August 2008 #3

QUESTION TIME – My daughter, Patty Armitage, was sharing with me that her husband was on the radio again this week in Houston. He fills in quite often for a program where people are given an opportunity to call in for the pastor to answer their questions about the Bible and spiritual matters. I told her I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that, I am not the quickest answering questions out of the blue that way. Then I remembered a practice I had over the years of occasionally giving the people in our mission churches the opportunity of talking me out of my sermon by asking questions they had on their minds about the Bible and spiritual problems or incidents they had when witnessing to others. This was usually done on a Sunday evening. This gave them opportunity to respond to things I had preached or questions that had come to mind from their Bible reading and discussions with others. They usually kept the questions coming and my answers used up the time normally given to my sermon. The people always appreciated those times and I believe it was also a growth time for them while keeping me on my toes. These informal times drew the pastor and people closer together in dealing with questions and circumstances they were facing. So often in earlier years of having to work to support my ministry this also served to make my study time easier as I could preach the sermon they talked me out of the next week. (Smile, an ulterior motive.) At the church in Ogallala, Nebraska one of the area banks sponsored a daily fifteen-minute devotional time on the radio. The various churches in the area were given turns to speak for a week during that time, but it was strictly a devotional time, not a question and answer program

CHAPLAIN OF THE WEEK – It was also the policy of the churches in Ogallala at that time to have the pastor who spoke on the radio to be the hospital chaplain that week. We were at liberty to call on all the patients in the hospital during that week as Chaplain. I always took literature with me to leave with the patients and I read Scripture and had prayer with all that were willing to have me do so. I counted it a privilege to so minister. I also found it interesting at that time and on many occasions elsewhere, to learn that many of the pastors never bother to read the Scriptures or have prayer with the patients. Once in awhile I come across an individual that didn’t want me to read the Bible or have prayer with them, but that was rare. Larger hospitals have full time chaplains but often the smaller communities do not. Through the years I have always called in the hospital on our church families and others as I have had opportunity to do so. It is a time when hearts are often open to hear the gospel when at other times they might not be.

THE CASE AGAINST BARACK OBAMA - This is the title of a book by David Freddoso that is now available and has been on the best sellers list the past number of weeks. I’d like to have it to read but I haven’t ordered it yet. I have been reading excerpts from it from different sources dealing with questions about Obama’s personal judgments that raise questions about his qualifications to be president. He deals with his failing to make the grade on “three E’s: Energy, Education, and Eastern Europe. You may have picked up on those discussions in the news recently along with his alignment with the choice of friends and associations with people like Tony Rezko, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Bill Ayers. You might want to purchase the book or see if you can check it out at the library to help in your decision making process before November. I’ve always found reading such books helpful in understanding the election issues.

DNC CONVENTION – Keeping Fox News on most of the day I heard a lot of the discussions going on about the convention and also listened to the major speeches during the evening. For all the Obama talk of change, it sounds like the same old Democratic Politics of the past. The claim that Obama will restore the world’s confidence in America doesn’t hold much credibility with me. Then too, he is going to save us from the climate crisis (if there really is one). You’d think the man was a miracle worker. Obama’s inexperience will probably be balanced out by Joe Biden’s years of experience in the Senate as his vice president. My observations of Biden sitting on various committees over the years reveal his fiery opposition to every effort of President Bush and the Republicans, so we know he has the full approval of the Democrats for that position. Next week we will now be showered with Republican view points and see how the political battles will line up through the November elections. I don’t have a great deal of confidence in our nation’s future as a world leader. I still believe we must decline in world influence so that Biblical prophecy will be played out relating to Israel.

ISSUES FROM THE PAST – Thinking back over the years relating to issues there are several I recall. When I was first licensed to preach and started my first church there were debates with books and articles being written contrasting Evangelicalism and Modernism. Some were questioning the reality of Biblical miracles while trying to explain them away. For me, when the Bible records a miracle from the Old Testament or in the life of Christ, that was true fact and to question them was heretical and unnecessary. Then there was a period where some debated and questioned whether it was necessary to believe in a literal, bodily resurrection of Christ. Then there was a flood of writings and discussions about demon possession and whether it was possible for Christians to be so possessed. This raised many fears for many Christians and dozens of books were published but I am assured there is no way for the Holy Spirit to indwell a believer and then be possessed by a demonic cohort of Satan. Ecumenism heated up, more debates, arguments and books dealing with that subject. As these issues passed there was then the issue of translations and which Bible was inspired and who was a heretic for using anything but the old King James Bible. More recently is the issue of the immerging church and whether we should have large church buildings or home churches. I know there were other issues that fail to come to mind right now but one thing is certain, the book publishers have made a mint printing and selling their wares. Then too, I wonder what will be the next issue, it seems there is always another on the horizon. We just can’t seem to be content with the Bible itself as our guide. We seem to relish new issues.

HEALTH ISSUES – I have decided it is probably the better part of wisdom to go ahead and have heart by-pass surgery, as much as I dread it. I am waiting for a call back from the surgeon on Tuesday to learn when it may be done. Betty had August off with her chemo treatments but will start up again on the fourth of September. She has been feeling some better and doing a little more around the house than she was. We do so appreciate your continued and faithful prayers on our behalf.