Day 229 - Unapologetically In Your Face

"Our church wants it told like it is with a bold, upfront approach."

I yelled at them. Veins must have been popping out of my neck. I was hot with anger. How dare they?! They were leading others astray with a simple act. Some of them didn't know what they were doing but others knew and didn't care. It was a selfish act. 

What was it they were doing you ask? They were leaving by the hundreds. Tons of people were getting up right before the church service had ended and were leaving. It seems innocent but they don't know the impact it has. There is an eternal consequence for them and the people they are leading astray. 

'What?!' you may ask. Let me explain. When people leave before the altar call just to avoid traffic or because they don't want to sit through another altar call they are saying something. They are saying that they are just there for the music and message, maybe they throw some token offering in and hope that they are getting brownie points with God. No dice. 

They are also saying that they don't care about others who need to hear the message of the gospel. It is not only a distraction and a bad witness but immature people and the unsaved with follow them right out the door. Like a lemming walking to a cliff that leads to Hell they follow. 

So I yelled at them from the stage on the microphone. "Sit down!" It shook a lot of people. I got their attention. Right after the video announcements stopped I went after them. I told them the bold truth and also let them know I didn't care what they thought of me. Their soul is more important than them liking my delivery of the truth. They needed to hear the message and if they left and died they would go to Hell. It is not a popular message but it is the truth. 

We had many people respond to the altar call that day and I have never had so many compliments at the back door of the church while I was greeting. 

People want the truth. Don't water it down, don't compromise, don't patty cake or play games...just give me the truth. 

Which do you prefer; smoke and mirrors or the truth? How does the truth change how we approach important things in life?

Day 30 - Stop and Listen

"God's Word is so simple, 'be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.'"

On this day in a meeting we had a lot of talk and passion shared over words and definitions of what we were talking about. We wasted a lot of time and emotion over something that wasn't the real issue. It was that meeting that caused me to write what God says about how we should handle ourselves. 

We need to be quick to listen. I find myself at times waiting to say my piece instead of taking in what others are saying. 

We need to be slow to speak. There are times when I react instead of respond. The Bible says even a fool is thought to be wise if he can hold his tongue. 

We need to be slow to anger. Don't get this one wrong. Jesus got angry at times and the Bible tells us to be angry and do not sin. What makes the difference is that we are to be slow to anger. Listen to the whole story, try to hear the voice of God through what is being said and respond accordingly. 

I believe that we will have better meetings, better relationships and less stress if we hold to this simple instruction from God's word. 

Are you quick or slow to speak? How do you slow the process of anger?