Clever Free Methodist

During a random conversation on Church service styles, one person referred to the music at their Church as “Praise and Worship.” In response to that, another individual (from a different Church) responded by saying “isn’t saying ‘praise and worship’ redundant since they basically mean the same thing?” Some agreed, but the others said “no” because they understood that praise and worship are not identical. I will agree….they are not the same, but they are directed to the same person (God). When it comes to “praise” and “worship” it must be understood from two totally different acts of expression to God the Father. Let’s take a look: PRAISE : This word appears 248 times throughout 216 verses in the Bible. The word implies boasting and to show commendation. I also like the implication of “to shine” and “to celebrate.” In some uses (Psalms) it also indicates physical attributes such as raising the hands, bowing, and dancing. In the book of Revelation it speaks of honor and enth...

By now, we are familiar with Deuteronomy 6:5-9 , which is known as “The Shema.” That is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” We’ve heard that many times before. However, there is something different about the “Shema” in the New Testament when Jesus says it. Did you notice? In the Gospels, located in Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27 , we see Jesus stating the “Shema,” but his recitation seems different. Well, it is. Jesus adds an additional phrase. Jesus said we are to ALSO love the Lord, our God, “….with all your mind.” Mind? Huh? What does Jesus mean by that? The word “mind” is the Greek noun “dianoia” that means “understanding,” “imagination” “way of thinking” or “way of feeling.” Its application implies how we exercise our minds. That means, “in English,” how we must choose to protect and manage our “thought life.” I think what Jesus is saying, by adding “all your mind,” is that we must guard our thou...

Potable water will never be drawn from a contaminated well. You would never swim in a pond covered in thick, green algae. Nor would you buy any food product if the safety seal over the top of the jar or bottle has been torn, opened or punctured. The fact remains : a heart full of sin, darkness and carnal, selfish desires will never give rise to anything pure, holy or loving. A heart that has never sought out confession and forgiveness will always be troubled, unsettled, unhappy and ungrateful. These attributes contribute not only to spiritual decay, but to the various moods we struggle with such as anger, depression, sadness and regret. What must we do? We must strive to remove those things in our hearts that block, hinder or hurt our relationship with Jesus. Once those things are removed, then the “side-effects” will also begin to disappear. Sometimes, it is as simple as deciding to no longer listen to certain types of music or determining never to watch certa...

There is something different about the Samaritan man that compelled him into action…something that inspired him unlike the Priest and the Levite who did notice, but chose to keep moving along without rendering any aid. The priest and Levite both "saw" the wounded victim, but (for whatever reason) didn't want to get near him ( Luke 10:31-32 ). Perhaps they thought it was a set-up for them to be robbed as well? Maybe, they were sickened by the sight of blood, panicked and moved along? Or, sadly, I think they just felt no compassion whatsoever and felt they were under no obligation to help. After formulating their “excuse’ to justify their actions, they moved along without stopping. The Samaritan, on the other hand, had no hesitation about getting involved and quickly came near the hurting and injured man. The Samaritan "approached him" ( Luke 10:34 ) and "treated him with compassion" ( Luke 10:37 ).  In fact, he rendered “first aid” and put h...

The story of the “Good Samaritan” ( Luke 10:25–37) is a popular, yet fascinating, story in the Bible. Probably because it is shocking, against societal norms, and makes the “bad guy” out to be the hero and the “good guys” end up looking like real jerks. To fully understand the story, one must first realize how despised and mistreated the Samaritans were in Bible-times. They were outcasts….literally, shunned “half-breeds” and hated with a passion.   Much like the Serbs and Muslims in Bosnia or the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland….there was definitely no love towards them at all. That’s what makes this story of the “Good Samaritan” so special. It is a call for us to rise above ALL descriptions, labels, acronyms, races, religions and all other attributes given to humanity that segregates us into so many different categories and just simply love each other unconditionally. No matter what color….what country we’re from….whether they are even good, bad, illegal,...

There are two things within the life of the Church that seem fascinating, yet sad, to me. I wanted to write about that this week and address those two issues because I see how the two concerns fit together. The first issue (fascination): I have always wondered why the least supported and attended functions of the Church are always related to education. That is, the most dismal attendance figures always come from Sunday School, Bible studies, mentoring, counseling and topical studies offered by the Pastor/Church. Our problem should not be blank sign-up sheets, empty classrooms and the sound of crickets chirping. The second fascination is when I see groups of people, who profess to be “Christians”, seemingly “plagued” by bad things, bad luck and challenging life events on a frequent basis. For some, it appears that their mantra is “when it rains, it pours” as it seems they are inundated with trouble and/or find ways to constantly have things “go wrong” in life. This is the pa...

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...