The Trussville Tribune
Nov. 7 - Nov. 13, 2018
Page 13
Faith
Kids talk about God: How do the pure in heart see God? BY CAREY KINSOLVING AND FRIENDS RELEASE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2018 How Do The Pure In Heart See God? “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). “This verse means people that go all out, not halfway, will see God,” says Matthew, age 9. Lukewarm Christians make Jesus nauseated to the point of vomiting. I’m not making this up. Read Revelation 3:16. Have you ever been in love and heard the words “I just want to be friends”? Remember that sick, sinking feeling? You almost wish you’d heard “I never want to see you again.” It’s better to know where you stand than to
be offered a half-hearted relationship. “If your heart is good and doesn’t think bad things, you shall see God,” says William, 10. “But you also have to believe in Jesus, for works cannot take you to heaven.” Yes, it’s bad thinking that gets us into trouble. It’s especially bad when you’re counting on good deeds for entrance into heaven’s gates. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day upheld a tradition of thousands of laws created as a fence around the law given to Moses. The idea is that you won’t steal a cookie if you can’t reach the cookie jar. This resulted in a religion of rituals focused on outward cleanliness. Jesus challenged the prevailing religious thought and practice when he pronounced blessings on the “pure in
Carey Kinsolving
heart.” Cleanse the inner life, and the outer life will take care of itself. Or, as Augustine said, “Love and do what you will.” “Purity is special to God,” says Anna, 9. “The pure are filled with joy.” Yes, purity
is special to God because he himself is pure. “Purity of heart is to will one thing,” said Soren Kierkegaard. God has never deviated from his purpose of bringing everything into conformity with his Son. The new world order began when Jesus left heaven and invaded planet Earth as a baby born in a manger. The Apostle Paul presents Jesus as the new Adam, untainted by the fall of the first Adam. Purity of heart begins by becoming part of a new humanity, says Dave, 11: “It means that people who have accepted Christ and believed that he died on the cross and rose again will go to heaven when they die.” Dave knows there’s a resurrected man in heaven who is fully God sitting on his throne. As the firstborn from the
dead, Jesus opened heaven’s gates for all who trust in him. The pure one bore our impurities in his body when he hung on a cross. “If you are pure in heart, you are blessed,” says Madison, 10. “Being blessed will help you see God.” When Moses asked to see God’s glory, the Lord said no man could see him and live. The contrast between God’s reply to Moses and Jesus’ promise to the pure in heart is startling. Purity of heart is absolute in that Christians are forever forgiven because they’ve received the life that comes from believing in Jesus as Savior. But it’s also relative in the sense of Christians needing to confess their sins to God to restore the closeness of fellowship that comes from being filled and led by
the Spirit of God. “The ones who are pure in heart will be rewarded,” says Nicole, 10. “They love God very much and study his word.” Think about this: Allow the Lord to replace the confusion in your life with the joy that comes from purity of heart. Memorize this truth: Matthew 5:8 quoted above. Ask this question: Are you pure in heart or confused in the head? “Kids Talk About God” is written and distributed by Carey Kinsolving. To access free, online “Kids Color Me Bible” books, “Mission Explorers” videos, a new children’s musical, and all columns in a Bible Lesson Archive, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org.
Will they ever run out of rabbits? I wonder what the Apostle Paul would think if he visited some churches today. Some are healthy. But I imagine he would have strong words of caution to many. He would flat out-rebuke others. I wonder if Jesus looks down from Heaven, embarrassed. I’m uncertain if my generation truly understands what it means to be the Body of Christ. You know the churches I’m talking about: man centered, not God centered. They seek to be new and sexy, because the way God’s people have worshiped for ages is outdated. They seek to be relevant, even if it means crossing biblical boundaries to do so. Entertainment, not preaching the Word of God, is the engine that drives the
Andy Waits church. Publicity, not relationships, are the focus of ministry. I often think, “Will they ever run out of rabbits to pull out of the hat”? Games and gimmicks draw wonderful crowds but make weak disciples. Building your church on hype cannot be sustained long-term.
It wears off quickly. The air goes out of the balloon. Someone else is always waiting to pull a bigger rabbit out of the hat, “oohing” and “ahhh-ing” the crowds. It becomes a competition between churches: Who can have the biggest splash? Who can generate the greatest shock value? Who can produce the most emotionally-driven show? I wonder if the rabbits weary Jesus? I think of Jesus feeding the crowds in the gospels. The crowds were his biggest fans as long as he was giving them food. When he began to teach, especially hard teachings, they walked away (John 6:66-67). When I hear of churches giving away a new car on high attendance day, I laugh. Maybe I shouldn’t.
One church I spoke with wouldn’t refer to it as “worship;” the correct terminology today is “production.” I hear of churches substituting the proclamation of the Scriptures for a secular movie with spiritual points. It scares me that they will give an account before God for their preaching! I’m told the church over there is literally giving out cash to get people of another skin color to visit their church. That breaks my heart. I attended church on vacation and they sang one song by Journey and another by John Den-
ver. It’s supposed to make lost people feel more comfortable. I’m asking myself, “Am I in a church or a pub?” I saw a mega-church pastor preach on sex while lying in his bed on stage. Is he more interested in making a name for himself or in making disciples for Jesus Christ? I’m not certain, but I wonder. I could give more examples but what’s the use? I know the old proverb says, “If you’re going to go fishing, you’ve got to have some bait.” Being relevant is important. However, when we elevate relevance above
the Scripture, we are in danger of losing the true meaning of church. It doesn’t make disciples. It creates weeds that spring up quickly but die as soon as tribulation comes. I look around the church today and it looks like “VBS-for-adults.” All milk, no meat. Spurgeon once remarked, “One day instead of shepherds feeding the sheep we will see clowns entertaining the goats.” Pastors, stop pulling rabbits out of your hat; pull your Bible off the shelf, and feed the sheep.
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