“Customers on the mind,” I am reading in the magazine called LOVE RED. (Issue 10 – 12/2012)

You will find that this post is not well balanced. It is done deliberately. We are thinking too much about the things here below and forgetting the things above. On top of everything else I rather like to write about the heavenly things than about the earthly things. And you know probably more about the earthly things than I do. 

A.  EARTHLY THINGS ON THE MIND.

In his letter to the Philippians the apostle Paul is writing about people who have earthly things on their  mind. You can read about them at the end of chapter three in his letter. (Philippians 3:19)

B.  HEAVENLY THINGS ON THE MIND.

In his letter to the Colossians at the beginning of chapter three in verse two the apostle Paul says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

I want to do that. 

What kind of place is HEAVEN?

Isaiah 57:15: Here it says that heaven is a high place.

Psalm 20:6: Heaven is also a holy place.

Revelation 7:17: Heaven is a place full of joy.

Revelation 21:4:  Heaven is a place without tears, death, mourning, crying or pain.

Revelation 22:5:  Heaven is a place without night.

Revelation 7:16: Heaven is a place without hunger, thirst and  excessive heat. 

I am asking myself now, “What is on my  mind at the present time?” Please ask yourself the same question!

HEARING OR READING?

I am reading that it is widely acknowledged that only 10 per cent is remembered from every sermon we hear by the time we leave the church or the meeting room.

I find that quite disturbing and I hope that I remember more than 10 per cent.

It seems that reading is better than  hearing! Or writing is better than speaking!

When I read twice about “eyes” in the CONTACT ENERGY NEWSLETTER, (Summer 2013) especially one verse from the BIBLE came to my mind straight away.

“All eyes on the prize!” and “All eyes were on the newly crowned Festival Senior Queen during the  Grand Procession at this year’s Alexandra   Blossom Festival,”  I am reading in the newsletter.

In Psalm 141:8 David says that he has his eyes fixed on the Sovereign LORD. And in Psalm 25:15 he says that his eyes are  ever on the LORD. He gives us also the reason why. He says that only the LORD will release his feet from the snare.

But the verse that came to my mind straight away is Hebrews 12:2 where it says, “Let us fix our eyes on JESUS, the author and  perfecter of our faith, …”

I love that verse and I want to be like David in the BIBLE, who had his eyes fixed on the Sovereign LORD.

PREACHING AND REACHING PEOPLE.

Preaching and reaching people in the 16th century.

In his book THE REFORMATION EXPERIENCE, Living through the turbulent 16th century, Emeritus Professor Eric Ives asks “Yet how effective was preaching?” and “So what did reach the people?”

“Yet how effective was preaching?”

He points out that it is well known that 90 per cent of a sermon is forgotten by the time the hearer of the sermon leaves the church or the meeting place.

“So what did reach the people?”

He points out that the answer is the Prayer Book itself. He says that the listeners in the 16th century were not readers but listeners. They were rote learners. They learned by repeating the liturgy every Sunday and the liturgy taught them first of all that they were saved by God’s grace alone  and secondly that they must obey God’s commandments. 

Preaching and reaching people in the 21st century.

How effective is preaching today?

We can say again that it is well known that 90 per cent of the sermon is forgotten by the time the hearer of the sermon reaches the door of the church or the door of the meeting place.

How do we reach people today?

Is the answer the Prayer Book? Is it the liturgy? Two more questions: Does your church have a Prayer Book? Does your church have a liturgy? What is your answer?

But at the present time most of us are bookish, we are not  only listeners but we are also readers.

We have the BIBLE.

WE CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THE PERSONAL READING OF THE BIBLE AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE WORD OF GOD! 

Finished reading the book:

THE REFORMATION EXPERIENCE

Living through the turbulent 16th Century

by

Eric Ives

I really enjoyed reading the book, especially the end of the book!

It was encouraging today to find a tract from the NEW ZEALAND BIBLE SOCIETY in our letter box called “What’s Christmas really all about?”

Notes for this post gleaned from the “Free Online Encyclopedia.”

From Christmas 1966 until Christmas 1979 I worked in Thailand as a missionary, telling the people about the Lord Jesus Christ.

I live now in New Zealand in Kaitaia, and on our recent trip back from Kerikeri to Kaitaia we passed the Chang Siam Thai restaurant in Waipapa.

After coming back from the trip I opened one of our local papers (Northern News, December 5, 2012) and read about the celebration of Loi Krathong in the restaurant with many many people.

That reminded me of my time in Thailand.

Loi Krathong is held on the evening of the full moon of the 12th lunar month. That is October-November in the Western Calendar.

I used to live in TAK in Thailand for some  time and the river was not very far. Little boats, made from banana-leaves or paper were launched on the river Bing and floated away. Inside the boat was a small coin, a lighted candle, a flower and joss sticks. The Thai word for to float is loi and the Thai word for bowl is Krathong.

One legend linked to the origin of Loi Krathong is to appease the Mother of  Water. Thankfulness is expressed once a year and the sins of the past year are washed away. In the newspaper article mentioned earlier I am reading that people are floating their troubles away in the boats. Forgiveness is also asked for ways that were not thought out well. The coins in the boats  are meant as tokens to ask forgiveness.

People in Thailand see the need to wash away their sins and the need to ask for forgiveness.

That’s why the missionaries are there to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ. When John saw Jesus coming toward him he said:

“LOOK, THE LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!”