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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BABIES DIE?

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By Ken Blue

I am confident that there is nothing that grieves the heart more than the loss of a child or infant.    The saddest part of my ministry was counseling couples whose infants had died. However, in the midst of all their grief, there is hope.

Jesus loved little children and said, “…Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16. I cannot but believe infants go to heaven at death.

Also, King David was informed that his infant son had died. He had fasted and prayed for days that God would spare the child. However, after receiving the news of its death, he did the following. “But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20  Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21  Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22  And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23  But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:19-23.

Paul, in Romans 5:19 gives us an answer to the question. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Romans 5:18. He is contrasting the actions, and consequences of Adam with those of Christ. Through Adam’s disobedience, all are condemned to die. However, through the obedience of Christ, one can be made righteous.

Now, we realize that those capable of understanding the gospel message are required to accept it by faith. And let there be no misunderstanding here. The text is not teaching universal salvation for all men. Faith in the finished work of Christ is always the requirement for those capable of having it. However, we have ample reason to believe that those too young, or who are incapable of faith, are saved by His free grace, without faith.  

The following epitaph from St. Andrew’s churchyard in Scotland is a case in point.

  • Bold infidelity, turn pale and die. Beneath this stone, four sleeping infants lie: Say, are they lost or saved? If death’s by sin, they sinned, for they are here. If heaven’s by works, in heaven they can’t appear. Reason, ah, how depraved! Turn to the Bible’s sacred page, the knot’s untied: They died, for Adam sinned; they live, for Jesus died!

Thank God that He has not left us in the dark on this important matter. There is no reason to doubt that infants, and little children are ushered into the very arms of Jesus at their death. “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18.

POLITE SINNERS

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By Ken Blue

Not all lost people are rude or impolite. Some are quiet, kind, and unoffending. During my 40 years of pastoring, I have knocked on literally hundreds of doors in the Lynnwood area. I have encountered just about every reaction imaginable on those visits.

I have had people who opened the door, and before I could say one word, they  yelled, “NO, we don’t want any.” On other occasions, when I introduced the church, and myself they told me where to go, and it wasn’t heaven. Then I have had some who listened briefly, and then slam the door. In every case, I was shut out, and left standing alone on the porch.

However, there was one experience I will never forget. It happened just a few blocks from the church. I knocked on the door, and a very polite lady came to the door. I introduced myself, gave her a piece of literature about our church. She smiled, and thanked me for it. I ask for permission to ask her a question, which she gave.

I ask her if she knew for sure she would go to heaven when she died. She responded, “I believe we make our on heaven or hell right here on earth.” I then ask, “Which are you in?” See assured me that this was not heaven. She then thanked me for the invitation; she smiled, and gently shut the door. As all the others mentioned above, I was still shut out and standing on the porch alone.

I’ve met a few like her. They are polite sinners, but they have no time for Jesus Christ, or the gospel. They just gently close the door, and shut Him out. Regardless of the attitude, the end result is all the same. Christ is rejected because they haven’t time for Him.

What about you? Are you just a well-mannered, polite sinner? Politeness and spirituality are two different things. You may not curse Jesus; you just don’t have time for Him. Well, let me say as politely as I know how, those of you who have no time for Jesus, will find at the judgment, He will have no time for you, and He will not be polite.

 

 

 

“BY ALL MEANS.”

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By Ken Blue

 

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some..” 1 Corinthians 9:19-22.

 

I find it beyond belief at the number of pastors who attempt to discredit this passage in order to not use  “all means” to reach people. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows Paul would not get drunk to win the drunkard, or sleep with a prostitute, to witness to her. How stupid do we have to sound in order to discredit a text?

 

Paul, who said it was a shame for a man to have long hair, let his hair grow for a year or more. He had taken a vow which involved this decision. (Acts 18:18). Young Timothy, a gentile, submitted to circumcision in order to make his witness acceptable to the Jews. (Acts 16:3). And yet, we have self-righteous pastors who aren’t willing to spend, and be spent to reach everyone with the gospel. Most pastors don’t add new converts because they have no real desire to grow.

 

I know a pastor who has pastored in a major city for over six years, and still has about 40 people in attendance. He has the ability to have hundreds in his church. The excuse is that no one is interested in the gospel. The real truth is that the pastor is not interested enough in the lost to step out of his box. He holds the idea that all promotion to get people to church is wrong.

