Ben Graydon - The Times Examiner

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 31 August 2018

The largest single and fastest growing demographic among Christian believers as concerns church is the un-churched – those who are not members of and do not regularly attend the services of a church. If this writer has been successful in pointing out the distinctions between the church and the ecclesia, that need not cause readers to regard decreasing church membership necessarily as evidence of fewer numbers in the Body of Christ - the ecclesia – itself, for the two are distinctly different. And, in fact, as the church is not the ecclesia but often serves rather to distract believers from the ecclesia, it is better that the church should decrease. (“He must increase but I must decrease.”)

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 27 August 2018

Let’s start with a few operative principles:

If commanded explicitly by the written Word of God in the original languages, it is authoritative; all else is suspect. (Acts 17:11 governs.)

If God did not say, God did not say; let God be true and every man a liar. (If a man says that God said what God did not say [and record as such in His written Word], that man is a liar.)

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 24 August 2018

It has all the components of a business: cash flow (or a negative downside from lack thereof), a CEO, a board of directors, employees, customers, products and services, advertising, special offers, a physical plant, overhead expenses, recognition by government and other businesses, interaction with suppliers and regulatory agencies, etc. It also has access to the greatest manual on business ever written … which manual, and dissemination of business success instruction therefrom, is one of its primary purposes for existence as a business. It is highly intriguing, therefore, that this business entity is so practically averse to disseminating that information regularly.

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 17 August 2018

So, does God in His Word have something to say about law and about education? You betcha! Unfortunately, not much is said about those two subjects in churches. Why not? Why should the church be bound to the “religion mountain,” where the world is happy for the church to stay … as long as we let them do their thing on the other six mountains? Why does the church willingly agree to not bring “religion” into the marketplace and to keep church and state separate?

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 14 August 2018

Ah, the memories: two new pair of jeans (one green, one brown; blue jeans were still not allowed); three or four new shirts; perhaps a pair of shoes; sox and understuff … along with pencils, pencil sharpener, erasers, paper, ruler, glue, pencil box … And the smell – the smell of new clothes and school paraphernalia! It marked the end of summer and the advent of a new adventure.

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 06 August 2018

Law wasn’t God’s first choice: relationship was. But He did give us law (the law was “added,” Galatians 3:19 tells us), and it is the highest form of law there is. Do you suppose He has something to say about it?

Who is more trustworthy when it comes to law – an attorney … or the Creator, the Law-Giver Himself? Considering that the law that attorneys are expert about – attorney-made law (statutory) – is the lowest form of law, upon whom should we rely for the final word on law?

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 01 August 2018

What do you LOVE to do? What are you GOOD AT doing? What do you DREAM ABOUT doing? What are you PASSIONATE about? Whether you know it as such or not, that, most likely, is the thing that God has called and gifted you to do. It doesn’t matter what it is; if you are a lover of God, He has placed that thing in you and that is your calling – the thing that you were placed on this earth to do. That thing – that Royal assignment – is for you the most important thing in the world.

It may be farming – tilling the ground, planting seed, cultivating it and harvesting it. It may be caring for animals. It may be building or repairing engines. It may be architectural design. It may be teaching and inspiring others. It may be drawing, painting or sculpting. It may be composing music or singing or playing on an instrument. It may be preparing food. It may be gathering herbs and preparing herbal teas and tinctures. It may be cleaning and organizing. It may be writing words so as to communicate ideas and thoughts. It may be interpreting words that others have written, perhaps in a foreign language, so that others may understand. It can be anything that follows - and does not violate - God’s principles of truth.

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 28 July 2018

The “Seven Mountain” idea, mentioned earlier in “What Really Matters?” is that there are seven specific spheres of influence – “mountains” – where Christians must seek to gain control in order for Jesus to return and take His throne on the earth. Those seven spheres are most often identified as: 1) Media, 2) Government, 3) Education, 4) Business, 5) Religion, 6) Arts & Entertainment and 7) Family. Setting aside considerations of theology or eschatology, and dealing just with those divisions into seven categories, an objective analysis should lead us to reject the idea that there are actually seven distinct groupings at all.

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 23 July 2018

In this neck of the woods, “Where do y’all go to church?” is usually the second or third question after “Where do you live?” or “What do you do?” Going to church is a socially-normal thing to do around here; it’s part of the culture. But “where” is probably the only biblically-based descriptor there is for this thing we call “church.” Geography is not, however, where church stops. There are denominations, and divisions within denominations, and preferred doctrines, including what other divisions are safe to associate with.

What denomination was Jesus?

Seriously.

What really matters?

: By Ben Graydon; Published: 20 July 2018

Might I suggest three things:

One’s personal relationship with God.
One’s relationship with one’s family and close personal friends.
The ideas (knowledge, wisdom, understanding) that God gives one and one’s effective communication of them – one’s life work.

Yes, these are the things that matter.

In contrast, on our deathbeds, will it really matter who was elected president, sheriff, or school board trustee? About to face the Judge of the Universe, will it matter to us who sits on the Supreme Court of the United States?