Thank God for Beer!

This article is from Thomas Nelson's web site... THE SEARCH FOR GOD AND GUINNESS: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Thomas Nelson, October 13, 2009), Stephen Mansfield explores the groundbreaking business acumen of this prolific company, and uncovers a deeply held faith running throughout the family’s history.

As one of the world’s most popular brands, Guinness has resolutely celebrated the joy of beer brewing and drinking for 250 years. Go inside the storied traditions of faith, family and business in this engaging book chronicling the history of beer throughout time, as well as specifics related to the Guinness clan. Releasing at this important milestone in the company’s history, The Search for God and Guinness will also help mark the 200^th anniversary of Oktoberfest in 2010.

The Guinness story began in Ireland in the late 1700’s. The water in Ireland, indeed throughout Europe, was famously undrinkable, and the gin and whiskey that took its place was devastating civil society. It was a disease ridden, starvation plagued, alcoholic age, and Christians like Arthur Guinness—as well as monks and even evangelical churches—brewed beer to offer a healthier alternative to the poisonous waters and liquors of the times.

Now, 250 years and 150 countries later, Guinness is a global brand, one of the most consumed beverages in the world with 10 million glasses of Guinness enjoyed every day. The tale that unfolds during those two and a half centuries has power to thrill audiences today: the generational drama, business adventure, industrial and social reforms, deep-felt faith, and the beer itself.

Becoming A Good Leader

     A  “Judas goat” is used in meat packing plants to lead sheep to the slaughter- as many as 1,000 trusting sheep a day to their death.
    Without a leader of their own, the sheep blindly follow the goat. Only when it is too late do they sniff the blood of the slaughter pen and panic.
    The Judas goat grimly symbolizes the continual betrayals by evildoers of our day. Their abuse of leadership is making possible the spread of corruption, immorality and subversion on an un-precedent scale today.
    What can you do as a leader to bring hope to those who have been crushed  by false and misleading leaders of the church world?
    1. Recognize the need— Do more than throw your hands up in despair over double dealing, whether it be local, national or international. An important part of your mission in life as a follower of the Lord is to right what is wrong, not merely sit in judgment.
    Note the great need in almost every field for persons who will take responsibility, not duck it. The “let George do it” attitude has too often prepared the way for disaster throughout history.
    The fact is that you must Lead or be led. So you must:

•  Uncover your own hidden capabilities for leadership.

•  Give practical support to leaders who are devotedly working for the best interest of all.

•  Remind leaders, in a tactful way, of the great good they can render by living up to the important trust placed in them.

•  Pray that young people with the potential for leadership start putting it to good use in the challenging years ahead.

    2.  Develop a  love for people— The deeper your love for all people, the more readily will you acquire Christ-like qualities of leadership.
    If you truly love people, you will make an effort, through prayer, word and deed to see that they are provided with efficient government, suitable literature and entertainment, worthy education, a sound economy and good labor relations. Man needs reasonable conditions on earth to achieve happiness here and hereafter.
    3.  Practice what you preach— A group of secretaries said the ideal boss  should be 1) neat, 2) clean, 3) friendly, 4) punctual, 5) loyal, 6) understanding of all office errors, and 7) endowed with a good sense of humor, 8) he should write legibly and 9) sign all letters on time.”    These are the very  traits  that any boss would like to find in his secretary.
    Figure out the qualities of leadership that you would like to see in others— then put them into practice yourself! Christ Himself gives the divine standard: “As you wish men to do to you, also do you to them.” (Luke 6:31)
    4.  Bring out the best in others— Someone once said. “Blessed is the leader who develops leaders while leading.” It should help you to make this examination of conscience:

•    Do you rejoice in the success of others?

•    Do you give credit where credit is due?

•    Are you a good listener?

•    Do you encourage  others to offer ideas?

•    Do you seek the advice of those who are more expert than yourself?

•    Do you invite constructive criticism?

•    Do you frankly admit your mistakes and take the blame for them?

