Let's say you live in a small town with only two stores. One is owned and run by an upstanding citizen, and the other treats customers just as well and has lower prices, but you discover it's owned by a wife-beating Al-Qaeda supporter. Would you shop only at the store with higher prices? Then why is it that most of you never participate in boycotts?
Most Christians would never do business with Planned Parenthood for obvious reasons--it's the USA's largest abortion provider. But if Christians knew that the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Allstate, DuPont, eBay, Sonic, AARP, Outback, the National Education Association (teachers' union), and Marriot (hotels) all give money to P.P., would Christians shun patronizing those companies? They should. I do.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Praise
My wife is a talented artist. Imagine she completed a painting and showed it to me. What if I were to shout, "I praise you! I love you, Gina! I thank you, Gina!," and then repeat a time or two? She would look at me funny. But if I would say, "Wow! The colors are magnificent, the details so beautiful--it looks like a photo, only better!," then she would be quite pleased.
The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught that we ought to love and worship God with our minds as well as our hearts (Matt. 22:37, 1 Cor. 14:1-31). The Psalms are full of thoughtful exclamations of God's attributes.
Some of our dear Pentecostal brethren (I consider myself Pentecostal) have been known to chant a few phrases repeatedly, day after day, year after year, in worship. Unfortunately, one of their oft-used expressions of praise is "hallelujah," which of course means "praise the Lord." So we're telling the Lord to praise Himself? You won't find that word in the Bible addressed to God.
There's a tune by Jeremy Camp--who seems to be a wonderful Christian--that's played on the radio and sung in many worship services, and the song only has five phrases in it. Not even five complete sentences--five phrases--for about four minutes. Where is the thoughtfulness in that?
I've noticed that during my church's worship, pretty much the only time people raise their hands is during the chorus of each song. Maybe that's because they have the chorus so well memorized that they don't have to think about it, and they're then free to worship?
Is God more glorified by, "I praise you, I praise you, I love you, I thank you, hallelujah," or, "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His methods!" (Rom. 11:33)?
The Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul taught that we ought to love and worship God with our minds as well as our hearts (Matt. 22:37, 1 Cor. 14:1-31). The Psalms are full of thoughtful exclamations of God's attributes.
Some of our dear Pentecostal brethren (I consider myself Pentecostal) have been known to chant a few phrases repeatedly, day after day, year after year, in worship. Unfortunately, one of their oft-used expressions of praise is "hallelujah," which of course means "praise the Lord." So we're telling the Lord to praise Himself? You won't find that word in the Bible addressed to God.
There's a tune by Jeremy Camp--who seems to be a wonderful Christian--that's played on the radio and sung in many worship services, and the song only has five phrases in it. Not even five complete sentences--five phrases--for about four minutes. Where is the thoughtfulness in that?
I've noticed that during my church's worship, pretty much the only time people raise their hands is during the chorus of each song. Maybe that's because they have the chorus so well memorized that they don't have to think about it, and they're then free to worship?
Is God more glorified by, "I praise you, I praise you, I love you, I thank you, hallelujah," or, "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His wisdom and knowledge and riches! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His methods!" (Rom. 11:33)?
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Who Is Responsible For Missionaries?
In case you haven't heard (the myopic U.S. media are more interested in the latest pop tart scandal), there are dozens of South Korean missionaries being held hostage by Islamofascists. While much of the rest of the world is moved with sympathy for the captives, in S.K. there is a significant minority that is angry with them. "You put yourselves in harm's way, and now we have to bail you out!" I hope you don't faint when I say that they make a good point. Anyone who wants to follow the Lord's leading into a dangerous place ought to register a statement with the government releasing civil authorities from responsibilty. In effect, "God called me to do this, and He is able to rescue me from any trouble I might get into. My life is in His hands--I am as safe as He wants me to be. Please do not pay any ransom or make any attempt to rescue me."
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