WHAT IF THE PROBLEM ISN'T OUR PRAISE?

One of the things I do when I'm studying the Bible is look for words, phrases, and ideas that are repeated across the passage(s) I'm reading.

I compare the uses to see if there's a common message or a meaningful pattern. 

Now I caution that when studying the Bible we have to be careful about snatching pieces of verses up and attaching them to other pieces.  It's tempting to cut and paste verses and snippets with no regard for context just to support a personally pre-established point.  The purpose of Bible study isn't to prove your or my point, but to discover God's point.

However, analyzing for repetition can reveal precious gems of truth. Case in point:  Psalm 50 and the word rebuke.

In the New King James Version, rebuke appears twice in Psalm 50----- in verse 8 & in verse 21.  Take the 2 clauses where "rebuke" is used and put them together, and you get the following statement from God: 

I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, …but I will rebuke you.

If you walk through the entire chapter, this repetition connection turns out to be a pretty accurate summary of the main idea.  (It doesn’t always work this way, so you always have to read the entire passage for context.)

Basically, the voice of God speaks from Psalm 50 and says, “You know, your praise isn’t the problem.”

God says, “I’m not upset with you because of the form and phrasing of your worship.   Right now, that’s not really a big deal to me.  Keep your rituals.  I don’t need your sacrifices.  I’m unhappy with you, but not about that.”

God says, “I’m ticked off at you because:

you haven’t genuinely given Me glory (Psalm 50: 14, 15);
you’ve made Me promises that you haven’t kept (verse 14);
you live evil lives and then act like you can name-n-claim My promises anyway (verse 16);
you disregard and disrespect My Word (verse 16);
you enable and endorse sin in others (verse 18);
you talk all kinds of filth (verse 19);
you lie like lying is what you’re supposed to doggone do (verse 19);
you talk about everybody and stir up drama, even in your own family (verse 20).
"And," God says, "because I didn’t strike you down, you have the audacity to claim that I ‘understand’ and ‘know what it’s like’.  I’m not a pimp.  I’m not ‘cool like that.’ I’m GOD.”(VERSE 21).

Like most preachers in my immediate circle, I love energetic, moving, well-delivered praise and worship.  I think the gifts that lend themselves to praise should be nurtured and allowed to minister to God’s people.

Yet, in some churches we have become obsessed with music and shouting and saying all the right things in unison.  We say, “when praises go up blessings go down.”  We admonish people to just “praise your way through.”  We instruct people in the appropriate ways and times to shout because there is “power in our praise.”

We rebuke our congregations for not making enough noise or showing enough energy. 

And yes, sitting there like a bump on a log can be an expression of stubbornness and an unwillingness to submit to the Holy Spirit.    But it’s just as true that exuberance can be faked and performed out of an unrepentant and hypocritical heart or a shallow and selfish understanding of the concept of “blessing.”

But, maybe it’s not quite that big of a deal either way.

Maybe the problem isn’t the way we praise God.

 

Maybe, the problem is our lack of commitment and genuine submission to God’s commands.
Maybe the problem is that we don’t study God’s Word with depth and consistency.
Maybe the problem is we’re too O.K. with who we are when who we are is sinners.
Maybe the problem is that we’re not scared of God anymore.
So, when God steps in and chin-checks our church, our family, or ourselves; consider the possibility that it wasn’t because we shouted too much or because we didn’t shout enough. 

Maybe God’s chastisement has more to do with the way we live everyday than with the song selection last Sunday.

I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, …but I will rebuke you.

Maybe the problem isn’t our praise.  Maybe the problem is our sin.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

WHAT IF THE PROBLEM ISN'T OUR PRAISE?

One of the things I do when I'm studying the Bible is look for words, phrases, and ideas that are repeated across the passage(s) I'm reading.

I compare the uses to see if there's a common message or a meaningful pattern. 

Now I caution that when studying the Bible we have to be careful about snatching pieces of verses up and attaching them to other pieces.  It's tempting to cut and paste verses and snippets with no regard for context just to support a personally pre-established point.  The purpose of Bible study isn't to prove your or my point, but to discover God's point.

