I'VE ALWAYS FAVORED children being in public worship with their parents or caring adults (at least when they can read, even a little, if not before). My parents did this and looking back, I learned so much, even unwittingly so. They did this in ancient Israel. In Deuteronomy 31:12 - 31b Moses commanded:
"Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the Lord your God..."
Nurseries? Yes. Children's church? Yes. But even at these early stages leaders and teachers must always remember that tiny humans learn so very much, much more than we think. Even seeing a teacher with a Bible in hand or hearing an adult pray speaks volumes to tiny eyes and ears. They'll even go home and emulate such. But, at five or so take them to big peoples' service. And the parent (and others) may not think they're learning much, but they are. The prechurch experience continues. Otherwise, in the above narrative, God would have told the people," Leave the kids at home. Get a baby sitter."
I once preached a sermon on the doctrine of sanctification. It pertains to positive holiness as different from the daily cleansing when we confess our sins. I illustrated using a dirty apple. Washing it was the daily cleansing of confessing (1John 1:9). Rubbing it til it shone was Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7).A mother told me the next week that her young son upon taking an apple, washed it, shined it and held it up to his mother and said, "Mom, that's sanctification." That kind of report is enough to make the preacher 'dig in' and prepare another preachment.
- Dick Christen
PASTORS have a heavenly calling... but still have clay feet. The great Apostle said, "For in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles, even though I am a nobody" (2 Cor. 12) He thought of himself as "a NOBODY" but who really was a SOMEBODY who affected EVERYBODY in the Church of Jesus Christ. But, nevertheless, he unbelievably refers to himself as a "nobody."
This same Apostle warned all of us about the ever present danger of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought: "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).
When we do exalt ourselves God has His ways of reminding us (and sometimes crushingly so) that He "knows our frame and remembers we are but dust." And this means dirt dust not gold dust. He knows it and wants us to remember it:
"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust" (Psalm 103:13,14).
St. Augustine remarked: "It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humilty that makes men as angels." I guess it's better to be a humble worm than a proud angel.
- dick christen
GOD knows all; GOD sees all! He is omniscient. Down south they use to sing "He sees all we do; He hears all we say. My God's a' writin' all the time."
Proverb 15:3 declares: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good." THE MESSAGE paraphases it like this: "God doesn't miss a thing—he's alert to good and evil alike."
Doesn't this fact instill in us the healthy "fear of the Lord" so often referenced in the Bible? We can't hide anything from God. Our sins will find us out; He makes sure they do.
"It had been an unusually hectic weekend, and I decided to put off doing housework until Monday", so a housewife tells. "As I was curling up with a book, old friends phoned. They were in town and wanted to stop by. I tore around the house, dusting and vacuuming. Time was running out when I grabbed ples of dirty dishes and put them in the oven. The doorbell rand. THERE STOOD MY FRIENDS ......WITH A FROZEN PIZZA.
- Dick Christen
THE CHURCH NEEDS TO RAISE A GREATER AWARENESS OF THE FIVE CROWNS WHICH WILL BE BESTOWED IN HEAVEN ON CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE EARNED THEM BY THEIR GOOD WORKS IN THIS LIFE.
The salvation of a sinner's soul is not at all BY self-works of righteousness but it is UNTO works of righteousness when performed obediently in the Holy Spirit's strength.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus FOR GOOD WORKS, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Salvation from sin is free, it being all of God's unmerited favor (grace) . "Jesus paid it all! Ephesians 2:8-10 says it clearly but also emphasizes the place of 'good works.' We are saved by grace "for (unto) good works." It other words, just because our efforts don't contribute to being saved from our sins this does not mean they are unimportant.
In fact, the Bible sets forth FIVE CROWNS potentially awarded at a Christian's appearance before Christ's BEMA JUDGMENT. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).
At least part of our recompensing will be in the form of a crowns bestowed upon the deserving. What will they be? Here are the five mentioned in the Bible.....
1. THE CROWN OF REJOICING (OR, THE SOUL WINNER'S CROWN)
1 Thessalonians 2:19,20:
"For who is our hope or joy or CROWN of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy."
(Those the apostle won to Jesus are Paul's "glory and joy" or "crown of exultation." Heaven rejoices when one sinner is saved. Apparently the rejoicing continues into eternity. Will I receive this crown. Who have I brought to Jesus)
2. THE INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN (OR, THE CROWN OF DISCIPLINED CHRISTIAN LIVING)
1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible CROWN; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
(Personal discipline is important to God! To live for Jesus in this world and for His glory, requires a holy stringency that most shy from. It requires personal suffering. Peter said, "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin" (1 Peter 4:1). It IS real suffering to reject what displeases God but necessary for this crown.)
3. THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (OR, THE CROWN OF OBEDIENT LIVING)
2 Timothy 4:6-8:
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me A CROWN of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
(A righteous act is an obedient act in accordance with God's directive or principle. The sum total of these obedient acts equals our 'personal righteousness' status before God. (To be distinguished from the imputed righteousness every believing sinner receives at the time of salvation.) Think this way: all of our acts of personal day by day obedience = our personal 'righteousness status' before God. The sum total of our righteousnesses = personal holiness status before God. (To be distinguished from imputed holiness at the moment of salvation.) On this basis of this reading the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will or will not be awarded.)
4. THE CROWN OF GLORY (OR, THE FAITHFUL PASTOR'S CROWN)
1 Peter 5:1-4
"The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a CROWN of glory that fadeth not away."
(Pastors should strive to be the kind of pastor Oliver Goldsmith describes in THE DESERTED VILLAGE. In his depiction of the village preacher he says:
Truth from his lips prevail'd with double sway,
And fools who came to scoff remained to pray.)
5. THE CROWN OF LIFE (OR, THE OVERCOMER'S CROWN)
James 1:12; Revelation 2:10:
James says, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the CROWN of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
To the suffering at Smyrna, Jesus says, 'Be faithful until death, and I will give you the CROWN of life."
(All true Christians go to heaven when they die. All will appear before the BEMA rewarding stand with the books open. All will be recompensed for their deeds done in the body while on earth. Some will suffer loss. This can't mean the loss of salvation so we must ask "what does this mean?" Will there be degrees of enjoyment or privilege in heaven? All will undoubtedly rejoice in heaven and enter into its goodness, but will we do so at differing abilities to imbibe or appreciate? Perhaps all will rejoicingly take in the wonders of eternity but at differing levels of appreciation and while each will enter into their personal level of enjoyment, such, however, will be unknown to others. It will be very personal. But again, heaven being heaven, all will be in a state of glorification and rejoicing but, I believe, each person will 'take it in' at his or her personally assigned quotient determined at the BEMA seat. The award or crowns MUST have some significance, perhaps more than we want to acknowledge. Anyhow, this is how I try to understand it.
- Dick Christen