•    Do you delegate to others their share of responsibility, or do you let a cause suffer by making it a one-man operation?

•    Do you allow individuals the freedom they need and deserve to do their job well?

•    Do you encourage the legitimate self-interest that everyone needs in his work?

•    Do you, in short, treat others as you wish to be treated yourself?

    5. Win by losing- With the position of responsibility comes troubles, problems, disappointments and misunderstandings. One such man called these trials the penalties of leadership.        Look beyond the heartaches and heartbreaks that you are bound to encounter. They are the lot of every worthwhile leader. Never forget that you are winning most while you seem to lose.        One day you will have the consolation of saying with St. Paul: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just Judge will give me in that day.  (II Tim. 4:7,8)

Five Reasons to Twitter in Church

I have several posts on Twittering, especially with regards to the use of it in church services. Scott Williams lists on his web site the following five reasons for twittering in church:

"I know there are some varying opinions about texting and utilizing social media during church.  I actually use my YouVersion Bible app. on my iPhone during church and I have also been known to Twitter during a church experience/service.  I think individuals should Twitter while they are in church and here are 5 Reasons Why."

5 Reasons To Twitter During Church

1. You have the opportunity to be a real-time extension of your pastor’s voice while he/she is communicating God’s word.
2. If the pastor shares something that moves you, inspires you or changes your life; there is a good chance it will have the same impact on the lives of your followers as well.
3. When Jesus said: Go into all the world and preach the Gospel… “All The World” applies to the Internet world, as well as the TwitterWorld.  Do your part by going into all the TwitterWorld, tweeting the Good News.
4. You will have a stored database of your compelling thoughts and notes, from your favorite sermons.
5. You can spare a couple of minutes of (SAD) Sermon Attention Deficit during most sermons.  It’s better use of your time Twittering great thoughts than drawing on the back of offering envelopes.

You can visit Scott's site at http://bigisthenewsmall.com/?p=2363 and see all the responses to his list.

 

Giving Through Volunteerism

A pastor recently made a plea  to his congregation for volunteer help in their growing church. One particular area that was in great need (as is the case in many churches) was the nursery program. Since they were unable to obtain an adequate number of volunteers they began hiring paid staff. I was shocked when the pastor mentioned that they were adding $1000.00 a month to their budget for this need.  

    What has happened to the spirit of giving that was exemplified in earlier generations of our denominations? They not only gave freely of their money but freely of their time and talents. For many of  our churches  this era of giving is extinct, giving way to the new Baby Boomer attitude that says,    “ I ‘d rather give money for someone else to do the work than to do it myself.” It seems that the present generation has more money than time.

    Another prevailing attitude among pastors is that in order to get any thing done right you must pay someone to do it. The reasoning  here seems to be based on the idea that when someone is monetarily compensated for a job the employer has more control over the situation Now the “employee” is not only responsible to God, but to the one who writes the paycheck.             
    What can be done to recapture the spirit  of volunteerism that responds to the Biblical command “What ever your hands find to do as unto the Lord.”?

    First,  pastors need to teach from the pulpit the true meaning of volunteerism. They need to let the congregation know what  areas are in need. Emphasize the need for commitment as well as quality.

    Second,  churches need to develop a job description for every area of ministry that  requires volunteer help. When  the church has need of professional help, and there are volunteers for the need, give them a description of the work that is to be completed and  what the expected results should be. Try developing a volunteer work contract which includes your expectations.

    Third, develop a membership survey and include questions concerning past and present occupations.  Look for those who have professional experience in relevant areas. Take this survey and make a file on occupations available in the congregation. When a need arises, contact those who have experience in that area and see if they would be able to help. Again make sure they are aware of the job description  and expectations.

    Finally, determine if there is a member of your congregation who can help you supervise volunteer  help. You may want to give them the title of “Volunteer Coordinator.”  This individual should have a well rounded knowledge as well as experience in areas that will require volunteer support.

