Our preacher, Mark Stinnett, publishes articles for the church bulletin each week. These articles are designed to teach, encourage and challenge the members of our congregation. His latest articles can be found below with the most recent at the beginning of the list. Mark has archived all of his articles on his personal blog 'MicroMarks' which can be accessed at: micromarks.blogspot.com.
Preacher's Blog
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Forgiven...Forgiving
Peter asked, “How often shall I forgive my brother?” Jesus replied with an immeasurable value of 70 times 7 times which calculates to 490 times. Jesus also taught his disciples that if a brother “sins against you seven times in a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
These are difficult teachings. No one could imagine having to forgive someone seven times in one day or a total of 490 times. In short, Jesus taught that forgiveness has no boundaries.
We (humans) tend to make forgiveness rules. Perhaps it is because we really do understand the demand of forgiveness. The one who forgives bears the insult or shoulders the pain of the injustice that has been done. The one forgiven is released from his debt. Forgiveness is unfair!
Jesus dealt with forgiveness at the person-to-person level. He taught that forgiveness makes no restrictions; there is no limit to the number of times that you should forgive your brother/sister. If, with regard to his wrong, he says, “I repent,” accept him at his word and forgive him.
Yes, but...
Some folks have difficulty accepting the words of Jesus and then explain what they think He really meant. They suggest certain limitations. Some have tried to define every possible ‘sin situation’ in order to write rules for repentance. Then they use their rules to justify occasions to withhold forgiveness. In the end they create a system for judging whether a person is worthy of forgiveness or whether their repentance is authentic. In doing so they think they justify an unforgiving spirit.
It is true that Jesus acknowledged that we will know a person by their fruit. However, that is not some sort of forgiveness loophole in which forgiveness is withheld until the fruit is obvious or judged acceptable. Jesus taught that we are to take a person at their word. It might be the words, “I repent,” or “Would you forgive me,” or “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” or simply, “I’m sorry.”
Anyone who assumes the task of evaluating repentance in another individual has presumed to sit in the judgment seat of God.
Repentance is a change in one’s thinking. We must have patience with fellow Christians as they mature. A changed heart is filled with sorrow and desires to walk in the path of righteousness. However, old habits often linger, and the renewing of the mind takes time. We would do well to reflect on our own past, perhaps a past not that long ago, when we stumbled and sinned...yet again. Did God forgive you each time you asked?
What if I am wrong?
What if I am unsure about someone’s repentance? I do not want to forgive where I should not forgive. Yet, neither do I want to withhold forgiveness where I should forgive.
Two facts are evident:
- I am not God, and
- Jesus did not give me magical insight into the hearts of others to know their intentions and their sincerity.
In reality, we may make a mistake where forgiveness is concerned. We never want to encourage sin. Yet, Jesus taught that we will not be forgiven unless we forgive our brother from the heart. When faced with a dilemma in which you are unsure about someone’s repentance, wouldn’t you rather err on the side of forgiveness?
After all, God will judge righteously. In addition, it is wise to remember the warning that Jesus gave his disciples: “If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
May each of us resolve in our heart to have a forgiving spirit toward our fellow Christians. And then, may we truly forgive from the heart.
Mark Stinnett
September 8, 2024
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"The End is Near!"...Again
A respected medical journal reported...
A respected scientific publication claimed...
A team of respected psychologists discovered...
There are many claims made by many people with well-deserved credentials. Yet, sometimes their reports, claims, and discoveries contradict.
Some modern-day ‘seers’ claim to know the future, claiming their source to be the dead. (Do the dead really know the future??)
We read about astounding claims, miracle cures, health scares, economic disaster, our nation’s future, cataclysmic world events, and even the end of the world or the universe.
Does anyone know anything for sure!?
Questions about the future have interested mankind for centuries? Old Testament prophets relayed God’s message to man, but there were also posers, those who claimed to be prophets but had received no revelation from God. The false prophets often spoke of peace while the prophets of God warned of His impending judgment due to sin and unfaithfulness. People wondered who was telling the truth.
God gave the Israelites a simple way to determine whether a prophet spoke from God’s or not: If the prophesy occurred as the prophet predicted, then he could be trusted. If the prophesy failed, the prophet was a false prophet. (Deuteronomy 18:15-22)
Our society has, in general, followed God’s strategy as an intuitive way of dealing with seemingly unbelievable claims. Many doom and gloom prognosticators have been revealed as false prophets by the passage of time. Yet, many in our society still line up neatly and follow any ’pied piper’ who plays the music of scientific research.
Science and research are excellent resources. Yet, not all science/research has revealed truth. One study predicts another economic depression; another predicts a catastrophic earthquake; yet another, a pandemic disease. Time passes and life goes on as it always has. New research sometimes reveals the flaws of earlier predictions.
Although the Bible is not a science book or a guide for economic planning, it often reveals truths that apply to the many claims made in our world. The key is to begin with God and allow him to reveal truths about mankind and his world. (Our human tendency is to begin with man’s thinking and then see if God’s word fits what we think we already know.)
As an example, consider ‘climate change.’ One theory concludes that the earth will become uninhabitable due to excessive heat. Another theory predicts a global freeze brought on by a change in ocean currents due to the melting of polar icecaps. These and other theories fly in the face of God’s promise to Noah:
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter and day and night, shall not cease.
—Genesis 8:22
So, it’s great to be responsible by putting out the trash, recycling, conserving energy and even hugging a tree if you wish. But don’t be upset by “the end is near” environmental alarmists.
Not every claim made by people will have a clear and direct answer in Scripture. However the Bible will guide us so that we do not have live in fear of modern-day false prophets...even if research seems to be on their side.
Mark Stinnett
September 1, 2024
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We Own Our Lips
Listen to the boast of the ungodly (Psalm 12:4):
We will triumph with our tongues;
We own our lips –who is our master?
Just prior to this boasting, David described the one who lies to his neighbor through flattery and deception. We are surrounded by the same kind of flattery and deception in our current society. It breeds mistrust and shallow relationships.
David wrote that empty speech, lies, and boasts describe the ungodly and faithless person.
Jesus said to let your “Yes” be “Yes” and let your “No” be “No.” This was in response to the way in which the people would make a claim or a promise. To swear by the temple was a strong vow. But to swear by the gold in the temple was even stronger. Jesus taught his followers to speak truth with no disclaimers or qualifications or hidden meanings.
Have you ever rationalized a white lie in order to avoid an embarrassing truth? Some call it tact (though that is a gross misunderstanding). We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever greeted someone with words of warmth and interest, yet the greeting was empty. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever twisted the truth to keep someone from getting hurt? It actually made things go better! We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever made a bold claim or promise without really thinking about whether you could keep your promise? People are impressed and perhaps even inspired. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever told the truth, but in a way as that intentionally give you an advantage? We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
It wasn’t adultery, it was an affair. She isn’t rebellious, she’s a free spirit. I am not being deceptive, it is a gentler way to say things. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever showered someone with complements…so you would appear encouraging? Flattery gets you everywhere. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
The joke was a little ‘shady,’ but it was soooo funny. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Have you ever used a word that rhymes with an obscene word or that only suggested something of a sexual nature? We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
We live in a country that guarantees free speech. It is our first amendment right! We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Churches have argued over doctrine. Christians have split hairs wrangling over words. Churches split. We own our lips! Aren’t we clever?
Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, “We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips – who is our master?”
—Psalm 12:1-4 (NIV, 1984)
Who us YOUR master, the Lord or your arrogant lips?
Truth and genuine encouragement, or silence!
Mark Stinnett
August 18, 2024
