Ken Pierpont's Blog, page 98

Cure for Hiccups

Guy walks a coffee bar and says to the barista, “Hey, do you know a cure for hiccups?”

Without saying a word the barista slaps him across the face with a cold, wet rag.

“Hey, why did you do that?”

“Well, You don’t have the hiccups anymore do you?”

“I never did. I was asking for my wife. She is waiting in the car.”

Proverbs 18:13 says, if you give an answer before you listen it is foolish and shameful…

Just a thought for the day.

Justifiable Thigh-Pinching

Sunday morning early on Mother’s day I called my mother to thank her for all that she did to raise me. I promise you raising me was a significant task. I thanked her sincerely for all she did. I listed a number of those things.

There was a long pause then she asked; “So you have forgiven me for pinching you in church?”

A assured her she had carried that upon her conscience unnecessarily for all these years. Long ago I recognized that the pinching was justifiable under the circumstances. She was trying to teach me to show reverence in church. It worked.

It is my most joyful and holy business every day of my life to inspire reverence for God in others. As a pastor I have to do it without pinching thighs, but for mom, at the time, the thigh-pinching in church had its usefulness.

So for the thousands whose hearts I have faithfully tried to stir up for God, you can thank my thigh-pinching mother.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

May 10, 2016

Three Parts of a Powerful Blessing

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. We have a tradition on Mother’s Day. After dinner and just before gifts are given each of the children gives a blessing to their mother. It’s a touching and beautiful time. Tears, tenderness, laughter, and love. Blessings are powerful and memorable.

People long for blessings. Jesus spoke often of blessings. He even taught his followers to bless their enemies. From the beginning to the end the Bible emphasizes the power of blessings.

The skill of blessing is a powerful skill to acquire. Here are three ways to make a blessing powerful:

1. Use Carefully Chosen Meaningful Words.

Our words are powerful for good or evil. When we chose words carefully and arrange them meaningfully, they have great power. When used thoughtlessly or they can cause deep and lasting harm. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21)

2. Use God’s Words.

A blessing is especially powerful when you include a meaningful scripture. A few years ago a friend called and said; “I was reading my Bible this morning and I came across the last words of David. Have you ever read the last words of David?”

“I’m sure I have, but I can’t bring them to mind right now,” I said.

“The last words of David were: ‘When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.’ This is from 2 Samuel 23:3-4.”

He said; “When I read that I thought of you. You get up early every morning. You use words to bless people. It’s like the sun coming up in the morning after a refreshing rain.”

That was a powerful blessing that I will never forget. One of the things that made it powerful is that it came from the Scriptures. If you want to bless people powerfully, use a meaningful passage of scripture.

3. Use God’s name.

God told Moses to bless the people using His name:

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”” (Numbers 6:22–27, NKJV)

When you know that what you have said is an expression of God’s will you can use the power of God’s name. Never take God’s name in vain, but we do have the authority to attach the name of God to something that is clearly His will. That is why we pray in God’s name. In the same way we can bless in God’s name.

If you want to be a blessing. Use meaningful words, use scripture, and use God’s name. It is a powerful, memorable, meaningful thing confer a blessing on someone.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

May 9, 2016

12 Ways to Honor Your Mother (Sermon)

12 Ways to Honor Your Mother

Pastor Ken Pierpont

Evangel Baptist Church-Taylor, Michigan

May 8, 2016 AM

When I say, “I Forgive You.”

What does it mean to forgive someone? Here are three among many other things it means when I say “I forgive you.”

– I will not bring up that in my mind and dwell on it.

– I will not bring up that sin to you again.

– I will not bring up that sin to others.

If you bring up someone’s sin against them in your heart, to them, or to others, it shows that you have not fully forgiven them.

