7 songs. For a traditional Sunday morning service (a la Jeff Carr) the preacher needs to be able to start preaching at 11:00 am. That gives him 30 minutes or so.
If the Lord’s Supper is after the lesson then the preacher needs to be able to start preaching at 10:50 am. The Lord’s Supper and offering take about 10 minutes.
On Sunday evenings the singing and Lord’s Supper need to be finished by 5:15 PM. That’s usually 3-4 songs.
On Wednesday evenings the singing needs to be finished by 7:15 pm. That’s usually 3-4 songs.
In addition, try not to switch between the gray songbook and the regular songbook too many times. I hear it is confusing to the older people. Sing from one then sing from the other.
One of the biggest and yet easiest things we need to do is to use the mike. The older people tell me that when people are speaking from the Lord’s Supper table they cannot hear half the time. Put your mouth directly over the mike and speak into it.
Thanks.
Rob
John Kilgore
Friday, April 13, 2012
Developing Productive Christians
In football at some point you have to play with the players you have. If you are going to win you have to develop whatever players you have.
Congregations are the same way. Elders cannot lament that the church will not be what it needs to be because of a dearth of talent. Elders must work with whatever members are in the congregation. Effective Christians are not born (per se), they are made. That takes patience.
Mike Sherman believed in playing talented freshmen even though he might have an upperclassman with more experience at the position. He believed in playing talent. He stated that talent only gets better with experience and you can only get experience by getting in the game.
Certainly that is a biblical concept. Jesus taught that you pruned productive vines so that they would produce more. Non productive wood was removed.
The perils of advancing a young player over an older player is that the older player may become jealous and get his feelings hurt. If you have a good “locker room” where players/members have bought into the concept of team first, i.e. the church comes first and whatever personal sacrifices I have to make I will make, then it should not be an issue.
Sherman said that to be successful in football you have to have talent at three positions; Quarterback, left Offensive Tackle and a pass rushing Defensive End. If you had those three you could succeed with average talent in the other positions.
Congregations have to be strong and innovative in preaching and teaching. They must also have strong leadership and a strong cadre of women.
Christians develop by having a comprehensive understanding of the whole Bible; New Testament and Old Testament. That requires teachers that are well versed in the scriptures. Leaders stimulate members to works of service and lead by example.
Women are the backbone of the congregation. They teach the children’s classes, they take care of the widows, they schedule the baby and wedding showers and push their husbands to do what needs to be done.
Successful congregations develop their members, strong Christians have a powerful impact in the community.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Congregations are the same way. Elders cannot lament that the church will not be what it needs to be because of a dearth of talent. Elders must work with whatever members are in the congregation. Effective Christians are not born (per se), they are made. That takes patience.
Mike Sherman believed in playing talented freshmen even though he might have an upperclassman with more experience at the position. He believed in playing talent. He stated that talent only gets better with experience and you can only get experience by getting in the game.
Certainly that is a biblical concept. Jesus taught that you pruned productive vines so that they would produce more. Non productive wood was removed.
The perils of advancing a young player over an older player is that the older player may become jealous and get his feelings hurt. If you have a good “locker room” where players/members have bought into the concept of team first, i.e. the church comes first and whatever personal sacrifices I have to make I will make, then it should not be an issue.
Sherman said that to be successful in football you have to have talent at three positions; Quarterback, left Offensive Tackle and a pass rushing Defensive End. If you had those three you could succeed with average talent in the other positions.
Congregations have to be strong and innovative in preaching and teaching. They must also have strong leadership and a strong cadre of women.
Christians develop by having a comprehensive understanding of the whole Bible; New Testament and Old Testament. That requires teachers that are well versed in the scriptures. Leaders stimulate members to works of service and lead by example.
Women are the backbone of the congregation. They teach the children’s classes, they take care of the widows, they schedule the baby and wedding showers and push their husbands to do what needs to be done.
Successful congregations develop their members, strong Christians have a powerful impact in the community.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Galloway Baptism
Jeff Carr baptizing Dave Galloway. A few weeks ago Jeff took a phone call at the building from Dave Galloway's son out in Florida who was requesting a Bible study for his father. This is the reult.
Winning Teams
There are a lot of similarities between the game of Football and the Church and her work.
- both are team oriented
- both rely not only on the abilities of their members but also how those abilities function within a group
- both have a goal or mission
- both can be evaluated on their performance
- both have people in a leadership position to keep their members focused, on task and motivated.
