Applause In Church -Why?

Friends I want to hear from you on this.
I do not have the ultimate answer but a question to be asked.
Please read through and leave your opinion.

About applause in church.
Is there applause in church today?
Yes.
This is not the 1950's.
Worship has relaxed or been empowered in our local service.
There are many varying opinions on that.
This is not the 1950's.
We clap in church.
First churches do it and country churches do it.
Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal's, I suspect

Ushering In The Presence of God?

QUESTION RECEIVED:
Is `ushering` in the presence of God biblical?

QUESTION ANSWERED:

My search on computer had several big worship events where people were in deep prayer asking the Lord to join them.
Several sermons on this subject.

On more traditional worship services there is a "Call to worship."
But this is often to call worshipers to worship.
By praying, singing and reading Scripture people call on the

Frankenstein and The Church Plant versus Birth From Above

Frankenstein and The Church Plant versus Birth From Above

Currently I am serving as a Bible study teacher and I am serving as a bi-vocational evangelist with the Conference of Georgia Baptist Evangelist after our church plant stopped worship last spring.
I have been reflecting on the attempted church plant, my ministry and my call to ministry.

Why?
Why did it not come together?
I have to ask the Lord that and reflect on my actions.

This year I am working a job to support my family.
Few calls have come to fill in a pulpit or

3 Crummy Reasons People Miss Christ And His Church

These 3 Excuses Answered On Why Americans Turn Their Noses Up At Christianity

Three Excuses Answered: Why Americans Arrogantly Turn Their Noses Up At Christianity

1) I love Jesus but hate the church.
2) It's A relationship not a religion.
3) I do not trust Organized Religion.

We live in a time of bumper sticker, or really "Tweets" today, that often strike out at Christian theology and sound Bible doctrine. They go unchecked. Today I am checking them.

1) I Love Jesus But Hate the Church.

Warning to the smug- Christ loved the church so much he died a horrible painful sustitutionary death for her. Forgiving and paying the penalty

2 Ways To Pray Wrong

2 ways to pray wrong.

#1) Be so general in prayer even your wife will not know what you are talking about if she were to overhear.
Pick your straw-man. Hyper-Calvinist or Universalist?
Ask God to be aware of a generality.
Every thing is preset, you do not matter or He is too busy to hear what you need.
Is this what we used to hear about in American history?
Deism.
You know, God wound up the universe and let it go, and takes no interest in His creation.
He is then the divine watch maker.
It does not sound American but Thomas Jefferson is associated with

Is the fire that appears in the church of the Holy Sepulcher every Easter true?

QUESTION RECEIVED:
Is the fire that appears in the church of the Holy Sepulcher every Easter true?

MY ANSWER:

Yes, it appears someone is lighting it.
But who?
The fire got lit did it not?
So it is real fire.
Is this fire at the Holy sepulcher God's revelation about Himself to man?
No.
The Bible is where we get the account of

Problems With Evangelism

Two problems with evangelism are-
1) We are scared to do it.
Why?
We believe in our head and not our heart.
Our hearts will doubt and ask will it really work?
2) People do not know what they are being asked to be converted and or why.
The lost are confused on what they are being asked to do.

1 Corinthians 14:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
"8 For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?"

ABOUT BEING SCARED TO WITNESS

We are scared to do it.
We might fail.
Yes we will fail in speech, logic and technique.
Do not fail in obedience.
We are commanded to do it.
God can worry about the sinners hair,

Titanic-what really went down in eternity

(This re-post was from March 22, for the 100th anniversary April 15th of the sinking of the Titanic, and a seldom known story concerning preacher John Harper.)

The movie Titanic in the 1990's seemed to capture the complete fascination of this historic tragedy when that ship sank early on April 15th 1912. The ship was sent off with a foolish headline from a major newspaper that said “This Ship Is Unsinkable, Even God Himself Can’t Sink It!”. It sank. This big news item ship was nothing but status for it's passengers. The world media was

God Knows Who You Are - And Hears You

The most frustrating thing in the world I believe people suffer through on this Earth is not being able or allowed to communicate.
People with speech problems, young people scared of life,women left alone with responsibilities, men not being able to provide or work, deaf people not being understood, the terminally sick, addicts not being able to find a solution, when these people can not communicate their needs they feel hopeless.
No one hears them.
Nobody can understand.
They know there is no answer.
They know nobody who can help.
They give up.
Don't!

On this Good Friday many Christians reflect on the suffering and sacrifice of the

God's Voice or The Devil?

QUESTION RECEIVED:

How can you tell when the Lord is answering you or the Devil?

MY ANSWER:

Yes God's word answers this question.

1 John 4:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
" 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Do not worry. God is big enough handle any questioning

How Kentucky Killed College Basketball

It started slow but then all of a sudden - college basketball is dead.
Yes in the South and the Southeastern Conference Kentucky is basketball.
Now Kentucky not only is the NCAA champion - they own college basketball.
UCLA, North Carolina and Duke have all had a shot at being the team dynasty.
I am sure Indiana and Kansas and some Michigan State have made this claim sometimes the last twenty years.

Why is college basketball dead?
At the top end of teams the regular season does not matter.
Sure Carolina versus

Easter Preaching - I'm Coaching From The Sideline

Easter Preaching - I'm coaching from the sideline this year.
I'm not on the injured report.
I'm just not getting any calls.
I am in the bull-pen ready to go.
No calls in a while to preach from a pulpit to a congregation.
In The Lord's time He will use me again.
Preacher you have a mission to complete this Sunday.

This is Easter week.
This is what I as a preacher, and also a member of a congregation, suggest to help preachers to think about to get it going.

1.) Preachers Do Not Be Smirky Or Rude To People Who Need The Gospel.
Preacher do not say Merry Christmas and Happy Easter or refer to people who