"That's All, Folks." ~ A Sermon You Won't Hear In Church
Is your preacher long-winded?
Most churches I've attended allocate 45 minutes to the pastor's sermon. On special occasions, the sermon may run even longer...
"On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight."
- Acts 20:7 -
Tune in with me, today,
to a sermon so short, you'll never hear it in church:
"Sermons You'll Never Hear In Church:"
"Tax Collectors Are Mentally Ill, and Ought to Quit"
"Render unto GOD what is His."
"Do You See Anything?"
Today's Five-Minute Sermon:
"That's All, Folks."
"Friends and neighbors,
"I'd like to welcome you to church this morning.
"No, I'm not talking about the place you're sitting—this is merely a building. When we read of the "church" in the bible, it is always and only talking about Jesus' people.
"The Greek word ἐκκλησία means "gathering," or "assembly."
"Church" is not a building!... ~ Image courtesy of Jonny Lindner
"Why are we here today?
"Have we gathered for you to hear me preach?
"No, we're here because Jesus said 'For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.'-Ref.
"Did you catch that? We're here to meet with Jesus, not to listen to my rhetoric. How do we meet with Jesus? Face to face with one another, each of us members of his body.
"Here's what the Apostle Paul had to say on the topic:
'What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.'-Ref.
"And so, brother's and sisters, my sermon is nearly over. But no, you are not dismissed.
"For the remaining 40 minutes that you would otherwise have had to suffer through my monologue, I want you to visit with the brother or sister on your right or on your left.
"Shake their hand. Give them a hug or a kiss. Look them in the eye and ask how they are doing, really. Then listen, really listen. Paul also said: 'Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.'-Ref.
"Be Jesus to the person next to you. Share a word of scripture. Sing them a tune. And now my sermon is complete.
"That's all, folks."
Next time you "gather,"
why not do the things that you can't do on T.V., over the internet, or on the phone?
Remember today's "shorter than ever" sermon, because you're not likely to hear it in church.
"Church" is a gathering!... ~ Image courtesy of MetsikGarden
~FIN~
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❤💜Great and amazing story @creatr sir. I really inspired from you. Amazing article!! 💙💚
May the divinity bless upon you and your family!🌟🌟🌟
Love, light and peace 💖
Thank you.
We (beleivers) all need to have a personal relationship with God that extends beyond the walls of a church or what the preacher says we should do
Yes indeed, and also personal relationships with each other, rather than sitting side by side in a pew and not talking... ;)
That's true, church is people gathered together for a specific purpose. To glorify God and to encourage each one another fellow.
Absolutely right!
We need to build one another up, and we can't do that just listening to the preacher.
Deb and I used to hold church in our home until it grew too big and we moved to a local church. That was a mistake. We should have stayed where we were being built up. I miss that fellowship.
I surely know what you mean.
We've had bible studies in our home, and currently attend a small group in another home, and that, generally speaking, is where the rubber meets the road.
P.S. Hi, Deb!
Long winded....bruh that’s an understatement. Some preachers be going over an hour. Like fam people got lives get on with the show.
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Ah, but I could listen to a good preacher for hours...
Anyhow, we need a better balance of time to fellowship with fellow believers.
There are times when a scholar should go into depth on a matter of theology or an explanation of historical context when a passage refers to obscure circumstances from the past, but it does often seem like a pastor or priest is filling time for the sake of tradition and congregational expectations much if the time. Fellowship has been a big part of some churches I have attended, but not all of them.
Hi!
What I hope might be the takeaway from my "sermonette" here is not that preaching is unimportant, but rather that (IMNSHO) the modern church has overemphasized preaching and does not offer enough encouragement for one-on-one interaction among members. ;)
So, the 5-second version: "Brethren, spend more time fellowshipping."
Right on. Christianity isn't about passive listening, it's about relationships with God and with others.
:D
Thanks for weighing in! :)
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Thanks!
Amen to that. I have been following a series by @papa-pepper called 'Spiritual Food 4 Thought.' If you have not seen this I would encourage you to. He speaks on this topic in one of his blogs that it should not be a monologue but edification for all. All should be participating and growing from each other...interacting for the good of all. Passiveness in the pew is not what the church was meant to be. I do love your sermons @creatr.
Thanks, Troy.
Yes, we all need to participate, interact, speak to one another.
Beautiful!!! Heart touching photograph!! It's creating positive energy to our internal soul...😊👍👍👍
Sometimes less is more!
Fer sure...
Given up on Weku?
Well I would not say it like that, my friend . I mean it's more like limited time. Here it is almost 3am and I am trying to hit a few of my fave folks on here. I feel terribly guilty there if I post and don't return the support. How are you doing over there? I will try to get over there some tomorrow.
Hey! Sorry!
Did not intend to guilt you... I understand the time thing, totally!
Hit and miss for me also... I try to make the rounds of friends everywhere, manual curator that I am... ;)
How are you moving plans going? :D
Well being as I know you build projects, you know how it is...one step at a time and there are a seemingly infinite number of steps to take! LOL. Plus I have been known to be a bit pokey. I believe in trying to squeeze in a bit of fun here and there!
Thanks for asking. Much appreciated!
I look forward to hearing about a successful move...
And I resemble your comments about squeezing in a bit of fun! ;)