However, analyzing for repetition can reveal precious gems of truth. Case in point:  Psalm 50 and the word rebuke.

In the New King James Version, rebuke appears twice in Psalm 50----- in verse 8 & in verse 21.  Take the 2 clauses where "rebuke" is used and put them together, and you get the following statement from God: 

I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, …but I will rebuke you.

If you walk through the entire chapter, this repetition connection turns out to be a pretty accurate summary of the main idea.  (It doesn’t always work this way, so you always have to read the entire passage for context.)

Basically, the voice of God speaks from Psalm 50 and says, “You know, your praise isn’t the problem.”

God says, “I’m not upset with you because of the form and phrasing of your worship.   Right now, that’s not really a big deal to me.  Keep your rituals.  I don’t need your sacrifices.  I’m unhappy with you, but not about that.”

God says, “I’m ticked off at you because:

you haven’t genuinely given Me glory (Psalm 50: 14, 15);
you’ve made Me promises that you haven’t kept (verse 14);
you live evil lives and then act like you can name-n-claim My promises anyway (verse 16);
you disregard and disrespect My Word (verse 16);
you enable and endorse sin in others (verse 18);
you talk all kinds of filth (verse 19);
you lie like lying is what you’re supposed to doggone do (verse 19);
you talk about everybody and stir up drama, even in your own family (verse 20).
"And," God says,"because I didn’t strike you down, you have the audacity to claim that I ‘understand’ and ‘know what it’s like’.  I’m not a pimp.  I’m not ‘cool like that.’ I’m GOD.”(VERSE 21).

Like most preachers in my immediate circle, I love energetic, moving, well-delivered praise and worship.  I think the gifts that lend themselves to praise should be nurtured and allowed to minister to God’s people.

Yet, in some churches we have become obsessed with music and shouting and saying all the right things in unison.  We say, “when praises go up blessings go down.”  We admonish people to just “praise your way through.”  We instruct people in the appropriate ways and times to shout because there is “power in our praise.”

We rebuke our congregations for not making enough noise or showing enough energy. 

And yes, sitting there like a bump on a log can be an expression of stubbornness and an unwillingness to submit to the Holy Spirit.    But it’s just as true that exuberance can be faked and performed out of an unrepentant and hypocritical heart or a shallow and selfish understanding of the concept of “blessing.”

But, maybe it’s not quite that big of a deal either way.

Maybe the problem isn’t the way we praise God.

 

Maybe, the problem is our lack of commitment and genuine submission to God’s commands.
Maybe the problem is that we don’t study God’s Word with depth and consistency.
Maybe the problem is we’re too O.K. with who we are when who we are is sinners.
Maybe the problem is that we’re not scared of God anymore.
So, when God steps in and chin-checks our church, our family, or ourselves; consider the possibility that it wasn’t because we shouted too much or because we didn’t shout enough. 

Maybe God’s chastisement has more to do with the way we live everyday than with the song selection last Sunday.

I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, …but I will rebuke you.

Maybe the problem isn’t our praise.  Maybe the problem is our sin.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

THE DEPTH & DANGER OF A FATHER’S LOVE

A good father would give his life to protect and provide for his children.  And, a good father may be the scariest person his children know because his is the growling voice of discipline and punishment.

God is our heavenly Father and walking in our relationship with Him requires us to understand how to deal with  THE DEPTH & DANGER OF A FATHER’S LOVE.

Listen well.

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---Anderson T. Graves II   is a  writer, community organizer, and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church and the executive director of SAYNO (Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization) in Montgomery, Alabama.

Call  334-288-0577
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

If you enjoy our work, please help support our work in the community. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

 

WHAT REALLY TICKS GOD OFF

Malachi 3: ⁵     And I will come near you for judgment;

     I will be a swift witness

     Against sorcerers,

     Against adulterers,

     Against perjurers,

     Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,

     And against those who turn away an alien—

     Because they do not fear Me,”

     Says the Lord of hosts.

