A TITANIC TRUTH

"A TITANIC TRUTH"

Guest Blog by Pastor Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

Tillers Corner, Alabama

A few weeks back our family went to see the Titanic exhibition in Atlanta.

The exhibit is set up as an interactive tour. At the beginning of the tour, each person is given a card with the name of someone who was on the ship. You are given some slight biographical information on the person such as sex, age, reason for the trip, family on board, class of cabin, etc. but you are not told whether the person survived. It made for interesting conjecture among us, trying to figure out if “our” person “made it” or perished when Titanic went down. Since the great majority did not survive, you know from the beginning that the odds are against your passenger. If they were an adult male, the odds were even less. If you were a poor, adult, male, you didn’t hardly stand a chance. As we continued the tour, seeing all kinds of artifacts pulled from the wreckage, photos of the ship, and items about the voyage, the lighting grew more dim, and the atmosphere was purposely made more morbid and threatening. From the excitement of leaving port you moved to the horror of the collision with the iceberg. I had been given the name of an adult male, relatively poor. Viewing scenes of wreckage from the destruction of the great ship, I began to hope against hope, that “my” person somehow survived. At the end, I was not surprised, however, to find his name among those who were lost at sea. I heard someone say that it would be wonderful if a person could go back in time and warn the people about what was going to happen. “Think of all the lives you could save!” they said.

I, however, had the unpleasant knowledge that even a time traveler would have little or no effect on the fate of these people. If you could go back and be on Titanic, you would be utterly frustrated. No matter what you said, or how passionately you might plead, or how much proof you offered, almost everyone would continue on exactly as they had before. That is the nature of people. They would rather go on in ignorant bliss and would resent someone disturbing that bliss.

The worst part of all, is that you would be on board that ship with those same people that were destined for disaster. Even if your safety were guaranteed, if you knew that you would be whisked to safety right before the disaster, you would not be happy. You would mourn for the people that were going to die. They would not be mere names on a slip of paper. They would be living, breathing people, with hopes and dreams, and families. Some of them you might not like, and they might not like you. But some of them would become your friends. Some would be very likeable, admirable, warm and engaging people. You might even find some that were kin to you. And though you might enjoy their company, you would have the knowledge that each day you were drawing closer to at time when those same people would be crying in terror and pain, freezing or drowning in frigid waters. Some would be on lifeboats watching their husbands and fathers going under with the great ship. The weight of that knowledge would temper every thing that you experienced. Folks may tell you to “lighten up” and “quit being so dramatic” and maybe “have some fun”. After all, you were on an unsinkable luxury liner. Couldn’t you just relax and let everyone enjoy the trip?

Eventually you would be forced to make a decision, whether to “chill out” and let them go ignorantly to their deaths, or be a fanatic, a nuisance, and hope to convince some to be prepared for disaster. Either way, it would certainly be no vacation.
Fortunately we will never have to make that decision. The disaster of the Titanic is history now, and that page of time is forever turned. But, as Christians, we live, work and associate with people every day in a very similar circumstance. We have the certain knowledge of a great disaster for them that makes the sinking of the Titanic pale in comparison. That knowledge allows us to be safe from the horror but lays a heavy burden on our shoulders for the people we come in contact with. Our desire is to warn them about what is to come, but so very few will even heed the warning.

I listened to a certain radio host who was talking about going to pre-marital counseling with a Baptist preacher. The host said that the preacher had insulted him horribly and left a really bad taste in his mouth for organized religion. He said, “I go in there for marriage advice, and the first thing this guy asks me is, ‘Are you a Christian?’ I wanted to tell him that I was an idol worshipper. I mean, what an insulting question. How dare he ask that?”

As I listened I tried to comprehend why this man should feel so insulted. What if he had gone to a doctor for a checkup before his marriage and the doctor asked him, “Are you healthy? Do you have any major physical problems?” Would the radio host be insulted at the doctor’s question? In fact, the question asked by this preacher is exactly the first question that should have been asked. The Bible specifically states that a believer is not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. It is the same thing as marrying a live person to a dead one. The preacher was merely asking, “Are you alive?” It is more than a concern for this man’s marriage; it is concern for his eternal fate.

