by Stan Mitchell

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

Neil Anderson recently wrote, "you win a person to what you win him with" (Gospel Advocate, September 2003). When churches "bend over backwards to cater to their children," he explains, "the young are more often alienated than won by such tactics."

If people are brought to a church through a certain music or activity, for instance, then they will leave the church on the same basis; their departure will coincide pretty much exactly with the arrival of a bigger show across town, a more dramatic version of that program in a rival church, or a ratcheted up version of what brought them to church in the first place. The pressure will always be to outdo last year's production, or lose the "loyal" customer!

Instead of bribing them to church, maybe we should bring them to Christ. Of course, Paul declares that we have been "bought at a price," not "bought for a price!" We don't (or shouldn't) make demands on churches and on Jesus; he makes demands on us! We don't negotiate our terms of entrance into the church; he dictates them! The Lord doesn't have responsibilities to us. Everything he did -- everything -- was a gift he was not obliged to give! We have responsibilities to him!

by Stan Mitchell

How many stars did God need to make? The sun -- which is our solar system's star -- we need that one! It provides life, energy and warmth. It keeps us in place, preventing us from spinning aimlessly through a universe that is vast beyond analogy.

The others? The naked eye can count only a fraction of the stars a powerful telescope can see. And the most powerful telescope has yet to reach the boundary of the universe. Exactly how many stars are there out there? And if we actually could see them, could we count them?

Go outside tonight and look at the stars. It brings sudden perspective. When a dog gazes at the stars, he's thinking about lunch. When a rabbit gazes at the stars, he probably just became lunch! Which of God's creatures is capable of going out and wondering at the starlit sky? Only man can appreciate how small he is. Only man needs to appreciate how small he is.

"Can you count the stars of evening that are shining in the sky? Can you count the clouds that daily, over all the world go by? God the Lord, who doth not slumber, keepeth all their boundless number. But he careth more for thee, but he careth more for thee" (Johann Hey, 1837)

God told Abraham to "look up at the heavens and count the stars" (Genesis 15:5). That's one command Abraham couldn't have obeyed if he had tried the rest of his life!

Yet, as Gospel preacher Charles Hodge remarks, "in all his positive thinking, man has no plans to build a star" (Gospel Advocate Magazine, August 2002). Man is pretty presumptuous most times, but even he knows better than to build a starry, starry night!

We learn two things from this: First, if this is all an accident, then you'll also believe that Bob Dylan is a war monger, Osama Bin Ladin is a peace activist, and that the Chicago Cubs have a good chance of winning the World Series this year. Second, we learn that though we are vastly, infinitesimally small, we are also very important in God's sight.

"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4).

Better start counting!

by Stan Mitchell

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10,11).

I had a humbling experience last week. When I finished my sermon Sunday morning, I got the response I usually get, which is to say, nothing. Nothing, that is, that I could see. Preachers learn to accept this, because most Sundays, after preparing, praying, pushing and prodding the material all week, we stand before the congregation, and preach our hearts out.

And we don't see any response. It would be nice to baptize 3,000 following a sermon, but this doesn't happen often. We console ourselves with the thought that, of course, not all responses are visual. And we believe it. Mostly.

But last Sunday a little girl, not quite in her teens went home thinking about the sermon. She even spoke to her parents and grandmother about it. She came back Sunday night, by which time I still had seen no visual sign my sermon had done any good. On Monday I came to the office to study for the sermon to be preached next week, hoping for a visual response then. In the meantime, this young lady with a soft heart and open mind continued to mull over the lesson.

Then that night, after ten in the evening, thirty-six hours after my sermon, she asked me to baptize her. Preachers should have more faith, I suppose, not in their abilities, but in the word we preach, and the Savior we proclaim.

Bless you, little Cassi, for reminding me that what I cannot see –- your tender heart –- is just as real as what I can see!

by Stan Mitchell

"Seated in the window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story, and was picked up dead" (Acts 20:9).

You have heard the joke. A man falls asleep during the sermon. The preacher spies him, and addresses his neighbor. "Can you reach over and wake brother so and so up?"

The punch line follows: "Preacher, you put him to sleep. You wake him up!"

I'm sorry. I never liked that joke. And I don't think it's because I lack a sense of humor. I think Jesus used humor to get his points across, and as long as it's appropriate, I think a preacher can do it effectively today, too.

Can you imagine a man attempting eye surgery with a beam in his own eye? Can you imagine a punctilious housewife straining a gnat out of her soup -- and swallowing a camel?

What I don't like about the joke is that it blames the wrong person. It's like saying that an assaulted woman was guilty because she was running at night or the victim of a robbery was guilty because he left his car window open. Perhaps he was unwise, but the thief was the one who was guilty!

And I don't really mind (much!) if someone is having a hard time staying awake on a given Sunday morning. You know what I mean -- when he dozes for a moment, then wakes up guiltily, and does his best to stay the course. Get more sleep next Saturday night, but trust me, I understand.

But what I don't understand is the person who outright "crashes" in worship, making no pretence that he despises proceedings. It's not just a rebuke to the preacher, it shows a lack of respect for God himself!

If you are a child of God, ask yourself, is this the way you should act in God's very presence? What if the Lord were to come and speak to us directly, would we pay attention? If the preacher uses God's word, is there a difference?

Parents, I ask it in all kindness, observe your child in worship. If he or she is not demonstrating proper respect for the Lord, it's your responsibility to teach them, by word and example how to do it properly. Your leadership might also be needed with regard to bedtime on Saturday nights. If need be, cancel other activities in order to do the most important thing you will do all week –- worship God!

I say this in love. If we do not show proper respect for God, worse things than falling out a window may happen to us!

by Stan Mitchell

"Sing to me of heaven as I walk alone Dreaming of the comrades that so long have gone In a fairer region, 'mong the angel throng they are happy as they sing that old, sweet song" (Ada Powell, 1914).

Singing those words always brings a sardonic smile to my face. I lived in a communist country for years, so the word "comrade" has taken on a completely new meaning. The man in the street was "Mr. so and so." Politicians and dignitaries were: "Comrade so and so." Hence we rejoiced at the famous deeds of "Comrade Castro," "Comrade Mao," and so on. By the way, do you know what the abbreviation for "comrade" is? In our official newspapers we learned that it was "Cde.", as in "Cde. Stalin."

Of course the meaning of "comrade" in the dictionary is one who shares with you under difficult circumstances, in your struggles, side by side.

It was hard to reconcile that with the shining new Mercedes Benz that crowded you off the road, chauffeur-driven by "Cde. so and so." When you had to queue in long lines for bread and rice at stores while Cde. so and so's wife went to Harrods in London on regular shopping sprees. She hardly seemed like your comrade.

All of which is to say that the comrades the song speaks of were our comrades, serving God on earth, sharing our tears, our hopes, and our work. Unlike the communist party hierarchy, we remember the real comrades, our brethren and fellow laborers, who served God side by side with us in the kingdom.

"Greet Pricilla and Aquilla, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me" (Romans 16:3).

And one day, as the song says, we will see our comrades again.