EDMONTON - When a long-time member of his congregation asked if she and some amateur clowns could put on a worship service, Rev. Jim Lochhead had just one tiny request.
Could he be one of those who'd be painting up their faces and wearing funny clothes?
Last Sunday morning, Lochhead was among nine clowns who strode into the sanctuary at McClure United Church to the taped sounds of Send In The Clowns.
The pantomime worship service brought glorious laughter and applause. Best of all, the service apparently connected with the congregation at a deeper level....
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..." 1 Cor. 1:18 Probably above all else, this is what the news article is showing. Because the message of the cross does not gain the world's attention, we exchange the "foolishness" of the message of the cross for just plain foolishness! This really does show how man's "wisdom" in trying to gain an audience is foolishness in the eyes of God. It does draw a crowd, but it doesn't make converts and disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ. God, save us from ourselves!
Cbcpreacher wrote: Hello, Michael! Good to hear there are still some out there who want the truth! I just finished preaching on revival (it started as one message and ended up going on for about 8 weeks!). The sad part is that so amny, even in our good fundamental churches, don't have a heart for revival. And I sum up revival as simply having a heart for God and pursuing Him with all we are. It seems that this would be the desire of every truly born again believer, and yet the love of so many has waxed cold! We need to pray for God's mercy and grace to be poured out on His church because the fields are white unto harvest. If we don't do it, who will?
Amen! and Amen! To praying for, to having a heart for REVIVAl, to be a people with a heart after God and pursuing Him with all we are.
Hello, Michael! Good to hear there are still some out there who want the truth! I just finished preaching on revival (it started as one message and ended up going on for about 8 weeks!). The sad part is that so amny, even in our good fundamental churches, don't have a heart for revival. And I sum up revival as simply having a heart for God and pursuing Him with all we are. It seems that this would be the desire of every truly born again believer, and yet the love of so many has waxed cold! We need to pray for God's mercy and grace to be poured out on His church because the fields are white unto harvest. If we don't do it, who will?
Cbcpreacher wrote: I started to read some of the posts on this topic and saw just how far out in left field they were, so I quit. To try to get back on topic, this is what is wrong with the church today. We have biblically illiterate people in the pews because we have worldly entertainers in the pulpits! These folks should have been looking to throw this man out of the church so that they could find a Bible believing and preaching pastor. Oh, wait, they want it this way. Doesn't scripture say something about "itching ears"?
Cbcpreacher Good to read your posts once again. While I tend to agree with you there are many who want their ears tickled and despise solid Biblical preaching and preachers...IMHO The LORD still has his remnant who are starving to hear good solid Biblical preaching.
My daughter surprised me today to tell of a senior at her Christian School who spoke in Chapel Service about the need (in my words) of a Revival in their school. He was not a young man I even began to suspect would have any interest in Christ and apparently didn't until just recently and wants something real, something a whole lot more than the decline that has been going on for years all around us.
I started to read some of the posts on this topic and saw just how far out in left field they were, so I quit. To try to get back on topic, this is what is wrong with the church today. We have biblically illiterate people in the pews because we have worldly entertainers in the pulpits! These folks should have been looking to throw this man out of the church so that they could find a Bible believing and preaching pastor. Oh, wait, they want it this way. Doesn't scripture say something about "itching ears"?
John UK wrote: Thanks for the link Randy, it is a shame that it is a review rather than his actually teaching, but I get the gist. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. John 10:3 KJV Are you telling me that Christ called you (with an inward as well as outward call) wihout using your name? And without using a voice? I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:14-16 KJV Now take the word "know". Father and Son "know" one another, just as Son and his sheep "know" each other. Is all this "knowing", even in the Godhead, merely through the Bible? How did Adam "know" God?
Thanks for the link Randy, it is a shame that it is a review rather than his actually teaching, but I get the gist.
To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. John 10:3 KJV
Are you telling me that Christ called you (with an inward as well as outward call) wihout using your name? And without using a voice?
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. John 10:14-16 KJV
Now take the word "know". Father and Son "know" one another, just as Son and his sheep "know" each other. Is all this "knowing", even in the Godhead, merely through the Bible?
John UK wrote: Hi Randy, it's so good to hear from you again. I hope Horn hasn't seen your post, because he's likely to have a go at you for saying that a spirit is teachable. To him, that is mysticism in its purest form. (Quick, edit it and change spirit to mind).