Most people in America consider themselves to be a Christian. They, like this radio host, are very insulted if you ask them about their spiritual condition. And yet, the Bible tells us that the vast majority of people, no matter what they call themselves, are doomed to an eternity of eternal damnation. Like the folks on the Titanic, they have contented themselves with false sense of security and do not want that feeling to be challenged. They are very resentful if you dare question it. If you had asked a passenger on the Titanic, “What will you do if the ship sinks?” You would probably been answered with a sharp rebuke for daring to ruin their voyage by making them think about such a thing. After all, they were on an unsinkable ship, what could go wrong?

In hindsight, we see that many things went wrong. The Titanic disaster has raised a lot of questions. Why did the ship not have enough lifeboats? Why was she moving so fast in an area noted for icebergs? Why did the ship sink so quickly? Why did the captain ignore repeated warnings? If hard questions had been asked before the ship left for sea, then there would not have been a disaster. Instead, buoyed by false confidence and arrogance, questions were put aside and the ship steamed full speed ahead to a terrible fate. Even as the ship was sinking, many refused to believe it was happening. That is the way that people are. We do things like avoiding medical checkups because we are afraid that the doctor might actually find something. After all, what we don’t know won’t hurt us. It might, however, just kill us. It might even doom us for all time.

Every day I see people that I know and love. I run into friends and strangers alike I see friends that I care about deeply. I see family that means the world to me. I wish I could pretend that they were all going to be safe and sound for all time. But I have the terrible knowledge that a great many of them are headed for disaster. They are cruising full speed ahead, heedless of warnings, confident in their safety, unquestioning of their future. They worry about retirement. They worry about mortgages. They worry about the stock market, college tuition and health costs. But very few of them worry about their eternal destiny. When we leave this planet, all the worries of this world will be left behind. Many will realize then, that there was only one concern that absolutely had to be acted upon here on this earth; where they ended up when up when their time was up.

False hope. False confidence. False assurance. It sent the Titanic to the bottom of the sea, and many of its passengers along with it. The same will send many a soul to Hell.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, a man named Nicodemus sneaks over to see Jesus in the night. Nicodemus is a religious leader; a Pharisee. He is a teacher of the Word of God. He is a leader of the people, an instructor in righteousness. He is worried about his eternal destiny. Jesus looks into the heart of Nicodemus and answers the question that has driven this man to lay aside his pride and to seek answers. Jesus tells him, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus elaborates, “Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.”

That message, my friend, is to the point, final and unchangeable. It is the most important thing that you will ever hear or read. It holds the key to where you will spend your eternity also. Jesus answered not just for Nicodemus, but also for you and me. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!

This is the knowledge that bears such a weight in the heart of a true Christian. We know that unless a person is born again by the Spirit of God, they are doomed for eternity. They cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Instead of being insulted, when asked whether he was a Christian, that radio host should have asked himself, “Have I ever been born again?” The question is not, have you ever been baptized, or have you ever joined the church, or have you ever prayed a prayer, or have you ever had a religious experience. The question is, have you ever been born again by the Holy Spirit of God?

It’s a question that every person needs to ask. It’s the most important question you will ever answer. It is a very specific question with very specific guidelines. You can only be born again by the blood of Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) You can only come if the Holy Spirit convicts you of being a sinner. You must come with a repentant heart. You must come in faith, having nothing to offer for your salvation but the blood of Jesus. You must be born again!

I wish that every person had some sign that a pastor could see that would let them know who is saved and who is not. That knowledge, however, is only between each individual and God. The “proofs” of salvation are not for someone else to judge your eternal fate. They are given for you to know if you are saved. I can’t look at a diabetic and tell if they need insulin, at least not until they start showing severe symptoms. The diabetic person has to keep a check on their own blood sugar level, for their own benefit for their own well being. That is why God gives several “indicators” for each of us to check our spiritual health. You can call them “proof of life.”

First, have you ever come to Jesus in repentance and, in faith, asked Him to forgive you of your sin? Did you then make a public profession of your faith? That public profession does not save you, but it shows yourself and others that you really believe. Did you obey the first command of God to be baptized? (Again, the baptism does not save you, but it shows that you believe and obey, that you are willing to be identified with Jesus.) Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart? Has God placed a love for the other children of God within you? Do you desire to please Jesus and to have a loving relationship with Him? Do you have any of the “fruits” of the Spirit, such as peace about your eternal fate, faith in the Word of God and love for others? If you cannot answer “yes” to these questions, then you need to realize that you may be on the road to eternal disaster.

