Clever Free Methodist

Why do you go to Church? I am sure there are several reasons which all give us a comfort of connection, friendships, and community. Above all the “reasons” we give for “going to Church,” I hope the ultimate passion within us is to worship God and to seek an encounter with Him. I think the book of Revelation reveals the priority of our worship. Some of you may be familiar with the song, “Revelation Song” (I like Kari Jobe’s version) and may have sung it in your Church as well. This song reflects the words of Revelation 4:8 , “….day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’” It is obvious that our greatest joy is to live a life filled with unceasing, resounding and reverberant praise to the Lamb of God (Jesus) and our Heavenly Father. The question facing us today is “how much time do we engage in the exercise of worship?” Not just at Church on Sunday because we can worship God every day no matter where we...

We have to admit that there are some unusual and hard to understand Scripture passages. In the Gospels, we hear that it is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.” We’ve also read that we are to “hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – and yes, even [our] own life.” These alone, are pretty deep and somewhat confusing. One, in particular, found in Matthew 5:29-30, has always generated deep discussion. It says, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” If taken literally (in the English translation) one could easily misinterpret the passage and possibly take action that could cause great harm to themselves. Does the Scripture real...

As a retired military chaplain, one thing that I learned about the Islamic faith was how ingrained and intertwined it was in the lives of each Muslim and within every level of Islamic business, law, and, of course, their religion. Now, how that is accomplished and how they get people to go along with that is another story. But, the fact remains, everything about Islam centers around the faith. Nothing in their lives, community and government is absent from their faith. Their faith is the basis and final authority on every aspect of their existence. Let’s now look at the American Church and the Christian faith. I can’t say it is the same way for us. Sadly, for most, “faith” and “being a Christian” is only one, small, compartmentalized component of their overall life. In America, we seem to categorize and segregate things into individual subjects like work, school, business, leisure, hobbies, personal life, sports, and so on. For some, faith, religion, church and Scriptur...

By now, due to the maddening issues involving our Federal Government, many of us have become well versed in the use and understanding of the word “ subpoena .”  Witnesses, committees, legal teams, and various elected officials have issued and received their share of subpoenas involving the affairs of various leaders within the Federal Government. It is quite challenging to keep it all straight. As Christians, did you realize we have been  subpoenaed ? Yes! If you will just simply look throughout the book of Acts, the Lord repeatedly commands us to be His witnesses ( Acts 1:8; 2:32; 3:15; 10:39; 13:31 ). In a spiritual context, we are being subpoenaed…we are being compelled to be a witness for Jesus Christ and the Gospel! As we understand this context, I think it is appropriate to ask ourselves whether we have obeyed the Lord's command to be His witnesses and have adjusted our commitments to allow room to live out this command daily.  Hopefull...