Actually John, I think he had a point. You are probably also guilty of being a Blackaby supporter:
"When amusement is necessary to get people to listen to the gospel there will be failure. This is not the method of Christ. To form an organization and provide all kinds of entertainment for young people, in order that they may come to the Bible classes, is to be foredoomed to failure." --G. Campbell Morgan
Some Pastors may not dress up as a clown but they have youth meetings which often include fun and gimmicks to draw in the young.
Even good evangelistic ministries use gimmicks to get the lost to read a gospel tract
Randy wrote: It doesn't matter much if you are correct on your posts (which I believe you are)your comment reveals an unteacheble spirit.
Hi Randy, it's so good to hear from you again.
I hope Horn hasn't seen your post, because he's likely to have a go at you for saying that a spirit is teachable. To him, that is mysticism in its purest form. (Quick, edit it and change spirit to mind).
John UK wrote: I do not accept that I have ever been OFF topic. Whose side are you on?
It doesn't matter much if you are correct on your posts (which I believe you are)your comment reveals an unteacheble spirit. Your personal feeling about being off topic is irrelevant. The moderators run this site and they will close this thread as they have others if it remains off topic.Check out all of the moderators posts. What is the number one reason they close threads? Getting off topic.
You have too many good things to say to stoop to the tactics of Tony, and Jim.
William S. Sutherland wrote: Hey, guys, if I can horn in, I agree with Randy & Moderator Alpha, get back on the topic of the article. Quit clowning around!
Mr Sutherland (nothing to do with the north of Scotland are you?), I do not accept that I have ever been OFF topic. After all, this article is about the worship of Almighty God, is it not? And I maintain that Christianity is both spiritual and supernatural, that God is a Spirit, and that he MUST be worshipped in spirit and in truth.
But what do we have today in the vast majority of churches? I tell you: we do not have THE REAL THING, but a pseudo form of worship which gets no higher than the ceiling. I tell you something else: you get a Spirit-filled man in a prayer-meeting, who prays in the Spirit, with great tears and supplications, as he prays through the will of God, and that man will be censured and ostracised, and maybe even thrust out of the fellowship for upsetting the old grannies. I tell you one more thing: you get a man in the pulpit who is onfire for the Lord, and he will create a spiritual congregation, once he is left with just the wheat.
William S. Sutherland wrote: Hey, guys, if I can horn in, I agree with Randy & Moderator Alpha, get back on the topic of the article. Quit clowning around!
Interesting discussion but it has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. As was suggested, you both have the option to continue your discussion by PM but this thread needs to get back on topic.
HornNest wrote: You read all that into the passage?!!
Sure, it's all there.
Imagine, a man comes home from work. He sees a note on top of the microwave, "Dinner ready, cook on full power for ten minutes."
Immediately he thinks, "Oh what a wonderful wife I have got."
After dinner he gets out his photo album and looks at all the pictures of when he got married, and reads all the love letters they exchanged. He thinks, "Oh what an amazing wife I have got."
He later turns in, and leaves a note by the bedside telling his wife how much he loves her and would do anything for her.
What!
And you want me to live my Christian life like that?
Now when it comes to WORSHIP (just to keep Randy happy) the great privilege we have as believers, is that we have something far better than the high priest, who went into the Most Holy Place once a year, with blood, for his own sins and the sins of the nation. The presence of God was so dangerous that he had to make a thick cloud of smoke before God would appear to him and speak with him. But now that the veil is rent, this shows that the way in to the MHP is open to all, in the spiritual sense, by the blood of Jesus. And we meet God.
Postor wrote: "The term "Christian mystic" is an oxymoron. Mysticism is not the experience of a Christian. Whereas Christian doctrine maintains that God dwells in all Christians and that they can experience God directly through belief in Jesus, Christian mysticism aspires to apprehend spiritual truths inaccessible through intellectual means, typically by emulation of Christ. The Bible tells us that Christ-likeness is achieved only by dying to self—not by self-effort at emulating anyone—and that spiritual truth is discerned through the intellect as guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who lives in all believers (John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:14)".(gotquestions.org)
Thank you Postor, now I see what you mean.
MU "This union, as its name indicates, is a mystery. It is experienced by the believer, but cannot adequately be put into words. The fullness of the experience is proportioned to the degree of faith and sanctification. The union is established when the sinner comes to faith and is justified, and grows more close, intimate and strength-giving as his sanctification increases."
Randy wrote: You guys have gotten so far off topic that this thread will not last much longer. Why don't yopu just hit the little envolope icon and e amil John. Instead of clogging the whole thread with your debate?
Hey, I just realised that my post was also off topic!
Sincere apologies to y'all!
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