THE DOLLAR-EIGHTY SERMON

Is faith a matter of the mind only, or is there some feeling mixed in with it?  The Charismatics look for the feeling – the experience.  The Baptists look for the teaching.  When the Bible says “we walk by faith, not by sight” does that mean we set aside the feeling and recall from our minds what God said and walk that way?  What feeling could there possibly be that would be reason or justification enough to go against God's word?

If sermons can be rated as to worth, say from $0 to $3.00 dollars, X preaches a $2.00 sermon.  What does it mean when he preaches a $1.80 sermon and we have to add to it $0.20 from our own store so that it can be a somewhat balanced sermon?  Where do we get the other dollar?  What about when this happens Sunday after Sunday?  What about the people who don't have anything to add because they do not actually read the Bible.  If they read, they read books about what is said in the Bible.  What do they do?

GROWING THE UNDERSTANDING

When I first came to know the Lord, I accepted Jesus as my savior, but I has a problem with thinking of him as God.  Much later (after accepting Jesus as God) I had a problem with accepting the Holy Spirit as God.  Later (after recognizing the Holy Spirit as God) I struggled with the Trinity being “persons” rather than “offices”.  The growth of the concept came from doctrine taught over the years.

AVOIDING (THE WRONG WAY)

2 Timothy 3, vs 1-7 speaks very well of the current day people who are in the church but are really wicked. It seems to me the list can apply as well to lofty Legalists as the flamboyant Charismatics. The aberrant Charismatics* are more open and easy to see than those who have the “form of godliness, but deny the power thereof”.

We avoid them by:
- - Continuing in things learned and assured (proved).
- - Learn things that come from good sources
- - Life long learning from the Scripture..

This we get through:
- - Doctrine, systematic way of teaching, thinking. First we must know the basic truth.
- - Reproof, “you are wrong, stop, repent”. We must stop the wrong activity.
- - Correction, “you are going off course, this is what you must do to correct”. We must show where and how we are getting off course.
- - Instruction in righteousness, describing and demonstrating what are the right actions and thoughts. We must show what is the right way to do things..

Parents play a first, primary and major role in accomplishing this..

*Not the good ones, but the aberrant ones.