People do not like to think about Hell. It is a very unpleasant topic. Jesus, however, spoke a lot about Hell. He was very specific about its reality. The icy waters of the North Atlantic provided only a few moments of suffering for those lost on the Titanic. Many of those same poor souls awoke in the flames of eternal damnation. In Luke, chapter 16, Jesus tells of a man suffering in the flames of hellfire, who begs for someone to go and tell his brothers to repent, that they would not come to the same horrible fate he suffered, but he is told that even if one rose from the dead to warn them, they would not repent. That is the way of people. We would rather stay comforted in false assurance, than take heed to an uncomfortable warning.

Jesus has risen from the dead. He has warned us. Pastors, preachers and evangelists proclaim over and over the dire warning of Almighty God. And yet, every day we pass through a world that is oblivious to the disaster waiting just ahead. Each person, charting his or her individual course of disaster. Full speed ahead. As I pass among them, I just want to grab, shake them and pound some sense into them, but I know it would do no good. The Bible tells us that only a small number will be saved, that only a portion will hear the truth. They did not listen to Jesus then and they are not listening to us now. So we go about with this terrible knowledge, while we shake hands at the grocery store, and enjoy a meal in restaurant, that the majority of those around us will perish. Even looking out over our own congregation, we know that there are those sitting on our pews that will never see the Kingdom of God. At family gatherings or with good friends, people that we really like and care about, that knowledge hangs over us. It is a burden that is almost crushing. Our best consolation is that God says that one day, He will wipe away the tears from our eyes.

Only God will be able to wipe them away those tears because it is a depressing and sorrowful thing to realize that people that we know and love are not going to make it. Some will find the narrow path to eternal life, but most will sail down that broad highway to destruction.
So, dear friend or family member, if you see me with a bit of sadness in my eyes, if I seem a might downcast sometimes, it is only because I care about you, and I worry about you, and I dearly hope that we will be able to share eternity together. Jesus Christ died for you and He loves you dearly. Friend, there is still time to turn your ship around. I pray that you will heed the warning. God, who knows the future, has reached out to you in time to save you. Now, how you receive that warning is entirely up to you.

Eternity awaits!

~Steve Powell

Pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Tillers Corner, Alabama

Your Sunday Best

Your Sunday Best
Guest Blog By
Brother Ritechus N. Dignation

(sure to ignite & inspire .....)

I’m fired up again. I mean I’m really stirred up. I just came from church, but from the way folks were dressed, you would have thought we were at the county fair. Last week, I attended a funeral and the dearly departed was dressed better than the bereaved. I’ve seen folks dress better for a hog call’in.

It used to be that people took pride in themselves and dressed up for church, weddings, funerals and other special occasions. Now anything goes and nobody bats an eye at the sorry and ungodly way folks cover their hide (or don’t cover, in some cases).

Now I know the old argument “What’s on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside”, is technically true, but the label on a can also tells you what’s inside. My wife used to buy those unlabeled, dented cans for a quarter at the grocery store, but I got tired of eat’in cat food casserole. What’s on the outside is pretty important in my book.

My wife and daughter went to a bridal shower where the bride and other guests wore tacky jeans and shorts. They were out of place in their nice skirts and dress shoes. People tell me to loosen up cause times have changed. Dadgum right and that’s the problem. A sense of propriety, pride and decency have been lost in this generation and no one seems to care or notice but old fogeys like me. We’ve come a long way, baby, but we’re going in the wrong direction.

Nakedness in public is the norm, and not just from the younger folks. I see older people who know better, showing way too much skin, from top to bottom. Mothers and Grandmothers ought to be ashamed for leading young girls astray. The Bible says the older women are to teach the younger and brother they’ve done exactly that, but they have put the emphasis on modern apparel and not modest apparel.

And preacher, dress up. Comb your hair, tuck in your shirt and put on a tie. It ain’t gonna kill you to look professional. After all, you can’t out dress your calling.

Brother Ritechus N. Dignation.
Joseph Harris

Modern Martyrdom?

“It may seem an extreme assertion at first, but I believe that the challengeof living with popular culture may well be as serious for modern Christians as persecution and plaques were for the saints of earlier centuries. Being thrown to the lions or living in the shadow of gruesome death are fairly straightforward if unattractive threats. Enemies that come loudly andvisibly are usually much easier to fight than those that are undetectable.”
-Ken Myers

Co-exisiting with today’s popular culture is certainly a challenge for Christians and Christianity itself.
Amazingly, most modern believers are advocating following popular culture and pursuing the world, using it and its ways as a model!

But the Bible bodly says the exact opposite! Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Believers are to be "in the world, not of the world." The Bible is clear on the subject, and is in fact almost unsettling as it says: 1John 2:15"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Temptations to follow the world and its ways are certainly strong. Can these really compare with the ones of saints under persecution in the past? Not to the same extent, but I think the point certainly deserves attention and awareness.

Christians, especially those who are parents of young children and teenagers, are being attacked by snipers on all fronts, often ignorant that they are even being fire d upon until they take more than one direct hit. When dealing with active persecution, it is easier to see the enemy. It is when the enemy is concealed that the fighting becomes more difficult.

Never before has culture been so pervasive and even a necessary for communication. Aside from language and politics ( Government), it used to be in America and the world that one was able to raise their family within clearly defined moral exposure. Unless war called people away to foreign ports (and exposure to foreign substances and social mores) a person who did not want to be exposed to certain things, or whodidnot want his children exposed, could control this.

No longer.

Unless one literally lives in a cave (without electricity) they and their children know who Britney Spears, Anna Nicole and Monica Lewisky are and why they are (ahem) "Famous”.

For two years my wife and I did not have a TV and still heard about all these things.
Children suffer the most.

To take a laxidacal attitude is to say “Okay I recant”

Read Foxes book of Martyrs lately?

If you do- it will remind you of your responsibility in such matters even though it deals with fire and Sword, something (or someone) inside us is stirred by such.

Coincidence?............. Or conscience?

Are you being burned? Or are you already assimilated and unaware?

More Myers....

"...popular culture's greatest influence is in the way it shapes how we think and feel (more than what we think and feel) and how we think and feel about thinking and feeling."

"Popular culture is in many ways a very trivial matter...but its triviality , while making it seem innocuous, also enables it to be extremely pervasive, and that is its most toxic quality"

Take Your Medicine

A woman runs into the psychiatrist's office yelling, "Doctor I think I'm a set of curtains!" The doctor said, "pull yourself together!"

A man bursts into a psychiatrist's office, interrupting an important phone call, and screams "Doctor, you've got to help me! I think I'm a deck of cards!" The doctor replied, "I'll deal with you later!"

A kleptomaniac went to see a psychiatrist. He gave her something to take.

(insert your own badum Csh! sound effect and canned laughter)
I think you see the pattern!

These jokes (or feeble attempts at them) are to illustrate how the ridiculous requires the ridiculous. Or as the old saying says, "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer".

Ok, maybe the last one didn't illustrate that, but I thought it was funny. Anyway…..

As a minister I get this a lot. People mess up their lives and then come to me with questions that have all too painfully obvious answers.

It would be funny, if it wasn't so tragic.

"Preacher my marriage is falling apart!" I feel like answering, "Maybe because you threw it down and stomped on it so many times?"
or
"Preacher I'm at the end of my rope financially" and I fell like answering "Maybe because you have been swinging on it like Tarzan with credit cards and spending sprees?"

You get the idea. I am guilty also, as are all others on Earth.

Maybe , we should go to the Great Physician BEFORE we reach such sad states.

Then we need to take his prescription, no matter how bad the medicine tastes going down.

Gulp!

THE APATHY OF PROFANITY

THE APATHY OF PROFANITY

When you mention to others their foul language, usually the reaction is "whatever".

One day a man was in the hospital and had a stream of visitors from his church. Two men had stopped by, when their quiet conversation was interrupted by another patient's peppery language from behind the curtain. Before leaving, the visitors read some Scripture and prayed. After they left, the roommate loosed another string of expletives and then sheepishly confessed, "If I had known one of those guys was a minister, I'd have watched my #%*@! language." "Oh?" the man replied, "Well actually, theywere the deacons in the church. I'm the minister."

I suppose most ministers could share a similar story. There have been numerous times when someone let profanity slip in my presence and would hasten to say, "Sorry, Preacher." To which, I usually respond soemthing similiar to: "I appreciate your sensitivity, but you need not direct your apology to me, only to God."

The tragedy today is there are many people who have become so habituated to unclean talk that they are unaware they are using it.

A Brief History of *&%@!


Emperor Caligula of ancient Rome responded to his critics by extending his crooked arm in an obscene gesture. That same gesture is still used today nearly 20 centuries later, particularly in Europe.

Scholars have discovered profanity carved in Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Chaucer, medieval poet-author of The Canterbury Tales, peppered his language with obscenities, but not everyone followed suit immediately. Jonathan Swift, whose biting satire was often was often criticized, chose milder language, once objecting to the use of the word "mob" because it was too vulgar.

In the Victorian era of the 19th century, "leg" was considered sexually explicit, the terms "lib" and lower extremity were substituted.

In the 1930's free-speech cases were won on behalf of James Joyce and other authors whose language reached a new level of profanity.

After World War II public swearing increased dramatically as soldiers brought home their barracks vocabulary.

President Truman's freedom in swearing was once a significant campaign issue, and President Kennedy was once criticized for repeating favorite profane phrase of his father.

The Vietnam era brought profanity to an all-time high as anti-war activists used graphic sexual language to emphasize their anger and to draw attention to their message.

Scholars say that swearwords have not changed much over the years. People today are using the same cursed words Benjamin Franklin used in his day.

Nowadays, even some Christian ministers use profanity, usually with the rationalization that it helps make a point.

Where will it end? Or will it just get worse?


WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH PROFANITY

LIGHT HUMOR:
Very carefully and tactfully used, light humor can be employed to criticize the offender. This is most effective with friend and depends on good taste and timing.

THE SILENT TREATMENT:
Since conversations depend on give and take, a sudden refusal to respond will be noticeable. In response to offensive language, total failure to answer, or an awkward pause before answering, will signal that something is wrong. In a quiet, controlled social setting, silence is often the best choice and can be accompanied by a meaningful look.

NONVEBAL RESPONSE:
Folded arms, scowl, looking away, or turning away to speak to someone else are common body language signals to report that offence has been taken at the use of profanity. Visibly wincing at obscenities indicates hurt and displeasure.

ASSERTIVENESS:
A very simple, tactful statement is sometimes used to point out what might have become an unconscious habit of swearing.
Keep your words polite, calm and to the point, something like "Excuse me. I wish you wouldn't use that kind of language. It offends me." When done correctly, such statements are unarguable and answerable. A polite Christian witness can also be used something like, "Since I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that kind of language offends me."


HOW ABOUT YOU?

Are you guilty...or do you even care? (apathy)
...and remember:
"Profanity is the sign of a weak mind trying to express itself forcibly".

Gizzard Getting

Things That Just Rip My Gizzard
by

Ritechus N. Dignation

I have a list of things that really get next to me. I mean these things just chap my hide, rip my gizzard and generally hack me off. Everyone probably has a list like this. Ever' once in a while, it's good to blow off a little steam, so here are some things that are on my hit list.

(1) Church Fundraisers- The Lord's got a plan for financing His church and her ministries. That plan don't include selling donuts, having spaghetti suppers, holding car washes and rafflin' off the family dog. God's plan is called the "open your wallet and give cheerfully" plan. Church members ought to tithe and give above the tithe for special things. If the young'uns want to go on a trip, the church ought to be able to take care of it, instead of sendin' them traipsin' up and down the streets sellin' junk that nobody wants to buy anyway. Why, if ever'body in every church just tithed, the church would have to hold special meetin's just to figure out how to use all the extra money for the Lord's work.

(2) Unfaithful Church Workers- The sorry way in which elected workers treat the Lord's work is a shame. I've seen Sunday School teachers not show up and never tell 'nary a soul they weren't coming. I've seen committees elected to take care of important business (any business for the Lord is important) and never hold the first meetin'. If they performed on their money payin' job the way they work for the church, they would be fired before noon on Monday. The Lord's work is not second rate.

(3) Stingy Church Treasurers- Let me explainify. I'm talkin' about treasurers who treat the church's money as their own private stash. In one church I pastored, the treasurer had a coniption every time the church voted to spend a penny. The church once voted to spend $50.00 on needed supplies. When I went to the money man for a check, he balked, turned red in the face, wrote the check and threw it at me. I considered givin' him a holy slap, but declined. The church voted to spend that money. Well, he later resigned and we commenced with spendin'.

