My pastor friend put sanitary hot air hand dryers in the rest rooms at his church and after two weeks took them out. I asked him why and he confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read,
"For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."
A man went on a nature walk. A bear began to chase him, so he climbed a tree. As he was climbing he slipped down into the bear's arms. He prayed, "Lord let this be a Christian bear." The bear said, "Lord, thank you for this food."
1 O Jesus, I have promised To serve thee to the end; Be thou forever near me, My Master and my friend; I shall not fear the battle If thou art by my side, Nor wander from the pathway If thou wilt be my guide.
2 O let me feel thee near me! The world is ever near: I see the sights that dazzle, The tempting sounds I hear. My foes are ever near me, Around me and within; But, Jesus, draw thou nearer, And shield my soul from sin.
3 O let me hear thee speaking In accents clear and still, Above the storms of passion, The murmurs of self-will. O speak to reassure me, To hasten or control; O speak, and make me listen, Thou guardian of my soul.
4 O Jesus, thou hast promised To all who follow thee That where thou art in glory There shall thy servant be. And, Jesus, I have promised To serve thee to the end; O give me grace to follow, My Master and my friend.
TheMoviegoer I'm not too sure... There are several factors. My parents own a small manufacturing business (I work there) and I have the opportunity to take it over as the company grows. I'd also like to try some other jobs before I skedaddle to college. If I were to go to Cedarville, I would go for a Master of Divinity. Another five years of school seems daunting to me, plus the money (even with my scholarship), plus I have friends near home that I would rather not part with. I know Cedarville is a great place, I have no problem with it, but I just don't know if that's what I should do. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any of your wisdom would be much appreciated!
Is there a group called 'Biblical Wisdom/Advice"? I feel this conversation would be more appropriate there. :-)
@Jappel I'm technically not supposed to be in this group, but I'm just wondering where you're going to college. Both of my older brothers have gone to Cedarville University, a very solid Christian college. I've been having a really hard time lately with whether or not I should go too. I have a pretty good scholarship to go there, but I don't really know if that's what the Lord wants me to do this fall. If I may ask, how did you make the decision? What solidified your choice?
Very nice! Keep up the great work! I pray that God is working through your memorization of His Word to bring you ever closer to Him, as He has done for me.
Maybe changing the subject will help... Another question. If the apostles and early believers received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, what is the purpose of John 20:22? Some commentaries say Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit when He said this, others say it was a 'taste' or small 'sprinkling' of the Holy Spirit on His disciples. You all are a lot smarter than I am, what do you think?
I'm love reading all this stuff! I also agree with you, Onfire. We cannot stay seated in our pews and not reach out to the lost. We cannot reach out to the lost without entering into their world and experiencing the wickedness of this world. At the same time, we cannot stomp around in the mud or reach into the fire of this world without the risk of falling in. We need to be Christ's light, but we must be very careful in the darkest of places. It is not that His strength isn't enough to keep us from falling, but that the desires of our flesh have a way of deceiving us into sin. Just as a very experienced and hardened surgeon is needed to perform a complicated surgery, so is a strong and experienced Christian needed to pull a person out of mire of sin. This job is for someone who has put on Christ's strength and armor, not for a babe in the Word. I just wanted to add that. Kind of what Saintman said, but my own version.
What is the purpose of the Song of Solomon? Is it a guide or celebration of love, or an analogy of Christ and the Church? I'm curious what y'all think.
Sorry if this one is a little long, I just found it very interesting. Keep in mind the typology between Joseph and our Lord Jesus Christ when reading it,
1 When Joseph his brethren behold, Afflicted and trembling with fear; His heart with compassion was fill'd, From weeping he could not forbear; A while his behaviour was rough, to bring their past sins to their minds; But when they were humbled enough, He hasted to shew himself kind.
2 How little they thought it was he Whom they had ill-treated and sold! How great their confusion must be, As soon as his name he had told! "I am Joseph, your brother he said, "And still to my heart you are dear; "You sold me, and thought i was dead, "But God, for your sakes sent me here."
3 Though greatly distressed before, When charg'd with purloining the cup; "They now were confounded much more, Not one of them durst to look up, "Can Joseph, whom we would have slain,, "Forgive us the evil we did? "And will he our houshold maintain? "O this is a brother indeed!"
4 Thus, dragg'd by my conscience, I came, And laden with guilt to the Lord; Surrounded with terror and shame, Unable to utter a word: At first he look'd stern and severe, What anguish then pierced my heart; Expecting each moment to hear The sentence, "Thou cursed depart."
5 But oh! what surprise when he spoke, While tenderness beam'd in his face; My heart then to pieces was brok, O'erwhelm'd and counfounded by grace; "Poor sinner, I know thee full well, "By thee I was sold and was slain; "But I died to redeem thee from hell, "And raise thee in glory to reign.
6 "I am Jesus, whom thou hast blasphem'd, "And crucify'd often afresh; "But let me henceforth be esteem'd "Thy brother, thy bone, and thy flesh; "My pardon I freely bestow, "Thy wants I will fully supply; "I'll guide thee and guard thee below, "And soon will remove thee on high.
7 "Go publish to sinners around, "That they may be willing to come, "The mercy which now you have found, "And tell them that yet there is room." Oh, sinners, the message obey! No more vain excuses pretend; But come without further delay, To Jesus, our brother and friend.