    The key to bringing a spirit of true volunteerism  starts with you, the pastor. As pastors we must find areas outside of our church for which we can volunteer. Your community has numerous agencies who are in need of volunteers. Set the example, find the time and the old and young alike will follow your lead.

REPENTANCE:A Short Study

Repentance is that act whereby one recognizes and turns from his sin, confessing it to God. Its subsequent correlative is faith in Christ. The two together - repentance and faith - constitute a genuine conversion. Negatively, the incentive  for turning from  sin is recognition of its offense against God. Whereas, positively, the incentive for turning to Christ is a realization of His work in atoning for our sins.
A. What repentance is NOT!                
    1. It is not remorse. Many a sinner is not ready to repent, because he is not ready to give up his sins. Heaven is full of repentant one time sinners; however hell is full of remorseful ones. (Matt. 13:42, 50; Lu. 13:38; Rev. 6:15-17) Repentance is godly sorrow for the grievance against God and the anguish caused God by our rebellious disobedience.
    2. It is not making New Year's resolutions, or turning over a new leaf. No one truly repents unless he sees something of the heinousness of sin in God's sight. (Isa 6:5; Psalm 51; Psalm 34:13-22; Psalm 32:3-5)
    3. It is not the same as doing penance. Penance is tinged with the idea of gaining merit before God. NOTHING can be added to Christ's work as far as atoning for our sins is concerned. (Eph. 2:8,9; Tit.3:5)

B. What repentance IS!
    The word repentance literally means "a change of mind". This indicates that repentance is a "mental attitude" towards sin. The repentant sinner faces his sin and God at the same time and he makes no attempt to conceal or excuse it. He openly declares it before God. . . (Psalms 38:18a. . . I WILL DECLARE MY INIQUITY.)
    1. Legal repentance is the fear of damnation. It makes us fear the wrath of God.
    2. Evangelical repentance is the fear of sinning. It makes us fear the cause of that wrath, which is sin.
    To advance from the fear of God's wrath to the fear of causing that wrath is to make progress in repentance. Even the demons tremble in fear of God's wrath, however it does not lead them to repentance.

C. The three sides of repentance- All three sides of the triangle of repentance are essential if true conversion is to take place.
    1. The "Intellectual" aspect. There must be a recognition of our condition and of what sin is. (Sin by the way is ANY act, disposition or state that is contrary to God or His will.) One must realize he personally has sinned. (Psalm 51:4; Luke 15:21)
    2. The "Emotional" aspect. The true sense of one's sinfulness always produces godly sorrow. (Psalm 38:18b; Psalm 51:8) One's emotional reaction may vary due to his temperament. There is no set number of tears that must flow before one is truly repentant. Beware- unless the emotions are harnessed to the will, they can become harmful. True godly sorrow always leads to immediate action. In Acts 9:17-20 we see where Saul (Paul) at once obeyed Ananias and was baptized.
    3. The "Volitional" aspect. This has to do with the will, for it is the base of the triangle of repentance, on which the remainder rests. If we have gone no further than the intellectual and emotional stages of repentance, we have not gone far enough. In order to be forgiven our sins, we must forsake them. (Isa. 55:7; Prov. 28:13)

(From the Notes of Dr John T. Reed)

The Good Samaritan

The following  insight of the story Good Samaritan and the man who went down to Jericho came from the notes of the late Dr. John T. Reed, a professor at the Bible College I attended.

 

1. There Was;   
    This is not a parable. It is not only history, but prophecy. It begins with the lawlessness of man and closes with the ascension of the church. Here we see the sinner's condition; The Savior's power; The blessed Church; The work of the Holy Spirit; The promise of the return of the Good Samaritan.

2. A Certain Man;
    Whose name was Adam, whom God made in His own image, and into whom He breathed the breath of life which made him a living soul capable of choosing his own destiny.

3. Went Down;
    Violated the law of God, sinned, lowered himself, separated himself from God, fell down. Going from Jerusalem is going from God. The prodigal went from the Father's house.

