Pastor's Corner

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

There may be preachers out there who have the gift of healing. I'm not one of them. That being said, I have to confess I am always amazed to see crowds rush to a service where the man up front says, "I've been told by God there is someone here in the audience who has an illness, an illness of the stomach. They have had that illness for over six years, and that illness is being healed right now." Understand, I'm not saying it can't happen, but I wonder why, if God is really telling the preacher about this individual, why doesn't the good Lord also share the man's name and address or, at the very least, point out the section, row, and chair where the man being healed is sitting.

I think that kind of questioning is part of what John was saying when he wrote, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God." But there's more to testing the spirits than asking questions about faith- healers. We also would do well to test the spirits of those who feel the Lord has directed them to point out what they consider to be the flaws, failings and foibles of Christianity.

A good example of that came to light years ago when a woman wrote to the Presbyterian radio minister J. Vernon McGee. In her letter the lady shared, "Last Sunday, our preacher said that on Good Friday Jesus just swooned on the cross and that the disciples nursed him back to health. What do you think?"

McGee replied, "Dear Sister, in answer to your question, what I would suggest you do is this: beat your preacher with a leather whip for 39 heavy strokes. Nail him to a cross. Hang him in the sun for six hours. Run a spear through his heart. Embalm him. Put him in an airless tomb for three days. Then see what happens." McGee was right in testing the sprits to see if they had come from the Lord.

But there's one more area, a most important area, where these spirits need to be tested. Many pulpits today are working very hard at being meaningful, pertinent, interesting and innovative. That's all fine and well, but sometimes the single-minded pursuit of such things can take preachers away from the Word of God.

That is why every message a listener hears ought to be tested to see if it comes from the Lord. Does that message point with crystal clarity to the Christ and how He lived, died and rose so sinners might be forgiven and saved?

Or does it point somewhere else? Of course, many people would say, "I don't know enough about the Bible to test a sermon."

If so, that's a shame, but might I suggest a simple plan. When I was little, about nine or ten, I snuck into the pulpit at my home congregation in Chicago. I only remember one thing from that venture. Carved into the stand that held the pastor's Bible and notes were the words, "Sir, we would see Jesus."

That's how you test the spirit of a sermon to see if it has come from the Lord. Has it shown you Jesus? Has that message pointed to the sacrifice of the Savior, which forgives our sins and saves our souls?

Pastor Ken Klaus
Lutheran Hour Ministries

How Much Does a Prayer Weigh?

A poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food.

The grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store

Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." The grocer told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family.

The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?"

The woman replied, "Yes sir"

"O.K." he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." She hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed.

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust.

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer which said:

"Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. She thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it."

It was some time later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken; therefore, only God knows how much a prayer weighs.

Have a blessed day! (Author Unknown)

Web Page prepared by:

Roger Kenner & Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2016/04/05
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal