Articles
“Is This Going to Be on the Test?”
“Is This Going to Be on the Test?”
(The Beatitudes Revisited)
“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake’” (Matt. 5:1-11).
Then Peter said, "Do we have to write this down?"
And Andrew said, "Are we supposed to know this?"
And Philip said, "What if we don't know it?"
And Bartholomew said, "Do we have to turn this in?"
And John said, "The other disciples didn't have to learn this."
And Matthew said, "When do we get out of here?"
And Judas said, "What does this have to do with real life?"
Then one of the Pharisees present asked to see Jesus' lesson plans and inquired of Jesus His annual goals and short term objectives in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.
And Jesus wept.
Those of you who are teachers can relate to this (all too well, I'm sure). And all of us who have been students can recall having the same attitude in school: “If this isn't going to be on the test, then I'm not going to write it down, I'm not going to learn it, I'm not going to remember it, and you can't make me!”
Perhaps some of that same attitude carries over into the workplace. “If doing this doesn't contribute to my chances for a promotion down the road (translation: 'it's not on the test'), then I'm not about to put forth the extra effort it would require.”
Or how about in the local church? Ever heard someone say, “I don't attend on Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights because I don't think you have to do that to go to heaven”? (translation: “I don't think it's on the test”). At what point in our Christian lives did we turn from wanting to learn, wanting to grow, wanting to do everything we can possibly do for God, to doing the least amount necessary to just barely “pass the test?”
“This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; that you will do many good things with the help of Christ to bring glory and praise to God” (Phil. 1:9-11). (John Harris, Climbing Backwards Out of Caves, 2010)
To Cheer You
If I were a music box,
Here’s what I would do:
I would learn all your favorite songs;
I would play them all for you.
I would play the songs the angels sing
Of Moses and the Lamb;
I would play the song of the Israelites
As they marched towards Canaan’s land.
I would play you a song of David,
The song of Paul and Silas, too.
There could be a song of the converted jailor
When he learned what he should do.
I would play the song of rippling waters,
The wind whispering through the trees;
I would play the song of the whippoorwill,
And the wren singing in the breeze.
I would play the song the robin sings
As she sings her song of love;
I would play a song of prayer for you
To our Heavenly Father above.
I would play “We’re Marching to Zion,”
“The City that Lieth Four Square”;
And we know “Each Step We Take”
Will lead us safely there.
If I were a music box…
(Anna Suddoth Rudolph, 2/21/98)
Test Your Bible Knowledge of Good Kings
1. I was king of Salem to whom Abraham paid tithes__________
2. I was the wisest of men__________
3. I was not allowed to build the Temple of God__________
4. I prayed when sick and God gave me 15 more years of life__________
5. I restored worship in Judah like no other king before me__________
6. I was good man with bad friends__________
Upcoming Sermons
6/28/20 AM - “When for Deeper Faith I Seek”; PM - Out of the Tombs and Into the Light
7/5/20 AM - “Behold, All Souls are Mine”; PM - “Did You Think to Pray?” (Sermon in Song)
7/12/20 AM - “When for Deeper Faith I Seek”; PM - God Will “Take Care” of the Wicked
7/19/20 AM - What to Do When God Says “No”; PM - How Can a Loving God Allow Evil to Exist?
7/26/20 AM - Why Do We Love the Lost?; PM - Living with Gomer
