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About Your Attendance

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Preachers should never have to preach on attendance. It should be obvious that when a Christian does not care to attend all the services, his interest is elsewhere. It is foolish to assert that we have a passage which pronounces anathema on those who don't come on Sunday and Wednesday nights. We don't need one. All we need show is that interest and attendance are connected and that a person who is truly interested will attend.

Now you can try to explain that away all you want and when you are finished it will still say the same thing: a person who is able yet does not attend the services is not interested in what is going on at the services. Bring your excuses, pronounce your justifications, and rationalize all you want. And when you are done, the parable of the sower will still affirm the same thing: prepared soil is the only kind which results in good fruit.

 

 

Prayer: When God Says No

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The practice of prayer is so fundamental to the overall spiritual health of the Christian that Paul wrote by inspiration, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). To Timothy Paul wrote, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;” (1 Timothy 2:8). But as fundamental as prayer is there are a lot of misconceptions about how prayer works.

Prayer is the medium through which we communicate our thanks, requests, and cares to God. God communicates to use through his Word and His providence. A big misconception is that God answers prayers in the affirmative or not at all. Often when we get what we want we respond thankfully by saying that God has answered our prayers. But the truth is that God answers every prayer. Sometimes God says, “Yes,” and sometimes He responds, “Not right now.” And there are also times when God says, “No.”

God Told David, “No.” After the birth of David’s son, which had been conceived in sin with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan told the king that because of his sin the child would die. David responded by pleading with God for the child’s life. He “fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground” (2 Samuel 12:16). But God said, “No.”

God Told Paul, “No.” The great evangelist, missionary, and apostle was afflicted with “a thorn in the flesh…a messenger of Satan to buffet” him, that he may not “be exalted above measure.” Paul said, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” But God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul reacted by saying, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God said, “No.”

God Told Jesus, “No.” In the Garden of Gethsemane as the Lord prepared for the cross that lay before Him Jesus pleaded, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me…” (Matthew 26:39). The text tells us that three times he prayed this same prayer, but each time he concluded, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” And God said, “No.”

God says no to us when we consider sin over righteousness. God says no to us when our wish is not in accordance to his will. God says no to us when what we want is not in our best interest. The most tragic response will be when God says no to those who desire to enter his eternal home after death that have not been obedient and faithful.

The thing is; we often times think that we know what is best for us, but in reality, we are not that smart. Isaiah prophesied the words of God saying, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). And Jeremiah is recorded as saying, “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Many years ago, during a particular low point in my life, I was feeling lost, discouraged and hopeless. My life was misdirected and in a state of turmoil. I recall one particular evening begging God to give me some very clear and specific blessings; my hearts desires that I knew would bring me peace and good fortune. Today I am blessed beyond measure even though I did not get even one thing I asked for that dark, bleak night so long ago. All because God said, “No.”

Place your trust and faith in God. Do His will and let Him guide your life with His Word. Leave your cares and desires with Him. Be obedient; be faithful!

Christians and Christmas

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When was Jesus born? We are nearing a time of the year when most of the religious world will be celebrating the birth of Jesus. Most people assume that December 25th was the day Jesus Christ was born. It is a proposed date given by a man many years ago, that has become accepted by most religious people as fact. Was December 25th the day Christ was born? What should be the Christian’s response to this assertion?

The Bible gives no date regarding the birth of Jesus. It could have fallen in one of many months. We do know that shepherds were out in the field tending to sheep on the night of his birth. This would tend to suggest that the birth, actually occurred during a warmer month other than December, but no one can be for sure. Any attempt to give an exact date is mere speculation at best.

Why was this date chosen? The date of December 25th was a date chosen by a Catholic bishop named Liberious in 354 A.D. Many disagreed with his suggested date at that time. Days in nearly every month were offered by others. At the time bishop Liberious chose to observe Christ’s birth, there was another holiday observed by non-Catholics which was designated as the time to celebrate the birth of the sun. The pagan festival with its merrymaking was such a poplar custom, many Catholics would celebrate Christ’s birth at the time their pagan acquaintances celebrated the birth of the sun. Thus, began a long -standing tradition that is still observed by most of the religious world today.

What should the response of New Testament Christians be? Should we observe this Catholic holiday with its religious connotations? Is it wrong for Christians to celebrate December 25th as a holy day in which Jesus was born? Consider what the Bible has to say regarding these questions.

Jesus teaches that we are to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded (Matt. 28:20). Where has God commanded Christians to observe December 25th as a religious holy day? Paul warned Christians not to go beyond the things that are written (1 Cor. 4:6). Is not creating and observing Christmas as a holy day going beyond what has been written? Are we not teaching our children the doctrines and commandments of men when we give religious significance to December 25th (Matt. 15:9)? God gave his people one special day. Paul told some Christians that he was afraid of them because of the days, months and seasons they observed, lest he should have labored in vain (Gal. 4:10,11). These acts and others were evidence that they were being removed from the simple gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:6-8).

New Testament Christians should not Observe Christmas with a religious connotation because it is not a holy day. A day can only be holy if designated so by God. December 25th was chosen by a Catholic bishop, not by God. It is a Catholic tradition that most Protestants have embraced. “Was not this special event in history something that should be remembered?” Absolutely! However, everything that Jesus did on earth was of special significance. Name one event recorded in our New Testament that wasn’t significant and shouldn’t be remembered. There is not one single reference that is not of great importance. This doesn’t mean that one should never study about and be thankful for his birth. However, it is one thing to study about and be thankful for Christ’s birth and another thing to set aside a particular day as a holy day to observe each year.

What then can a Christian do during the holiday season? A Christian can recognize the day as a national holiday. Our country recognizes many national holidays. Recognizing a day as a national holiday doesn’t require that one place any religious significance to the day. Christmas can be a time to celebrate the end of the year. It can be used as an opportunity to demonstrate love toward family and friends by giving gifts. Christians can get together for parties during the season and enjoy each other’s fellowship. Christians can accept bonuses from their places of employment. Christians can take days off given by their employer. Christians can decorate their homes with seasonal items that do not suggest an observance of a religious holy day. In other words, Christians can do anything others do except place a religious significance to the day.

We need to be thankful for the birth of the Savior. We need to be thankful for the life he lived. Especially we need to be thankful for the sacrifice that he made on Calvary. This event was of more importance to humanity than any other in the history of the world. Let us not minimize the remembrance of this resurrection on the first day of every week by introducing man-made “holy days” or elevating any other event above the death, burial and resurrection that transpired in the long ago.

  1. This World Is Not My Own
  2. Lord, I’m Coming Home
  3. Does God Mean What He Says?
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