"Johnny One Note" was a show tune about a singer named Johnny who could only sing one note. The opening lines of the song go like this: "Johnny could only sing one note/ And the note he sang was this. /Ah, poor Johnny one note sang out with gusto And just overlorded the place. /Poor Johnny one note, yelled willy nilly /Until he was blue in the face. /For holding one note was his ace. 'Couldn't hear the brass, Couldn't hear the drum . . ."
There are Bible teachers, Sunday school teachers, authors and others like Johnny One Note. They sing just one note; they talk about just one subject with jack-hammer repetition. Every sermon is one note; every Sunday school lesson is one note. And, woe upon woe, the older Johnny One Note gets, the more he sings the one note.
THE FIRST JOHNNY ONE NOTE
Johnny One Note steps behind the lectern to teach about the key to a healthy spiritual church and the key to the spiritual life of each member. He tells the congregation that Bible study is the key to their spiritual life. "If there's one thing we need, it's more Bible study, more Bible study, more Bible study. He preaches this over and over and over.
THE SECOND JOHNNY ONE NOTE
The second Johnny One Note and tells the congregation that the key to the spiritual life is prayer. "We need to meet more for prayer," he admonishes his congregation, "so our board will meet each Saturday night for prayer, our Sunday school teachers will meet to pray, and then we'll have our Wednesday night service devoted only to prayer." He repeats this over and over again.
THE THIRD JOHNNY ONE NOTE
This Johnny One Note tells his flock, "The key to the spiritual life is evangelism. We must be involved in reaching out with the gospel. We need more training in evangelism and more fishing expeditions to cast the net into the waters of the unsaved."
THE FOURTH JOHNNY ONE NOTE
Across town, the fourth Johnny One Note harps on what makes a healthy church: "The Holy Spirit is the key to the spiritual life. This church needs more emphasis on the Person and work of the Holy Spirit."
THE FIFTH JOHNNY ONE NOTE
The fifth pastor hits his one note as he teaches his 75th sermon in the series, "Fellowship is the Key to a Healthy Church." His sermons can be condensed into one sentence, "What we need around here is more fellowship." For the 75th consecutive week, the congregation knows what he's going to say before he says it.
WHICH PASTOR IS RIGHT?
Each pastor is right and each pastor is wrong. The reason they're all wrong is because each pastor is using the wrong word--the word "The," when they should be using the article, "A." "A key to the spiritual life is prayer." "A key to the spiritual life is fellowship." "A key to the spiritual life is the Holy Spirit." Etc.
I knew a pastor who was obsessed with I John 1:9. Somehow, in some way, he would teach the truth of I John 1:9every time the church met. Every sermon. World without end. Amen. Over and over and over again. Nothing wrong with what he taught, but it became his one note, even to the extent that his associate pastor made it his license plate.
The Johnny One Notes are unbalanced, imprecise, and lazy. They're deaf; they can't hear the brass and the drums of the Bible. They're not listening to all the Scriptures on the subject. They need to use one thing: a concordance.
WITHOUT COST
Friday, April 26, 2019
Friday, April 19, 2019
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH $750,000?
What would you do with $750,000? That's a wonderful question to consider personally or on any level. A nationally known preacher/teacher related a story about a pastor and church with which he was personally acquainted that allocated $750,000 to one endeavor.
WAIT! FOR WHAT?
Just think of it, $750,000 for foreign missions to spread the gospel around the world! No. They didn't spend it on missions, foreign or domestic. What about $750,000 going to print Bibles for distribution in countries which ban the Bible? That would print no telling how many copies of God's Word and part of it could be used to somehow smuggle them into those forbidden territories.
But no. They spent $750,000 on . . . are you ready? They spent it on a state of the art system for the projection of film clips of movies to illustrate the sermons preached in the auditorium. $750,000!
Although the well-known preacher/teacher didn't elaborate on exactly what that state of the art projection system included, we might surmise that it meant the purchase of at least two giant flat screens suitable for what must be a massive auditorium, a pitch-perfect sound system and a projection system suitable for crystal clear clarity as we would expect to see at the local Cinema 16. Certainly, it included the cost of professionals to install it, a cost which must have been humongous in and of itself. Of course, they would have to hire someone to maintain and at times, repair and maintain the system. The maintenance of such massive and complicated technology wouldn't be a simple matter. That means more money.