4. From Jerusalem;
    Jerusalem, God's house. From God's standard of living. The house of worship and protection. Going from God into a life of sin.

5. To Jericho;
    The terminal of the ungodliness. The highway of lawlessness. The broad way to destruction. The end of the way of the transgressors. Like Adam, all have sinned and are on their way to Jericho.

6. Fell Among Thieves;
    The thieves, were his sinful habits. Evil associations corrupt good manners. His sin exposed him. He lost his good name and character because of his conduct. His sins stripped him of his God given purity and left him unclean and helpless.

7. Half Dead;
    Man's present condition before God. Alive yet dead to God. Sin has caused the separation. Dead in trespasses and in sin, yet alive, conscious and helpless.

8. The Priest;
    The Priest represents the law. The sinner finds no help or mercy in the law. The wages of sin is death. The man remains unclean, condemned and helpless.

9. The Levite;
    The Levite represents the religious or ecclesiastical leaders. A self-righteous group. The man who gets no help from the one who has only a form of worship. He remains unclean and helpless.


10. The Good Samaritan;
    Jesus is the Good Samaritan, the Son of God, who came to save sinners. He came to the man on the highway from Jerusalem to Jericho. He is the friend of sinners, the Redeemer, Savior, and King.

11. Came To Him;
    Jesus came to the fallen man. Came to redeem the fallen. Came to do what the Priest could not and what the Levite would not.

12. Had Compassion;
    Jesus proved his compassion by works. Jesus came to rescue sinners from evil habits and redeem them from the pit of evil. He went to the bottom and to the limit in the work of redemption.

13. Oil and Wine;
    The Spirit and Joy of salvation is here represented by oil and wine. Here we find the saving power of God in Christ Jesus. The new  birth; a new creation; justification; cleansing and redemption.

14. His Own Beast;
    Christ power of locomotion. The divine system of transportation. Getting back to God. The redemptive system of instant transformation and not progressive.

15. An Inn;
    The Inn represents the Church, the Body of Christ, the redeemed company. Not a denomination, but spiritual invisible body in which souls of the redeemed are housed. The Church of Christ.

16. The Host;
    The Host os the Holy Ghost. The Keeper of the Church, those who have been rescued from a file of sin. The Holy Ghost is our keeper, teacher and comforter in whose care the redeemed are placed.

17. The Two Pence;
    Here we find the Holy Ghost is endowed with the gifts to supply the needs of those who are in the church. The gifts which the Spirit has been given by the Good Samaritan are set forth in I Cor. 12., and may be obtained severally according to the needs of those in His care.

18. Till I Come;
    Here we have the doctrine of the second coming of Christ in the announcement of the return of the Good Samaritan. He is coming for those whom He rescued on the  highway leading from Jerusalem to Jericho.

 

Women of Age-Strong in Faith

In our society it is unfortunate that its elderly members are often looked upon as useless and antiquated.  We take away their jobs, put them in nursing homes and try to forget that they ever existed.  It is unfortunate because they still have so much to offer if only we would give them opportunity to be used of God.  Looking to the Word of God, we find many women who were beautiful examples of what God can do through anyone, regardless of their age.  Following are accounts of a few of these faithful women.

A woman, old in years, but still amazingly beautiful, stood in the doorway of her spacious black tent on the plains of Mamrs.  Sarah had sharp ears, and what she heard outside her door that very warm day sounded so ridiculous that she laughed to herself.

One of the three men who sat with Abraham under the oak at the door of the tent was speaking.  “Where is Sarah, your wife?” he asked.

“In the tent,” Abraham replied.

“Sarah shall soon have a son,” the visitor said.

Sarah heard it and laughed within herself, saying, “I am old and my husband is old also.  Shall I of a surety give birth to a child?”

No sooner had Sarah laughed at the unbelievable words of the speaker outside her tent, than the same voice sounded in her ears.  “Abraham,” he said, “why did Sarah laugh?  Is anything too hard for God?”

