THE CONTENDER
BURG CHURCH OF CHRISTHIGHWAY 278 WEST, DIERKS, ARKANSAS 71833
MEETING TIMES SUNDAY 10 AM AND 2:30 PM WEDNESDAY 7 PM
PREACHER AND EDITOR: BURL YOUNGPHONE 479-209-4989
VOLUME 2MARCH 1, 2015 LESSON 8
PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH OR PREACH WHAT YOU PRACTICE?
Most of us have heard the statement, “practice what you preach” and we actually know what that means, preaching what you practice is stating the obvious. This is a teaching about the hypocrisy that is manifest when we don’t live out in our daily lives what we believe to be true and want to be proclaimed by the preacher. Since I am a preacher, I must surely understand it applies to me as well. I should practice what I preach or I should preach what I practice, then if I am a hypocrite it will be seen in my life. I will attempt to show some ways we Christians should live Godly lives.
Cursing a little seems to be the accepted norm even for the faithful these days. If we Christians curse through the week how can we expect the preacher to preach against cursing, or if he does, how can we with a straight face endorse his words? If I, as your preacher curse, you should and would be outraged. On the other hand, if you persist in cursing, maybe I should not preach against it. This is a logical fix and let me see how it applies in some other sins.
Drinking a little doesn’t seem so bad to many Christians, but should the preacher preach against it if we are going to drink anyway? There is a fix for thisproblem by making sure you don’t preach against drinking if there are Christians who drink in the congregation. Looks like I have found the answer to all problems in all congregations, and undoubtedly this will solve all problems. Just don’t be specific about sin, but rather generalize to the point that everyone thinks I am talking about others.
It seems to me like the time the gospel preacher took a new church in Kentucky. The first week he preached on gambling at the horse races and the Elders said he shouldn’t preach against horse racing because many of the members had horses that raced for money. He said “ok” and preached the next Sunday on the sin of drinking alcohol. Again, the Elders reminded him that some of the members worked at the whiskey company: perplexed he preached the next Sunday about fishing off the coast of Nova Scotia and everyone thought he was a great preacher!! You see, this old preacher story is really descriptive of the kind of preaching most congregants want to hear and for the preacher to preach what they practice. (Burl)
NEWS AND NOTES: We continue to have good attendance for which we are thankful to God. We did have some sick folks this past Sunday and some traveling. As your preacher I praise you for your faithfulness and your concern about your neighbors, it is showing that you care.