THE PRINCIPLE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
It was after its installation that an unexpected (to them) biblical principle swung into action: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21) Jesus is saying that our hearts follow our money; wherever you put your money, your heart will follow. And this is exactly what happened to the pastor and the church.
The pastor, the church, and the board realized that in order to justify a $750,000 expenditure meant that, come what may, no matter what, that system must be used and used and used. The pastor must, absolutely must, find appropriate film clips to perfectly illustrate his point(s). Every week. Every sermon. Sunday morning. Sunday night. Wednesday night.
When the pastor realized just how much time he was spending researching and finding those just-right clips and then preparing them for projection, he told the board, "I don't have time to do all that!" He was right.
So, the church had to hire a person to do the research, find the movies, and prepare the clips for projection and use every single Sunday morning, every single Sunday night. Every single Wednesday night. (If they had all those additional services.)
This also meant that the pastor would have to keep that person informed as to what the sections of the sermon would be about so he would know what kind of clips to prepare and project.
TRAPPED!
How long would it be before the new would wear off for the congregation? How long before they would come to church as movie critics and say, "You know, last Sunday's clips were better." How long would it be before Bible studies would be turned into entertainment? How long before the fellow who was hired to find the perfect clips for perfect projection would burn out? How long would it be before the pastor got tired of his new toy and burned out? And, for every sermon the pastor considered preaching, would he have to consider if there was a movie clip somewhere that could be used. If so, the system determined the sermon.
The pastor and the church found themselves trapped. After its installation, the system owned them, they didn't own the system. The money was gone. They couldn't "unspend it." They were now serving a projection system.
WAIT! FOR WHAT?
Just think of it, $750,000 for foreign missions to spread the gospel around the world! No. They didn't spend it on missions, foreign or domestic. What about $750,000 going to print Bibles for distribution in countries which ban the Bible? That would print no telling how many copies of God's Word and part of it could be used to somehow smuggle them into those forbidden territories.
But no. They spent $750,000 on . . . are you ready? They spent it on a state of the art system for the projection of film clips of movies to illustrate the sermons preached in the auditorium. $750,000!
Although the well-known preacher/teacher didn't elaborate on exactly what that state of the art projection system included, we might surmise that it meant the purchase of at least two giant flat screens suitable for what must be a massive auditorium, a pitch-perfect sound system and a projection system suitable for crystal clear clarity as we would expect to see at the local Cinema 16. Certainly, it included the cost of professionals to install it, a cost which must have been humongous in and of itself. Of course, they would have to hire someone to maintain and at times, repair and maintain the system. The maintenance of such massive and complicated technology wouldn't be a simple matter. That means more money.
THE PRINCIPLE OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
It was after its installation that an unexpected (to them) biblical principle swung into action: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21) Jesus is saying that our hearts follow our money; wherever you put your money, your heart will follow. And this is exactly what happened to the pastor and the church.
The pastor, the church, and the board realized that in order to justify a $750,000 expenditure meant that, come what may, no matter what, that system must be used and used and used. The pastor must, absolutely must, find appropriate film clips to perfectly illustrate his point(s). Every week. Every sermon. Sunday morning. Sunday night. Wednesday night.
When the pastor realized just how much time he was spending researching and finding those just-right clips and then preparing them for projection, he told the board, "I don't have time to do all that!" He was right.
So, the church had to hire a person to do the research, find the movies, and prepare the clips for projection and use every single Sunday morning, every single Sunday night. Every single Wednesday night. (If they had all those additional services.)
This also meant that the pastor would have to keep that person informed as to what the sections of the sermon would be about so he would know what kind of clips to prepare and project.
TRAPPED!
How long would it be before the new would wear off for the congregation? How long before they would come to church as movie critics and say, "You know, last Sunday's clips were better." How long would it be before Bible studies would be turned into entertainment? How long before the fellow who was hired to find the perfect clips for perfect projection would burn out? How long would it be before the pastor got tired of his new toy and burned out? And, for every sermon the pastor considered preaching, would he have to consider if there was a movie clip somewhere that could be used. If so, the system determined the sermon.