⁶     “For I am the Lord, I do not change; 

Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

It irritates me to hear televangelists redacting God's Word and pointing to the 1 to 3 sins that most bother them personally as the sole reason for every catastrophe in the world. 

Now, don't misunderstand me.  Sin is real.  Sometimes God really does use disasters as judgment against sin, like warning shots to get our attention. 

But, if we were honest about what really pisses God off, we'd be way more introspective and humble and way less prone to blame "those people" for everything. 

Case in point.  Malachi chapter 3.

In Malachi 3: 5, God says, And I will come near you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers.

O.K.  Yeah, "those people" are evil.  They shouldn't do that stuff.

I agree.  All that stuff is wrong because God said so.  But keep reading.  In the same verse God goes on to say that His judgment falls not just for those sins, but also because He has witnessed some other sins that don't make the usual televangelistic list of abominations.

God says that He is equally against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien.

Yeah, that alien as in legal/ illegal alien.

Those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans and turn away aliens don't get to claim that they do it to protect our Christian heritage because God says they actually do it  because they DO NOT fear Me.

And this isn’t my political bias, this is what says the Lord of hosts.

Oh, and before you dismiss this as having no bearing on modern America and only applying to the particular cultural context of Old Testament Israel, the very next sentence in Malachi says

For I am the Lord; I do not change.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

A WORD TO THE WISE: Proverbs 31:12. "Treat 'Em Like a Christian"

Proverbs 31: 12     She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31: 12.  In the early days of the Methodist movement, before the small groups that were meeting had become a denomination, John Wesley created the “General Rules of the United Societies.”  These rules outline foundational principles of Methodism. 

Don’t go away.  This’ll all connect with Proverbs 31.  Stay with me.

Among the theological declarations in the General Rules are 3 life rules that Methodist are expected to “continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation.” 

These general rules don’t make you saved, but they do express your salvation.  The first 2 of those rules are:

1)      By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced

2)      By doing good … as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort

Do good and don’t do harm.  That’s the evidence that you have a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

Now read Proverbs 31: 12.

Do good and don’t do harm  That’s the evidence that you have a right relationship with your husband/wife.

Get it?

The same rules that apply to your Christian relationship with other people------- those exact same rules apply to your family relationship with the other spouse.

We talk about a man treating his wife like a queen and a woman treating her husband like a king. We talk about a husband being his wife’s protector and her being his greatest cheerleader.  We talk about husbands and wives treating each other like friends, like  partners, like missing halves.

Among all of these analogies, we often forget something.  We forget to treat each other LIKE CHRISTIANS.

I don’t go around cussing people out ----- not because they don’t deserve it----- because that’s not the Christian thing to do (Ephesians 4: 29).   So, I also don’t cuss at my wife, because she deserves at least the same Christian courtesy I show to everybody else.

You know that you have to forgive people who wrong you because Jesus said that you have to (Matthew 11: 25).   So you  can’t stay mad at my husband or wife for something he/she said in 1998.  You forgive them because you’re still a follower of Christ, even in the context of your marriage.  (Colossians 3: 19)

You have to help people (Matthew 25: 31-46).  You have to tell the truth even when a lie would be more convenient (Zechariah 8: 16; Ephesians 4: 25).  You have to live so that your life expresses, and doesn’t contradict ,the Biblical message of God’s grace and holiness(Matthew 5: 16) .   

So also, you have to be honest with your spouse.   You have to be there for them. You have to live with your husband/ live your wife in such a way that your actions in the family make your spouse want to know your Jesus better.

 In the opening verses of 1 Peter chapter 3, the Apostle talks very specifically about husband and wives. Then around verse 8, Peter switches into general instructions for all Christians. 

Be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous. 

Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary bless, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
For he who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.  
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (1 Peter 3: 8-12)

Did you catch that part in the middle?   Let him turn away from evil and do good. (1 Peter 3: 11)

Same thing Wesley said to the emerging Methodist church.  

