I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please.Not too much – just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.
I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust.
I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.
I want ecstasy, not repentance;
I want transcendence, not transformation.
I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races – especially if they smell.
I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.
I would like about three dollars worth of the gospel, please.
P.S.TRUE WORSHIP LEADS TO FAITHFUL OBEDIENCE It should be clear by now that true worship leads to a life of faith and obedience. It is the purpose of worship, on the human side, to inspire faith and devotion to the Lord, not just for an hour, but for the whole week and for the whole life. This was the emphasis of the preaching of the prophets and the teaching of Jesus and the apostles; and this emphasis was based on the significance of worship as a covenant renewal, a ritual that not only celebrated the blessings that God has bestowed on his people through Christ but also reminded the people of their own covenant responsibilities.
At the heart of faithful obedience is personal holiness and righteousness. True worship has no place for gossip, slander, malice, envy, strife, control, or any other sin that destroys worship. Our celebration of being at peace with God must issue in living in peace with other believers. Our covenant obligations do not stop with out purging out the leaven from our lives. There is a positive side of righteousness that calls for action. If the church claims to be worshipping but has no interest in helping the poor and the homeless, the widow and the orphan, the oppressed and the foreigner, or in championing justice and equity in society, then the worship is empty. And if the worship does not prompt the work of evangelism and missions, or simply sharing the faith, then the worship has not been led by the Spirit of God. With these and many other serious matters we may test whether worship has fully achieved what God has designed it to achieve.
— Allen P. Ross, RECALLING THE HOPE OF GLORY: BIBLICAL WORSHIP FROM THE GARDEN TO THE NEW CREATION. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2006, p. 467-68. ISBN 0-8254-3578-1.
If you haven't heard this guy, stop whatever you're doing to give him a listen. I've never heard so many sounds come from one guitar. McKee's arrangements are breathtaking!
This really helped me today. I take my self too seriously, too often. I struggle with worrying about whether I've made people happy and whether I've met their expectations. This brought me back to earth and up to heaven at the same time. So for today... I'm more encouraged to long for hearing Jesus say "Well done, good and faithful servant" at the end of my life than I am hearing someone from my church family say "Well done, your sermon was good today...not to mention not too long" at the end of a service.
The Perfect Preacher
After hundreds of years, a model preacher has been found to suit everyone. He preaches exactly 20 minutes and then sits down. He condemns sin, but never hurts anyone's feelings.
He works from 8 am to 10 pm in every type of work from preaching to custodial service. He makes $400 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books regularly, has a nice family, drives a good car and gives $60 a week to the church. He also stands ready to contribute to every good cause that comes along.
He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is short and tall, thin and heavy set, handsome. He has one brown eye and a blue one; hair parted down the middle, left side dark and straight and right side brown and wavy
He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with the older folks.
He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.
He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched and is never out of his office.
(How To Survive in the Ministry, Leslie Flynn, p. 16)