Abraham had not forgotten the promise that the Lord would give him an heir.  Sarah had borne him no children.  Disappointed, Sarah thought of how she had given her maid Hagar to Abraham for a wife that she might bear the seed God had promised.  Abraham was in his eighties and surely at his advanced age something should be done to fulfill the promise.  So Hagar bore Abraham a son, Ishmael.  But only sorrow and regret had come of that.  Now an angel of the Lord outside her tent had said that she was to have a son. 

“What is time with the Lord?” Sarah admitted now.  “We did not wait on God Almighty.  And we suffered.”

When finally a son was born to Abraham and Sarah, Abraham called the child Isaac (“he laughs”), and Abraham was an hundred years old when Isaac was born.  And with this, the course of history was changed forever.

Many years had passed since Miriam, daughter and eldest child of Amram and Jochebed, had watched over her infant brother, Moses, while he was hidden away in the bulrushes of the Nile to escape the murderous hand of Pharaoh.  From that time she had always felt a special interest in his welfare.  During the years his mother nursed him, and while he was being trained in Pharaoh’s court, her sisterly love followed him.  When he left the king’s palace and fled to the land of Midian, her heart went with him.  He was forty then.  There he remained as a shepherd for forty more years. 

Finally the day came when Moses came back.  He was eighty now.  And he told Aaron and Miriam and the children of Israel that God had called him home to deliver his people out of their bondage in Egypt. 

Although in her early nineties, Miriam was still strong and vigorous.  Life had been kind to her.  When the midnight hour of that fateful night came she began the long journey with Moses and Aaron out of Egypt and into the burning wastes of the desert through with they must march on their way to Canaan. 

During Pharaoh’s desperate attempts to keep Israel in Egypt, Miriam’s faith never faltered concerning God’s purposes for her people.  God had chosen Moses to undertake the task of guiding the multitude into the place prepared for Israel. Nothing could foil that purpose, not even the stubborn king. 

So Miriam determined to play her part, and to play it faithfully.  What if she was past ninety!  She would be fully able to do what God had called her to do.  She would lead the women.  She would be their encourager.  With words of cheer, with her songs, and with her timbrel, she would stir their hearts to action.  She would convince them that God was leading them by day and by night.  Nothing was too hard for God.

Miriam was a handmaiden of the Lord.  She was meant to sing and to work in he desert. She was not chosen to walk in the green fields nor to rest on sunny slopes.  She was made to share sorrows,  the failures, the bitterness of those who also must travel the unknown, untried path of the desert.  We must admire her courage that enabled her at a ripe old age to stay with her Moses to the end. 

It had been ten years since she left her home in Bethlehem-Judah.  Alone in her Moab house, Naomi thought back on those days when famine had come to her homeland.  For years Midianite hordes had swarmed down upon the country like grasshoppers, devouring the ripened grain and produce. Drought followed and famine threatened.  Finding it difficult to obtain a living, she and her husband had fled with their two sickly sons into Moab.  Her sons grew and married Moabite women. 

During those first years of family life was a joy.  Naomi loved her daughters-in-law, and they loved her.  Life ran smoothly until death stepped in and took Elimelech.  The sunshine went out of Naomi’s life.  Then sorrow increased as she lost both of her sons to death as well. 

Forlorn now, destitute, her youth and beauty gone, Naomi turned in thought back to the little town of Bethlehem.  No longer did the high plateau lands of Moab intrigue her.  Her heart ached for home.  To her Hebrew heart the land across the Jordan would always be her real home.  So she decided to return. 

With her mind made up, Naomi called her daughters-in-law to her and said, “I’m going back to my people, back to the home I left for Moab, back where I hope I may forget the past, back to the worship of the God of my people.”

When at last the three of them came where the path joined the highway, Naomi paused and looking into the faces of Ruth and Orpah, she said gently, but firmly, “Go, return each to your mother’s house.  May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.  The Lord grant that each of you may find a good husband.”  After this Naomi kissed them.

