Yesterday's worship is still fresh in my heart this morning! What am I thinking? I am thinking of each of you. Last night, I talked with Michelle about all of our brothers and sisters and our precious visitors and said, "I wondered if the Lord's Word is reaching their hearts?" Michelle simply answered, "Mark, you do what you are commanded to do: "to preach, to teach, to guide, to serve, to help, to instruct, to rebuke, to correct, to encourage" and God knows what lies in the heart of those who "heard Him" and will do what He has to do. Remember, God will send Jesus and His angels to gather His little ones home but the "weeds" He will bind and throw into fire. (Mt. 13)" Then I remembered something. I looked back into the history of the Old:
- I saw Noah preaching His warning to the people around him.
- I saw Moses who tried so hard to encourage Israel to be faithful to God for His time for the Deliverance "will come" (after the 10th plague).
- I remembered Isaiah preaching the Word.
- I remembered Elijah preaching with boldness and fear then the next time, feared for the awful queen, Jezebel.
- I remembered the lone prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah is my man!
- I remembered John the Baptist preparing the way for the Lord.
- I remembered Jesus for some accepted Him but many rejected Him!
Noah preached. Moses preached. Isaiah preached. Elijah preached. Jeremiah preached. John preached. Jesus preached. Yet, many rejected His Word and fell away from the Lord. "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." Luke 10:16 (nas)
Now, about TiVo, it is time to invest in it! TiVo is a "digital recorder" that records your favorite programs on television. Why would I encourage you to invest in TiVo? My answer is: 15 minutes. It's a very simple answer. You will cut approximately 15 minutes of commercials OUT (well, actually you will fast-forward with a superfast digital speed through all the commercials)! Then that leaves you 15 minutes to read His Word, talk about God, chew on what was preached, and pray! TiVo anyone?
Dont' forget about "24" A Day With God! SHOUT IT, FEEL IT, HIDE IT, SAY IT!
3 comments:
Mark,
Michelle is correct. :-) We may never know the impact we have on people. The person you should be checking with is God. Ask Him if He is pleased with what you are doing. If He is pleased, then leave it be. God will instruct you and let you know what you need to do.
TIVO--I don't agree with this. Personally I wonder why bother with TV. TV is a bad temptation. Notice there is nothing on TV that is worth watching. TV takes time away from our spouses and children. TV promotes lying, cheating, adultery, dysfunctional family, drinking, premarital sex, unsportsmanship, killing, beating, list goes on and on. I believe that our eyes can and does tempt us. We see something on TV and we want that item (coveting). Wanting is different than needing. We see sin on TV, it can tempt us if that is the sin that we are struggling with internally.
Mark 9:47 says And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. While I am not suggesting that we pluck our eye out, I am suggesting that you reconsider the TV. Turn it off or better yet, have more money each month by not having cable TV or satellite. Dirk and I do not have cable TV or satellite and we have noticed a big difference in our lives.
May God Bless each one of you today!
This Article part is very interesting part and also probably difficult part, too. Because today in Today's Society, we all depend on TV (marketability)..... in lot of ways - no matter what if reach Lord's News to spread among the people's needs .... TV could be good also. In fact, TV (and Radio) already made the Lord's News a global worldwide very-sufficently Awareness all across the Globe. Many many people - either poor or rich in even either poor or rich country all over, already know about "there are Lord's News somewhere etc in far-out or near-in reaches". Mark (as from Michelle mentioned at the first place) just explained about "TiVo" as a good quote example to show things we go thru all the lifestyles we had/have today.
Just two cents, Camille ... I do respect in what you (and your husband) do want as per agreement etc -- every couple is different. Think about "thousand tongues" ... mine (me and my wife) is probably (of course) different from you. Some could be closely similarily or starkly differently. STILL -- regardless what we are in what in Christ's Church specifically, we still have THE SAME LORD'S PATH toward the eternal happiness forever.
Mark, thanks for almost all the posts you had put on this wonderful blogs. This has made me "hooked" to keep checking on your Blog almost every day. Of course there are FEW, I might disagree or dislike or uncomfortable etc etc etc.
Cheers in Lord's Wavy Happy Hands, Charles M.
Hi,
I agree with Camille about checking with God first. If you already asked if that was exactly what God wanted you to speak to the members and visitors. If you felt peaceful, you had nothing to worry about. Remember, God is in control.
Importantly, whenever you prepare your sermon notes, pray and talk to God and ask what he wants you to tell people. God always knows the needs/problems of our members and visitors. He can change your sermon notes completely. I am sure you do that constantly then you are doing fine. You are confident in the Lord for all the things He does behind the scenes that you do not see at all. He is sometimes at work without your knowledge!
Firstly, about TV, we have been doing almost similiar to Camille and Dirk's ways. We always monitor what we watch so that way we don't let them to pollute our minds and harden our hearts. We avoid watching any nasty movies or programs. I have stopped watching my favorite day soap opera starting last week with God's help.
God is already glorified!
Now, Charles, I agree with you about the spread of the God's Word all over the world via TV. There have been many converts happening all over the world that already blew my mind. PTL!
I agree that we all keep walking faithfully on the same path as long as God is in our everyday life!
Thanks to Camille and Charles! Mark, keep up doing the blogs! I am already hooked like Charles is.
God bless all of you!
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