Same thing King Lemuel and his mother said about the ideal wife in Proverbs 31.

Though God’s instructions for marriage don’t always apply to general behaviors in the church, God’s instructions for conduct in the church do generally apply to conduct in the family.

We forget that sometimes.   And that’s when we hurt the one we love most.  

When you don’t know which magazine’s marital advice to apply, remember this:  Always treat your husband, always treat your wife at least as well as you know God wants you to treat your other brothers and sisters in Christ.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116

Proverbs 31:12. "Treat 'Em Like a Christian"

Proverbs 31: 12     She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31: 12.  In the early days of the Methodist movement, before the small groups that were meeting had become a denomination, John Wesley created the “General Rules of the United Societies.”  These rules outline foundational principles of Methodism. 

Don’t go away.  This’ll all connect with Proverbs 31.  Stay with me.

Among the theological declarations in the General Rules are 3 life rules that Methodist are expected to “continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation.” 

These general rules don’t make you saved, but they do express your salvation.  The first 2 of those rules are:

1)      By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced

2)      By doing good … as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort

Do good and don’t do harm.  That’s the evidence that you have a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

Now read Proverbs 31: 12.

Do good and don’t do harm  That’s the evidence that you have a right relationship with your spouse.

Get it?

The same rules that apply to your Christian relationship with other people------- those exact same rules apply to your family relationship with the other spouse.

We talk about a man treating his wife like a queen and a woman treating her husband like a king. We talk about a husband being his wife’s protector and her being his greatest cheerleader.  We talk about husbands and wives treating each other like friends, like  partners, like missing halves.

Among all of these analogies, we often forget something.  We forget to treat each other LIKE CHRISTIANS.

I don’t go around cussing people out ----- not because they don’t deserve it----- because that’s not the Christian thing to do (Ephesians 4: 29).   So, I also don’t cuss at my wife, because she deserves at least the same Christian courtesy I show to everybody else.

You know that you have to forgive people who wrong you because Jesus said that you have to (Matthew 11: 25).   So you  can’t stay mad at my husband or wife for something he/she said in 1998.  You forgive them because you’re still a follower of Christ, even in the context of your marriage.  (Colossians 3: 19)

You have to help people (Matthew 25: 31-46).  You have to tell the truth even when a lie would be more convenient (Zechariah 8: 16; Ephesians 4: 25).  You have to live so that your life expresses, and doesn’t contradict ,the Biblical message of God’s grace and holiness(Matthew 5: 16) .   

So also, you have to be honest with your spouse.   You have to be there for them. You have to live with your husband/ live your wife in such a way that your actions in the family make your spouse want to know your Jesus better.

 In the opening verses of 1 Peter chapter 3, the Apostle talks very specifically about husband and wives. Then around verse 8, Peter switches into general instructions for all Christians. 

Be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous. 

Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary bless, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
For he who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.  
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (1 Peter 3: 8-12)

Did you catch that part in the middle?   Let him turn away from evil and do good. (1 Peter 3: 11)

Same thing Wesley said to the emerging Methodist church.  

Same thing King Lemuel &  his mother said about the ideal wife in Proverbs 31.

Though God’s instructions for marriage don’t always apply to general behaviors in the church, God’s instructions for conduct in the church do generally apply to conduct in the family.

We forget that sometimes.   And that’s when we hurt the one we love most.  

When you don’t know which magazine’s marital advice to apply, remember this:  Always treat your husband, always treat your wife at least as well as you know God wants you to treat your other brothers and sisters in Christ.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves

To hear sermons, read devotions, and learn more about the ministry at Hall Memorial CME Church, visit www.hallmemorialcme.blogspot.com .

You can read more on Pastor Graves's personal blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  .

If this message helps or touches you, please help support this ministry. Send a donation of any amount by check or money order.
Mail all contributions to :
Hall Memorial CME Church
541 Seibles Road
Montgomery, AL 36116