Ruth and Orpah began to weep.  How they loved Naomi!  How kind and understanding she had been - how gracious, what an example of her religion!  And now they declared, “Surely we will go with you and to your people.

Although Orpah did not go with Naomi, Ruth declared “For where you go, I will go; and where you live, I will live; your people shall be my people and your God my God.” 

We may be sure God had a hand in Naomi’s returning home and bringing with her Ruth, who married Boaz and became the mother of Obed.  Naomi never knew that the child she cuddled would become the father of Jesse, who in turn would be father of David, and David in turn Israel’s greatest king and the ancestor of our Lord.  We realize that God was leading Naomi, even in her old age, and using her to lead one of earth’s most lovable women out of heathen worship that she might become the ancestress of Him who was to come.

They all made mistakes along the way, but they stood firm in their faith.  And isn’t it interesting that the most significant things in their lives came in the late years of their life? 

Excerpts from Bible Women of Faith by Hazel G. Neal. The Warner Press, Indiana. 1955

True EKKLESIA

The Greek New Testament has only one word translated church. This word is EKKLESIA, which occurs 115 times in the New Testament and is translated assembly three times, and church 112 times.

EKKLESIA refers to people; it’s a collective term meaning a group of people.

A truer definition is a group of called out or chosen people.The church is never a building.  No record exists in the Bible or even in the first two centuries of the Christian era that a building was called a church.

The building aspect wouldn’t matter so much if in each so called “church” building a true ekklesia  existed, and  ekklesia principles applied.  Many have tended to equate “going to church” with attending what is little more than a preaching center.  They meet once or twice a week to take some small part in a structured service and hear a preacher. And of course there are others  that go weekly to services that aren’t necessarily preaching, but just to take part together in a time honored ritual of singing, responding, reading or reciting, kneeling and standing.  One questions if there is real community among them, a real practical belonging to one another in the Holy Spirit.  There may be, of course, but the fact remains that the restoration of anything like real fellowship in a group of God’s called out, chosen ones, an ekklesia, is virtually unknown to millions of “church” goers today.

An analysis of ekklesia  shows three categories of church in the New Testament:

A.    The Church of Jesus Christ universal;

B.    The Church identified with a city or town;

C.    The Church in a home.

The Universal Church is what Jesus referred to when He said to Peter “Upon this rock I will build My church.” Paul  also refers to this meaning when he writes to the Ephesians that “God gave Him as head over all things to the church which is His body.” And further on: “. . . .that the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

On nearly a hundred occasions ekklesia refers to a city or town church.  City churches  or local churches  are referred to in the words of Jesus and the Spirit to the churches in the first three chapters of Revelation: for example, “Unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: . . .”

In Acts 11 we read: “News reached the church at Jerusalem.” In chapter 20, “From Miletus he (Paul) sent to  Ephesus and called to him elders of the church.”  There are many other examples.

We learn from historical records that some of these towns or cities were large.  In some cases, the city church would have been far too big to meet in any one building.  It had to be subdivided into smaller units.

The second chapter of Acts describes what is the beginning of New Testament church life and structure.  It was soon after this that they were meeting in the Synagogues  and from  house to house.  Home fellowships or churches are recognized by Paul when he writes in the last chapter of Romans: “Greet Priscilla and  Aquilla . . . also greet the church that is in their house.”  Elsewhere he mentions the church in Nympha’s house; and , when writing to Philemon, “the church in your house.”  So it seems clear that for the early church, the home was a normal setting for prayer, teaching, worship and fellowship.

Fellowship is essential to true ekklesia. Many have the idea that fellowship as merely a cheerful, back-slapping, social contact.  True Biblical fellowship is something very personal, even intimate: a full, open, warm sharing one’s life and spirit with others.

The church is the family of God daily, not one day a week.  We cannot have fellowship in the New Testament sense if we see each other on Sunday morning and live in isolation for the next six days.