What The Bible Says
Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice
I have sketched five little cross-eyed bears in the margin of my Bible, two in Matthew, two in Mark, and the ugliest near Luke 14:27, that says, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” Get it? “Cross-eyed bear.” That little clause, “Cannot be my disciple,” is repeated thrice in this chapter and is a stark contrast to, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We seem to be talking about two different commodities here; the rich man who went away grieved in Mark 10 mightn't teach that, but if you will be a disciple with Christ as Lord, you should count the cost. You will have Conflict with his enemy, and his arch enemy is presently the prince of the power of the air. You will have Contention and the Contempt of this world; even from family, as Christ explained. There will be Constraints on your life, a lot of “thou shalt not” conditions come with him as Lord. There will be Convictions that handle the “gray-areas” of life; i.e. things you cannot do, watch, eat, drink, or play with, places you cannot go, thoughts you cannot harbor, even though other Christians have and do them. Convictions keep filth out of your life; one cannot have faith and filth together, nor fellowship, nor fervor for our Lord. As his disciple you will have Correction and Chastisement; you will never sin and enjoy it again. And Contributions will only start with a tithe, law or not; offerings are not to raise money, they are to raise Christians. Count the cost, but hear a couple crusty testimonies too, and learn the song, “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.” Be a disciple, and finish the course.
An Essay for week #1 Jan 7, 2018
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A weekly 300 word essay- The Penny Pulpit
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