By: Zach Collins Have you ever heard the story of the preacher who was trying to illustrate the ill effects of alcohol and tobacco? In one sermon, to illustrate this fact, a preacher decided to put a worm in some alcohol and a worm in a sealed jar of cigarette smoke. By the end of the lesson, the preacher showed the assembly that both the worm in the alcohol and the worm in the cigarette smoke were dead. So, to bring home the application in his sermon, the preacher decided to illicit a congregational response by asking the question, “Someone please tell me, what does this mean?” To which, a young boy replied, “If you drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, you will not have worms.”  We can all reasonably conclude that this was not the message that the preacher was trying to elucidate to the congregation. Nevertheless, in the response of this little boy, we see a common struggle in the church today, the ability to communicate.   Though unintentional, I often find myself sticking the metaphorical “foot in my mouth”, not with the words that I use, but by the sentences that I form with those words. I suppose that it is just a characteristic that is innate to imperfect human beings. Peter often stuck his foot in his mouth. On one hand, Peter confessed Christ as “the son of the living God”, while on the other hand, he denied that Jesus would be resurrected from the dead (c.f., Matthew …

By: Zach Collins Paul wrote, in 1 Corinthians 4:1, “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”  The Apostle Paul often employed words, in his writings of inspiration, that held far deeper and more significant meanings than their appearance on the surface. One such example is found in the aforementioned verse. The word servant, found in 1 Corinthians 4:1, comes from the Greek word huperetes (hoop-ay-ret’-ace), meaning, “under-oarsman” or “subordinate rower.” While we might struggle with understanding the meaning of such words today, this was a common Greek word used for a servant, denoting a specific servant of his time, an under-rower. Ancient ships were driven, not by wind and sail, but by slaves who rowed in the belly of a ship. These men were called “under-rowers.” These slaves would sit on wooden benches, have their feet chained to the floor of the ship, and would spend their lives rowing at the captain’s commands. It is a word for a servant of God that possesses profound application in our lives.  Could any of the following statements be made applicable to the lives of Christians?  An under-rower was typically a slave or servant owned by the master of the ship. From the moment the under-rower stepped foot on the ship, the will of the under-rower was in submission to the will of his master.  An under-rower was part of a team of under-rowers that worked together. A typical oar was about thirty feet long and, often, required up …

Am I Being Neighborly?  By: Zach Collins The story is told about a preacher who preached a sermon on helping those in need. In his sermon, he used the parable of the Good Samaritan and encouraged the members, in his application, to become actively involved by giving to the poor. There was a little boy sitting in the pew, with his grandfather, listening to the sermon patiently. At the conclusion of the sermon, the collection basket began to be passed from pew to pew, and the little boy’s grandfather gave him a crisp $1 bill to put into the basket. However, instead of putting money in the basket, the little boy put the crisp $1 bill in his pocket. The worship service came and went, and as the preacher was shaking hands, the grandfather and little boy left the auditorium and came to the preacher. The little boy reached up and gave the preacher his crisp $1 bill with mischievous fingers! The preacher said, “Son, what is this for?” The little boy quipped, “You preached on giving to the poor and my daddy says you are the poorest preacher he knows.”   Jesus was once asked the question, “Who is my neighbor?” To which, Jesus responded by telling one of the most familiar stories in the Bible, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  Do you remember this story? One day, a certain man was traveling upon the road of Jericho from Jerusalem, a very dangerous road, when he fell among thieves. They …