Clever Free Methodist

  The Sunday sermon. Just that statement, alone, provokes many different thoughts and opinions. It isn’t easy. The Pastor’s challenge is how to be faithful to the Scripture without diluting the truth to conform to the pressures of social norms, or the latest philosophical fads of progressive thinking. Also, there is the battle of not succumbing to the world of entertainment by downplaying the holiness of Scripture by the over-use of humor, theatrics and boisterous antics in the pulpit. Where’s the balance? We don’t want to bore our people to sleep? We really don’t want people to mentally check out on us….do we? How do we maintain interest and connect with people on a deep spiritual realm so that they desire to listen, learn, and become dynamic members of the church who reflect the light of Christ?   The dynamic involved is keeping the message simple . However, simplicity does not mean hovering in the realms of shallowness. Simplicity is not a “free pass” for the pastor not...

As a pastor, I have always thought of the people sitting in the Sanctuary during a Sunday morning worship service was much like the “one-room school house” I have seen many times in episodes of “Little House on the Prairie.” Why, so?   Regardless of what grade the children were in and no matter what level of their true knowledge and wisdom, they were still altogether in one room learning together under the guidance of one teacher.   However, in the learning process, it was expected that all students show patience and respect towards their fellow students who struggled with learning or were much younger and at a different level of curriculum.   It would be cruel for a senior student to laugh and jest at a six-year-old learning to read for the first time. The difference between 12 th grade and Kindergarten is beyond obvious and should be understood and respected. It is no different in the Church.   Sitting in our church pews (chairs) each Sunday is a group of people...

  There is a powerful verse in the Old Testament book that comes from a father to his son. You may have heard of these two men: King David and his son, Solomon. The time is coming for Solomon to be the next King and Dad has some advice for him as he is facing the daunting task of building the Temple. This is what King David advised: 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 , “And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” That’s good advice. No, wait. That is great advice. No, maybe there is even a better way to say it. I know! It’s life-changing and sensational advice that we all want to embrace as a Christian. The fact r...

  If you have shopped on-line, I am sure you are well acquainted with the term “your cart.” The “cart” works the same as any regular shopping cart in the retrial stores. Your “cart” is the location where all the items you are intending to purchase on-line are “stored” until you are ready to “check out and pay.”   Spiritually speaking, do you know we also have our own faith-based “cart?” That is “C-A-R-T” which is an acronym to help guide us in striving after holiness. We must be pursuing a sanctified life that is holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:2). After all, choosing to live a sanctified life is considered reasonable, appropriate, and is not “too much to ask” (The Living Bible).   We must seek, daily, in a personal, loving and intimate relationship, our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Spending time with Him and in Scripture and prayer, will strengthen our resolve to be a holy people that brings glory to our Heavenly Father.   One way to do that is to remember the acrony...

If we’re honest, we must admit that when it comes to ministry, doing things for the church, others, and the Kingdom of God, we don’t try as hard as we could and even give up way too easily if the task seems challenging or difficult.   There is a unique Scripture found in Hosea 10:12 , “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”   This caught my attention in a devotional l was reading because, oddly enough, I have attempted several times to transplant my day lilies and to seed some marigolds around my house. It has been rather defeating due to how brick-hard the ground is in my yard. Just like  Hosea mentions it is very hard work breaking up unplowed ground.   Breaking up a new ground is very hard work. Since the ground has existed unchallenged for many years, the soil has never been cleared or till...

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only perso...

There is a verse in the New Testament that every Christian should not only memorize but embrace as a truth to be shared with the world. It is  Mark 1:15 (NLT) ,  “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Jesus proclaimed a direct command and challenge to everyone He saw with this very command. He proclaimed the need to repent and reform. This was more than just changing your opinion or a particular belief. It is a change of heart, mind, and life.   The word for “repent” in this Gospel passage that Mark uses is the Greek word  “metanoia.”  This word does not simply mean to be sorry for our sins, as appropriate as this is. The word means literally to  turn around and go in the opposite direction . It means “to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.”   This repentance means to make a 180-degree turn in our lives when the direction we are going is leading us aw...