All Glory, Honor, and Praise Goes to God

June 26, 2024

Leadership Notes

     We are a celebrity-obsessed culture. Always have been. I suppose it’s simply human nature. I’ve never understood the whole concept behind getting someone’s autograph or having a picture taken with a famous person. Once, when I was in high school, our choir was part of a big holiday production at Disneyland. Actor Cary Grant did the narration. Walking up the risers, I passed right by him. I said hello and made some comment about the weather {which was unusually chilly by California standards}. Have I mentioned before that I am where charisma goes to die? I am a charisma black hole.

     Anyway, celebrity is a funny thing. It’s especially noxious when it wraps its tentacles around a church. We know it is a reality. It seems most mega churches and large church movements are celebrity-pastor driven. They produce much content and churn big profits. People get enamored with them.

     Over the years, many pastors and leaders have fallen away when unsavory behavior or bad teaching got exposed. There’s not enough space here to cover what’s happened over the past several decades. All I know is, I thank God daily for our little church. All we want to do is worship God with sincere and loving hearts…grow in knowledge of His Word…love each other…and express our love for our community through acts of goodness and kindness. There’s nothing fancy or showy or shiny about us. Not a celebrity in the house.

     If you don’t mind a longer passage, here’s what God says about all that:

Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet.

He was crippled from birth and had never walked. He listened to

Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that

he had faith to be made well, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright

on your feet.” And he sprang up and began walking. And when the

crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices,

saying in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in the

likeness of men!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes,

because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose

temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands

to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But

when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their

garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why

are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with

you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from

these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the

earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations

he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did

not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you

rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts

with food and gladness.” Even with these words they scarcely

restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

-      Acts 14:8-18

     As we like to say, all glory, honor, and praise goes to God. I think this quote from Sinclair Ferguson fits here:

“MY SECURITY AS A CHRISTIAN DOES NOT RESIDE IN THE

STRENGTH OF MY FAITH BUT IN THE INDESTRUCTABILITY OF MY

SAVIOR.”

And I’ll follow that up with a thought of my own:

If a Person Who Dies is not a Christian, are They Really Resting in Peace?

     With Much Love and Affection,

                           Richard