ALTARS OF CONVENIENCE

ALTARS OF CONVENIENCE

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

John 14:15-26 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. [Also note Jn.15:26]

  Ever hear a sermon, read an essay or entire book but only remember a single sentence of phrase from it? Plus you can’t recall the speaker or author’s name? It happens to me far more often than I like as I prefer to give credit where credit is due.

  This morning I share a phrase I heard from a traveling evangelist speaker (I think.) during my novice years that I often ponder and deal with personally and in ministering to others. The saying goes something like this: Our firmly held spiritual beliefs and convictions are too often sacrificed on an altar of convenience.

  To help understand this living riddle that stuck in my mind from decades past, I share an illustrative tale. I was originally challenged with it in original language from the lips of an unbeliever. This morning it was e-mailed to me again. ( A John 14:26 thing?)

 What an interesting turn of events in Pahrump, Nevada... Diamond D's Chicken Ranch, brothel, began construction on an expansion of their building to increase their ever-growing business.  In response, the local Baptist Church started a campaign to block the business from expanding -- with morning, afternoon, and evening prayer sessions at their church.  Work on Diamond D's building expansion progressed right up until the week before the grand re-opening when lightning struck the house of prostitution and burned it to the ground!   After the brothel burned to the ground by the lightning strike, the church folks were rather smug in their outlook, bragging about "the power of prayer."  Then 'Big Jugs' Jill Diamond, the owner/madam, sued the church, the preacher and the entire congregation on the grounds that the church ... "Was ultimately responsible for the demise of her building and her business -- either through direct or indirect divine actions or means."  In its reply to the court, the church vehemently and vociferously denied any and all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise. The crusty old judge read through the plaintiff's complaint and the defendant's reply, and at the opening hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, that we now have a brothel owner who staunchly believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that thinks it's all a bunch of baloney.

  Continuing to ponder I recall Romans 1:17-18, then read it in several versions. I decided to share the GW version in closing today’s Thoughts; God's approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, "The person who has God's approval will live by faith." God's anger is revealed from heaven against every ungodly and immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living.

EBB4