Coach Mike Sherman while coach of the Texas A&M football team noted that championship teams are built first in the locker room. That if you don’t have a good locker room then regardless of the players individual abilities you won’t have a winning football team. Football teams comprised of players with lesser abilities can out perform teams comprised of players with greater abilities.
Congregations of Jesus Christ are like that as well. If the theory of Christianity is not reflected in our lives and how we interact with each other then we’re not going to be very successful. If a churches members are angry with each other or jealous of each other or anything else that is inappropriate and sinful then it will not present well to the world and people can read that when they visit a congregation.
There are a lot of things that influence how a congregation performs but first and foremost congregations need to get there act together as it relates to controlling sin in our lives and appreciating and serving each other.
- both are team oriented
- both rely not only on the abilities of their members but also how those abilities function within a group
- both have a goal or mission
- both can be evaluated on their performance
- both have people in a leadership position to keep their members focused, on task and motivated.
Coach Mike Sherman while coach of the Texas A&M football team noted that championship teams are built first in the locker room. That if you don’t have a good locker room then regardless of the players individual abilities you won’t have a winning football team. Football teams comprised of players with lesser abilities can out perform teams comprised of players with greater abilities.
Congregations of Jesus Christ are like that as well. If the theory of Christianity is not reflected in our lives and how we interact with each other then we’re not going to be very successful. If a churches members are angry with each other or jealous of each other or anything else that is inappropriate and sinful then it will not present well to the world and people can read that when they visit a congregation.
There are a lot of things that influence how a congregation performs but first and foremost congregations need to get there act together as it relates to controlling sin in our lives and appreciating and serving each other.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Greetings and the "Holy Kiss"
1 Cor 16:20, “Greet each other with a holy kiss”.
This instruction is given five times in the New Testament and yet it is not something that is ordinarily seen among Christians today. Most say that it was a custom of the times and the emphasis should be not on the “kiss” but on the greeting.
Christians are to greet each other… they are not to ignore each other. A greeting denotes a sense of worth. When we greet each other we recognize even on a minimal basis that the other person exists. The warmth of the greeting is directly proportional to the sense of worth we feel for the person.
As an Elder, I position myself at the exit of the auditorium and try to shake hands with every person that I can. In Preacher vernacular that’s “shaking them out”.
Sometimes people complain that they don’t know everyone. Solution? Stand shoulder to shoulder with me at the back door and you can get to know everyone.
A few years back Julie and I were in Las Vegas for some continuing education. We visited at a church and I remember thinking, this church must get a lot of visitors. On the way out I shook hands with the Preacher and then decided I would help that church with their hospitality. So I stood right next to the Preacher and shook hands and introduced myself to everyone in that building. Hospitality and greeting are not just the responsibility of the home congregation… visitors have a responsibility as well.
You know if Jesus Christ visited our assembly I’ll bet everyone would stand in line to shake his hand. Remember what he said, “… as often as you have done it to one of these you have done it to me”.
I’m all for the Holy kiss… just tell me which you want (handshake/holy kiss) as you exit the building.
This instruction is given five times in the New Testament and yet it is not something that is ordinarily seen among Christians today. Most say that it was a custom of the times and the emphasis should be not on the “kiss” but on the greeting.
Christians are to greet each other… they are not to ignore each other. A greeting denotes a sense of worth. When we greet each other we recognize even on a minimal basis that the other person exists. The warmth of the greeting is directly proportional to the sense of worth we feel for the person.
As an Elder, I position myself at the exit of the auditorium and try to shake hands with every person that I can. In Preacher vernacular that’s “shaking them out”.
Sometimes people complain that they don’t know everyone. Solution? Stand shoulder to shoulder with me at the back door and you can get to know everyone.
A few years back Julie and I were in Las Vegas for some continuing education. We visited at a church and I remember thinking, this church must get a lot of visitors. On the way out I shook hands with the Preacher and then decided I would help that church with their hospitality. So I stood right next to the Preacher and shook hands and introduced myself to everyone in that building. Hospitality and greeting are not just the responsibility of the home congregation… visitors have a responsibility as well.
You know if Jesus Christ visited our assembly I’ll bet everyone would stand in line to shake his hand. Remember what he said, “… as often as you have done it to one of these you have done it to me”.
I’m all for the Holy kiss… just tell me which you want (handshake/holy kiss) as you exit the building.
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