The pastor and the church found themselves trapped. After its installation, the system owned them, they didn't own the system. The money was gone. They couldn't "unspend it." They were now serving a projection system.
Friday, April 12, 2019
A QUESTION OUT OF THE BLUE
Ordination for the ministry is a time when older heads gather to see if they can put their stamp of approval on a younger head for the ministry. (Let's not debate the pros and cons of ordination itself, that can be for another day.)
There was an ordination exam during which the older heads asked the younger head about his views on the atonement, on creation ("Six days or eons of time?), the deity of Christ, the gospel message, etc., etc., etc. All those are good and standard areas to explore. After several hours, the chairman of the ordination committee felt enough was enough, that they had covered all the doctrinal bases, and asked, "Does anyone have a further question?"
One man said, "I do. I have two." He looked the young man straight in the eye and asked, "Son, do you love people?"
What kind of question is that? How else could he answer other than, "Yes, of course, I do"? That was the expected response and that's exactly what he said. OK. Can we go home now? But then came the second question and it was out of the blue: "How do you know?"
Those are two mighty good questions because, first of all, Paul says in I Corinthians 13 that unless you have love, your ministry, your service, whatever it is you do for the Lord, is nothing:
"_______ is patient, _____ is kind and ______ is not jealous; _____ does not brag and ____ is not arrogant, ________is not rude ; ________ does not seek his/her own, _____ is not easily angered; ________ does not take into account a wrong suffered, _______ does not rejoice in unrighteousness, ________ rejoices with the truth; _______ bears all things, _______believes all things, ____ hopes all things, _______ endures all things."
And all God's people said, "God, forgive me."
There was an ordination exam during which the older heads asked the younger head about his views on the atonement, on creation ("Six days or eons of time?), the deity of Christ, the gospel message, etc., etc., etc. All those are good and standard areas to explore. After several hours, the chairman of the ordination committee felt enough was enough, that they had covered all the doctrinal bases, and asked, "Does anyone have a further question?"
One man said, "I do. I have two." He looked the young man straight in the eye and asked, "Son, do you love people?"
What kind of question is that? How else could he answer other than, "Yes, of course, I do"? That was the expected response and that's exactly what he said. OK. Can we go home now? But then came the second question and it was out of the blue: "How do you know?"
Those are two mighty good questions because, first of all, Paul says in I Corinthians 13 that unless you have love, your ministry, your service, whatever it is you do for the Lord, is nothing:
"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing."
That takes care of that, but what about the second question? "How do you know you love people?" Paul answers that question in I Corinthians 13 as well. He shows us what love does. We've read it; we've heard it at weddings. (Do we ever need to hear it before church meetings, committee meetings, business meetings, any Chtistian group meeting at all?)
Let's do something with I Corinthians 13 and, once we do, I think it will make us say one sentence after we're through. Read it, replaceing "love" with your name in the blanks:
Let's do something with I Corinthians 13 and, once we do, I think it will make us say one sentence after we're through. Read it, replaceing "love" with your name in the blanks:
And all God's people said, "God, forgive me."
Friday, April 5, 2019
THE ELECTION OF 2016
Election night 2016 and its aftermath was a revelation writ large. The final result was in. The last hurrah was done. In the epicenter of the Democrat Party, to quote the poem, "Casey at the Bat," "There was no joy in Mudville, the mighty Casey had struck out."
At that moment, when the realization hit that Casey had struck out, it was then that the revelation became apparent: men and women were visibly shaken. More people than one could count were crying, tears chasing themselves down their cheeks, real tears. Profound grief had opened the floodgates. Mourning, no not just mourning, but intense mourning had begun. There were those who went home and literally shrieked their disappointment, putting their histrionics on YouTube. Others yelled in public without restraint and without even a modicum of dignity, while some sat so stunned and so stricken, they were unable to move or speak.
Some celebrities were emotional train wrecks; their tongues fell mute, frozen (for once). Those who weren't reacting with tears began to respond to the news with white-hot anger. People on the streets began to riot, destroying property, smashing windows, toppling cars, and starting conflagrations.
Those in front of television cameras had a difficult time doing what they usually try to do--explain things to those of us among the unwashed herd. Their disappointment was manifest in their expressions, both facial and verbal.
WHY?