(4) Dead Preachin'- Nothing is harder to endure than dead preachin'. Old Brother E. M. Bounds used to say, "Dead men preach dead sermons, and dead sermons kill." I know a preacher who literally puts the congregation to sleep. His people say church is where they get their best nap. Late one night, one of his members couldn't get to sleep, so she called up this preacher and asked him to give her a little devotion on the phone. She was snoozin' in no time.

Now, I know what your thinkin', and No, the preacher don't have to rant, rave, yell, stomp, snort and foam at the mouth to give some good preachin'. Ever'body's different. But every preacher ought to be excited and enthusiastic about his message. And folks can tell if you ain't.

Now I feel better
Brother Ritechus N. Dignation
(This article may be reprinted in whole)

A Whole Lotta Nothing GoingOn

The Wickedness of Nothingness

The English philosopher and politician Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." This often used quote from the 18th century is still true today. Look at this spiritual parallel in a parable from Jesus found in Matthew 25:14-30, as I borrow, then expand upon a few thoughts from Harold Leytham and Danny Cresswell.
A master left different numbers of talents with three stewards, with expectations for all. The first two multiplied their talents, but the third steward buried his so he could return it to his master. Upon returning, the master was displeased, because he had expectations and they were not fulfilled. The point of the parable: it is wicked to do nothing when something can be done.
The word "wicked" can mean evil, lewd, malicious, or hurtful. Jesus did not use the word often and used it only three times when referring to individuals. Why was this servant wicked? Not because he lied. He was actually honest and admitted to burying the talent. Did he receive it dishonestly? No, it was given to him in good faith. Was he immoral with the talent, like the prodigal son? No. So why was he wicked? Because he did nothing with the talent. Doing nothing when something can be done is wicked, according to Jesus.
There is a high cost in nothingness. If anyone has gifts or talents and they do not use them, there will be a cost, "for it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful." How could it possibly be costly to do nothing? Consider these examples:

Physically, there is a cost in nothingness. If you sit in a wheelchair or stay in bed for six months and never get up and use your legs, it will cost. Your legs will become useless and you will have to learn to walk again. If you place a patch over one eye and stop using the eye, the eye will get weak and have to be exercised for use again. It will cost to do nothing.

Socially, there is a cost in nothingness. If you ever purpose in your heart to lose friends, there are two options. First, be mean and hurtful, curse and slander them and tell them to get lost. That would probably work. Or you could try option number two. Do nothing. Never visit with them, do not return their calls, ignore them, and eventually they will go away. Simply doing nothing can cost greatly. Many have been lost to nothingness.

In your family, there is a great cost in nothingness. If you as a reprobate wanted to corrupt your children so they would turn out rotten, you could teach them to do wrong, steal, give instruction in lying, etc. or you could do nothing. Just let them go and let depravity run its crooked little course. Never teach them standards, convictions or restraints. Let them do anything they want to do and let them watch anything they desire to watch on TV or video and they will move on from Sesame Street to MTV and graduate on to HBO. Just do nothing and they will corrupt in a natural progression of events.

Agriculturally, there is a cost in nothingness. After planting a garden, you could transplant Johnson grass, clover, briars and weeds, in order to choke out the vegetables and lose your crop. Or if you really want to lose your garden, just do nothing. Never fertilize, never irrigate, never cultivate, and I guarantee you will lose the garden. It will cost to do nothing.

For any church, there is a severe cost in nothingness. The pastor could run ads and pass out flyers advertising the closing of his church, followed by members passing along the closing by word of mouth. Or everyone could just do nothing. Don't win souls, don't tithe, don't attend, etc., and eventually the church will close. Just do nothing.

If you could donate blood to save a life and you did nothing, would you be guilty of a death? If you could call 911 and save a life and you did nothing, would you be guilty? Do you know what you need to do to go to an eternal lake of fire? You could sin like the devil, drink, dope, fornicate, lie, steal, or you could do nothing. Just never repent and accept Jesus as Savior and you will go to an eternal lake of fire of punishment as a member of Adam's fallen race.

Is nothingness wicked? Jesus said it was. Are you doing something or nothing?

by Joseph Harris