Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)
@#$%
"God saw the wickedness...and it broke His heart."
Genesis 6:5-6
@#$%
@#$%
Because our
family of faith on the corner of Lincoln and Main in Belvidere, Illinois is
growing up,
I skip a Sunday every now and then to release charismata and not feed the kinda
pagan idolatries that poison and paralyze churches in a Matthew 15 and 23
kinda way.
Psst.
To really enable
the second clause of that first sentence-paragraph, we don't
mention/announce/broadcast or even Facebook when the old man ain't in town; and
if anyone dares ask why, well, uh, if
I gotta explain that to ya, it means ya wouldn't get it/Him/His anyhows.
I don't skip
worship with the body; as
I worship where He leads and then listen to what I won't miss back home via www.bnnsrado.com.
I praise the Lord
for Him compelling me to unleash our gifted messengers for the glory, praise,
and laud of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and praise Him for the opportunity to
worship with our extended family if
you know what He means in a John 17 kinda way.
@#$%
Anyway, I skipped
last Sunday.
I went to the
"traditional" service - Ever
wonder how He feels about our idiotically navel-gazing classifications of
worship as "traditional" or "contemporary" or
"emerged" or "submerged" or whatever as if He didn't
inspire all music that honors Him and helps align hearts with Him and
His? Who do we think we are to diss what He has designed/created?
Dang, we can be sooooooo arrogant! - of a really, really, really
fabulously well-to-do-heavily-endowed big high steeple cathedral in a bigger
city.
The bulletins
were perfect.
The pipe organ
was enormous; and the music was exquisitely gothic in a classical kinda way.
The pastor wore
beautifully costly vestments.
He looked soooooo pretty.
Shined shoes.
Everybody who
helped lead the liturgy looked like ads for Brooks Brothers or Banks or
Taylor buuuuuuut
not Target or WalMart or, gasp,
ugh, Goodwill, SA, or...
No ink.
No jeans.
No Ts.
No piercings.
No funkily
colored hair.
No children.
No one under 125
years of age; except, uh, for me and the pulpiteer.
Annnnnnnnd not more than 25, including
platformers, in the cavernous sanctuary built for 500 or so.
I didn't ask; but
wondered if they, uh, like it, uh, their
way.
Hmm.
I think they do.
Hmm.
I think lots of
churches are like them/that.
The message was
really good.
He tried.
Touching on Psalm
100 every now and then, he talked about traditions that are good and worth preserving
and traditions that are worn and tired and should be discarded as
inefficacious to attracting, uh, younger generations to Jesus.
Everybody smiled
and giggled when he talked about traditions to keep.
They felt sooooooo warmed.
Nobody smiled or
giggled when he talked about traditions to...
A few squirmed
while most tuned out.
Nobody looked around, I guess, for
there was nobody, uh, really to, uh, see...except for themselves.
Jesus must have
been joking in those quotes attributed to Him about...inviting, welcoming,
including, loving, uh, everybody
without respect to...the idiotically navel-gazing...
But, of course,
just like what He said to the rich young ruler of Matthew 19 juxtaposed to
Matthew 25, He didn't really mean it...
Or did He?
From what I saw
on Sunday and what I see..., nah!
@#$%
We break His
heart when we don't invite everybody,
welcome everybody,
include everybody,
and love everybody.
The Bible is
bigger than our favorite parts.
He said to
invite, welcome, include, and love everybody
with no discriminations of color, class, or culture.
That's why Hans
wants us to reclaim rainbows!
We break His
heart when we separate and segregate.
We break His
heart when we are poster children for contradicting 1 Corinthians 13.
We break His
heart when we break fellowship over anything other than esteeming His
saving Lordship in Jesus by
the book.
We break His
heart when our attitudes express ingratitude manifested by our traditional
exclusions that thinly veil a selfishness that contradicts everything
exemplified by Jesus and explained in Holy Scripture.
Truth is too many
of today's churches are attitudes of ingratitude by their meaningless motions
only coincidentally related to what He said shows signs of getting it/Him.
He died for
everybody!
He rose for
everybody!
He reigns for
everybody!
Who do we think we are to...?
@#$%
Quickly, let's reverse
fields!
A young Mexican
woman told me how thankful she is to know Someone who completely
loves her and doesn't want to exclude her.
She kept
repeating Psalm 103...
She's so thankful
to know Jesus loves her...here and now and hereafter...
She's so thankful
to know people who really know Jesus who love her...here and now and always...
She's so thankful
to live in America and wants everybody to enjoy the kinda benefits that
Americans enjoy...
She's so thankful
to God for all of His blessings in her life that she's compelled to invite,
welcome, include, and love...everybody...into
those benefits...
She has an
attitude of gratitude.
She understands
that really thankful people express their thanksgiving by inviting, welcoming, including, and
loving...Jesus
by loving like Jesus!
She gets the true
meaning of Thanksgiving.
@#$%
To all who get
it/Him, Happy
Thanksgiving!!!
If not, not.
Maybe that's what
Black Friday is really all about.
@#$%
Blessings and Love!