 

I have heard more than one pastor say, “If you give someone something to get them to church, you must keep giving it to them to keep them coming.” That statement is foolish and inaccurate. I have used every kind of promotion over the years to reach the lost. Many have been saved, and it did not require a continuation of the gift to keep them coming. In fact, after 30 years, some are still coming. That criticism is nothing more than a self-righteous excuse to not use “all means” to reach the lost. I also think it has a ring of, not incurring the wrath of other pastors who hold the same view.

 

Most lost people do not come to church because of what you like about your church. There are multiple reasons why they come, and you should do some skull work to find out what lost couples believe they need. Jack Hyles used the trotline illustration in the matter of soul winning. A trotline is stretched across a stream or river. Hooks are tied to it at about four foot intervals. The more hooks you have in the water, the more opportunities you have to catch fish. Pastor, how many outreach hooks do you have in the water? What are the “means” you could be using to attract young families to attend your church? Paul would use “all means.”

 

 

 

An Interview with Pastor Blue #1

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classify peopleHow to classify people if the church

Hi Folks,

I asked Pastor Blue if I could post to the blog. I help pastor with the administration of the blog.

If you keep track of Pastor Blue’s posts you can see he takes time to deal with objections. Many times the people who he is dealing with seem genuinely interested in gaining understanding, sometimes not so much. Those of us who know Pastor Blue know how patiently he will work us through our misunderstandings, misperceptions and blind spots concerning Doctrine. Thinking about these “mentoring sessions” both online and in person, I asked Pastor Blue to do this. Now to the interview:


Question #1
Pastor Blue, over the years you have dealt with many types of people. Although some people resist being typed or classified, I expect that you can give us some insights into what type of people you’ve dealt with and the characteristics of the conversations. I remember other preachers classifying people as “honest seekers” and the like. Some conversations are worthwhile and some useless. Could you give us insights in these different types of people, the characteristics of their conversation, and maybe how to know if they are worth our time?  Can you show us how you classify people in the church?


Scott, like all problems, some are identified immediately, while other take some time to figure out. This is also true of people. However, when you have been in the problem solving business for a while, it becomes easier to spot it.

If I were to classify people, I think they fall into three groups. I call them the VIP, VTP, VDP. When I speak of these, it is only in the context of people within a church, with whom the pastor must deal. Every church will have within it a group who are very important to the ministries (…The VIP). These are those we choose as assistant pastors, deacons, Sunday school teachers, etc. The pastor needs wisdom and patience to identify these people. A church cannot function without these called “VIP.”

Then there are the people who are very teachable (…The VTP). They are eager to learn the Scriptures, and how to serve the Lord. They are your next generation of VIP. Again, the pastor must watch for this crowd and spend his time training and nurturing them. They will display an ability to get along with people, an aptitude for learning, and strength of character.

Finally, there are those we are called to pastor who are very draining (…The VDP). They would like to have counseling sessions with the pastor after every service. The pastor must avoid the belief he can help these people. They do not want their problem solved, that would remove their excuse for counseling.

Then there are those who have a grievance about someone else, and they want you to deal with it. Don’t do it! They want the pastor’s finger prints on their murder weapon. When someone complains about another, NEVER give YOUR opinion about that person. Your comments will get back to the other party, and now you have another family to deal with.

Most complaints should be ignored. But, there are some that must be addressed. The pastor may need to seek outside advice on some issues. Remember, all three of these groups are in every church, and the pastor is the pastor of each of them. He must learn the difference, and learn the best way to deal with them. Jesus could not keep all His flock, neither can any pastor.

DON’T BELIEVE THE CAMEL STORY

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Eliminating Camel Humps

By Ken Blue
Many pastors agonize over the summer and winter months when it comes to church  attendance and offerings. They have been programed to believe that these two seasons are predestined to lower church attendance. Dr. Elmer Towns compared it to a two humped camel. The gap between the camel humps is supposed to represent these two seasons. Growth could only be expected in the spring and the fall.

However, there are some who do not accept this view of defeat, and they work, pray, and expect to see God work in a great way. The following note from Pastor Murphy illustrates my point. He gave me permission to post it.

“Pastor Blue praise God for a great outreach at our annual Freedom Celebration (July 2012). We had over 800 in attendance with 300 + first time visitors and 14 people indicated they trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

That next week we had a great team of members and staff that visited over 130 homes with one profession of faith in those visits. Since this outreach we have had multiple families come back as they are looking for a church home.

What a blessing to see the church body come together to make this possible as we try to reach the community God has placed us in.

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily….. Acts 2:47”

Pastor, don’t be discouraged, and don’t quit. You can do better! I pray that some pastor, by the grace of God will accept the challenge.