You are here: Home / Archives for Ken Blue

HIGH JUMPING AND STRAIGHT WALKING

by

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR STRAIGHT WALKING

Straight road
By Ken Blue

Dr. Paul Vanaman was my professor and a dear friend. He spoke at our church on many occasions in the early days of my ministry. I will never forget a statement he made in one of those sermons. He said, “I don’t care how high you jump, what concerns me is how straight you walk when you come down.”

Some of the brethren, I fear, have confused the two. They think high jumping is the same as straight walking. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have seen many who can run, jump, and yell but they don’t tithe when they come down.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We’ve seen you jump; now let’s see your walk.[/perfectpullquote]

I love excitement in church. Very little plagues Christianity more than a dead, dull, dry service. We are not against jumping high, but we are opposed to that Christianity that fails to walk straight when the dust settles and the shouting is over.

When you come down, do you gossip? Do you attend church regularly? Do you tithe and support missions? Do you read your Bible and serve in your local church? Do you love all the brethren? Are you harboring bitterness and resentment? We’ve seen you jump; now let’s see your walk.

THE WALL

by

THE WALL
By Ken Blue

The wall I built was long; it was tall and wide;
It was built, a defense, to hide the pain inside.

When companions came to close; for comforts call;
Then, hurriedly I fled; hiding behind my wall.

Life’s broken promises; man’s deceitful lies;
Build walls of anger; of rejection and of pride.

The wall, it kept growing, but no eye could see;
That meant for protection; was a prison for me.

That wall, I’ll tear down; relationships I miss;
Jesus called him “friend”; receiving his Judas kiss.

If you too want friends; companionship at all,
Then you must endure the pain, and tear down the wall.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

by

THE GOOD SHEPHERD

By Ken Blue

The Good Shepherd goes before;
Preparing every day.
In new life, His sheep now walk.
He is the living Way.

The Good Shepherd gently leads;
They follow in His fold.
Safely held by His hands;
Protected from their foes.

The Good Shepherd is the door;
To lifes abundant fields.
They lie down by still waters;
At night they fear no ill.

The Good Shepherd knows His sheep;
He counts them every day.
He knows each one by their name;
He has lost none, they say.

The Good Shepherd gave His life;
He died for each ones sake;
Placed Himself between sins’ wrath,
And the life sin would take.

The Good Shepherd comes again;
Like a thief at midnight.
Who, is now the Great Shepherd,
Is Chief when faith is sight!

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT/ BIBLICAL OR BIAS

by

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE BIBLE

Firing SquadBy Ken Blue
In the Old Testament the following crimes deserved the death penalty:

  1. Murder (Gen 9:6, Ex 21:12, Numb 35:16-21).
  2. Abuse of father or mother (Ex 21:15).
  3. Speaking a curse over parents (Ex 21:17).
  4. Blasphemy against God (Lev 24:14-16, 23).
  5. Breaking the Sabbath (Ex 31:14, Numb 15:32-36).
  6. Practicing magic (Ex 22:18).
  7. Fortune telling and practicing sorcery (Lev 20:27).
  8. Religious people who mislead others to fall away (Deut 13:1-5, 18:20).
  9. Adultery and fornication (Lev 20:10-12, Deut 22:22).
  10. If a woman has intercourse before marriage (Deut 22:20-21).
  11. If two people have intercourse when one of them is engaged. (Deut 22:23-24).
  12. The daughter of a priest practicing prostitution (Lev 21:9).
  13. Rape of someone who is engaged (Deut 22:25).
  14. Having intercourse with animals (Ex 22:19).
  15. Worshipping idols (Ex 22:20, Lev 20:1-5, Deut 17:2-7).
  16. Incest (Lev 20:11-12, 14, 19-21).
  17. Homosexuality (Lev 20:13).
  18. Kidnapping (Ex 21:16).
  19. To bear false testimony at a trial (Deut 19:16, 19).
  20. Contempt of court (Deut 17:8-13).

Execution could be stoning, burning, using a sword, spear or arrow (Lev 20:27, 21:9, Ex 19:13, 32:27, Num 25:7-8).

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”red” class=”” size=””]…is your opinion about the death penalty biblical or biased?[/perfectpullquote]

I, for one, believe in the death penalty for premeditated murder. It was practiced before the giving of the Law to Moses, under the Law and by the gentile nations during most of the dispensations. Its primary purpose was to show the value God places on human life. Without laws, no society can exist.

However, the question is, when you and I go through the above list, how do we justify selecting some and ignoring others? Has society set the standards for your thinking? Has your church influenced your selection or did you just pull them out of a hat? Would you approve of your son or daughter being executed for contempt of court or for cursing you? If your daughter had premarital sex, would you condemn her to death? I don’t think you would. In fact, if all the above were practiced today; you probably would not be reading this article and I would not be writing it. You know what I mean!

These were the laws for the nation of Israel. Certainly there should be and must be a penalty for all crimes, and God has left it up to other governments to establish what will be considered capital crimes. You must accept that conclusion, set your own standards, or incorporate all the Old Testament laws for capital crimes. So, is your opinion about the death penalty biblical or biased?

COWS AND BUTTER

by

By Ken Blue

“I milk a lot of cows, but I make my own butter.” I have no idea who first made that statement, but it has a ring of wisdom to it. None of us are as original as we might think. A man who believes he must be original in every matter is foolish and proud.

My advice is, milk every cow you can, and get every last drop from the old heifer. Then edit it, rearrange it, pray over it and preach it! If God blesses it, then use it again and again and again.

We have been singing the same songs over and over for 150 years; people are blessed and no one complains. If you find a sermon that work; then work it. Most pastors do not care where you got your message. The Congregation is the last to care.

It amazes me how pastors can praise you on how your sermon has blessed them, until they discover where you may have gotten the idea or outline for it. If they dislike the vendor, the product can’t possibly be good.

Most preachers are thankful they have provided something that helps others. So milk the cows and don’t worry about their breed or whose pasture you found them in. Just put the bread and butter on the table and let God’s people enjoy the feast.