Why all this hysteria? What in the world was causing adults we thought were mature and who should know better to carry on like what we witnessed back in the election aftermath of 2016? Their behavior was worse than the toddler whose parents have just informed him that the family trip Disneyland had been canceled.
I would suggest that what's happened to them is that they have come to look upon THE function of government as being that of providing people with happiness. None of our Founding Fathers believed that idea. They saw government as providing the framework for protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but they recognized that government can't provide it. But those who were emotional wrecks on that election night and thereafter had come to look upon the government to provide their happiness by forcing other people to do what they want them to do.
IS IT ONLY "THEM?"
However, are Bible-believing Christians losing their way, having been infected with the same disease, thinking that if MY candidate gets elected, he (or she) will be the source of my happiness and make other people do what I want them to do? You might think so if you listen to believers consumed with politics after dinner, consumed with politics at church fellowships, consumed with the politics of make-me-happy on social media. What's happening is that the world-system is squeezing the believer into its mold (Cf. Romans 12:1-2).
THE RESULTS OF MAKE-ME-HAPPY
This government-please-make-me-happy-attitude has produced politicians in both parties who make outlandish promises based on what they know the masses want to hear, promises we know (and they know) in our (and their) heart of hearts that they're not going to keep. The masses then become fodder for manipulation.
THE FINAL WORD
Jesus jolts us by teaching us that the highest good isn’t our marital bliss, finding ourselves, or the success of my chosen candidate. Happiness comes as a by-product of being a faithful follower of Christ. Happiness doesn't come by looking for it from the government; it's a result of faithfully becoming a disciple of Christ and making His will the command center of our lives and, just as important--meeting regularly with other followers of Christ who, of course, share a communal purpose.
At that moment, when the realization hit that Casey had struck out, it was then that the revelation became apparent: men and women were visibly shaken. More people than one could count were crying, tears chasing themselves down their cheeks, real tears. Profound grief had opened the floodgates. Mourning, no not just mourning, but intense mourning had begun. There were those who went home and literally shrieked their disappointment, putting their histrionics on YouTube. Others yelled in public without restraint and without even a modicum of dignity, while some sat so stunned and so stricken, they were unable to move or speak.
Some celebrities were emotional train wrecks; their tongues fell mute, frozen (for once). Those who weren't reacting with tears began to respond to the news with white-hot anger. People on the streets began to riot, destroying property, smashing windows, toppling cars, and starting conflagrations.
Those in front of television cameras had a difficult time doing what they usually try to do--explain things to those of us among the unwashed herd. Their disappointment was manifest in their expressions, both facial and verbal.
WHY?
Why all this hysteria? What in the world was causing adults we thought were mature and who should know better to carry on like what we witnessed back in the election aftermath of 2016? Their behavior was worse than the toddler whose parents have just informed him that the family trip Disneyland had been canceled.
I would suggest that what's happened to them is that they have come to look upon THE function of government as being that of providing people with happiness. None of our Founding Fathers believed that idea. They saw government as providing the framework for protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but they recognized that government can't provide it. But those who were emotional wrecks on that election night and thereafter had come to look upon the government to provide their happiness by forcing other people to do what they want them to do.
IS IT ONLY "THEM?"
However, are Bible-believing Christians losing their way, having been infected with the same disease, thinking that if MY candidate gets elected, he (or she) will be the source of my happiness and make other people do what I want them to do? You might think so if you listen to believers consumed with politics after dinner, consumed with politics at church fellowships, consumed with the politics of make-me-happy on social media. What's happening is that the world-system is squeezing the believer into its mold (Cf. Romans 12:1-2).
THE RESULTS OF MAKE-ME-HAPPY
This government-please-make-me-happy-attitude has produced politicians in both parties who make outlandish promises based on what they know the masses want to hear, promises we know (and they know) in our (and their) heart of hearts that they're not going to keep. The masses then become fodder for manipulation.
THE FINAL WORD
Jesus jolts us by teaching us that the highest good isn’t our marital bliss, finding ourselves, or the success of my chosen candidate. Happiness comes as a by-product of being a faithful follower of Christ. Happiness doesn't come by looking for it from the government; it's a result of faithfully becoming a disciple of Christ and making His will the command center of our lives and, just as important--meeting regularly with other followers of Christ who, of course, share a communal purpose.
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