The Scripture says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) Before the throne of God He always calls for the death penalty—and he is right. Our sin is lethal and we deserve to die. Sin always leads to death. But, praise be unto God, we not only have an accuser, but we have an Advocate. Not only do we have a prosecutor, calling for the death penalty, we have an advocate, a righteous advocate who has already paid the death penalty and that Advocate—our lawyer who represents up before the Just Judge of the Universe the the only begotten and beloved Son of the Judge.

When I think about that I then see how bringing up someone’s sin against them in my heart, or to them, or to others, is doing the devil’s work. When I bring up sin that I say I have forgiven I am not on the side of the Advocate. I am on the side of the accuser. When I remind people of their past and forgiven sin, I am doing the Devil’s work. I’m operating as if I am on his side. You don’t want to work for the Devil. He has a very dismal future.

Forgivness in Marriage

Given the intimacy and the duration of a marriage relationship much forgiveness will be needed. When you live with someone you sin against them. They sin against you. The health of the relationship is going to be effected by how you deal with those injuries.

That is way Paul was inspired by the Spirit to remind husbands to love their wives and to see to it that they don’t allow the relationship to be poisoned by bitterness.

Colossians 3:16 says this: “Husbands, love your wives and don’t be bitter against them.”

When you find yourself bringing up your wife’s past sins against her in your mind or in your conversation, beware. Working within your spirit is the poison of bitterness and it is a deadly poison. Bitterness is a deadly poison and it is sinful.

Do you want your spouse to bring up your past sins–sins for which you have asked forgiveness? Who does? So don’t ever bring up your spouses’ sin against them. God can strengthen you to do this. His mercy toward us is new every morning, so our mercy toward them should be new every day, too.

Ken Pierpont

Bair Lake Bible Camp

Jones, Michigan

April 30, 2016

Ten Ways to Strengthen Family Relationships

[This is a photo of my goods friends the Mike and Susan Oatis Family]

Much of our joy, flourishing and effectiveness in life will depend on the strength of our family relationships. Over the years, in counseling couples and families, I have found the following principles and ideas to be a help to people.

Ten Bible Ways to Strengthen Your Family Relationships

1. Agree to live by the Book. Eph 5; Rom 12; Psalm 112

“…delight greatly in His commandments…” Sit down and agree on a Biblical family constitution.

2. When you are frustrated about your rights being violated concentrate on your responsibilities. (Phil. 2:5-11)

3. Listen to understand before you talk to be understood. (Phil. 2:1-4).

Use a “Talking Stick” idea. (James 1:19) “…let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…” One way to overcome anger and sinful reactions is by listening with your heart.

4. Seek forgiveness for wrongs immediately. (Ephesians 4:26)

“…let not he sun go down…” Work hard and be careful and patient when restoring relationships that are broken or damaged. (Proverbs 18:19) A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle.

5. Always speak gracefully (Eph 4:32)

• “…Bless don’t curse…” (Luke 6:27ff)

• “…law of kindness… (Proverbs 31)

• “…keep your tongue from evil…” (1 Pet. 3:6, 10)

• “…bitterness, wrath, clamor…” (Eph 4:31)

6. Be careful what you let yourself think about. (Phil 4:8)

“…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…” (Luke 6:45) What you think about is very likely to come out or stick out…

7. Try to please your spouse. (1 Cor. 7:33) But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife… (But if you can’t be sure you please God)

8. Respect your differences. (1 Cor. 12:14-23)

Gifts don’t despise the gifts of another, but leverage your mutual gifts to accomplish good things…

9. Have personal, marriage, and family revivals regularly.

I believe God designed us to live in a healthy rhythm between work and rest, the mountaintop and the marketplace. The nation of Israel was commanded to have regular times away to stimulate spiritual life and worship God. Through the years people have had their spiritual lives powerfully stimulated by camp meetings, conferences, retreats, camps, Bible and Missionary Conferences and Revival meetings. These are often times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.

10. Pray together. Seek the Lord together. Serve together. Worship together. (Psalm 34:3) …exalt His name together…

I’d love to know what has been helpful to you to strengthen your family relationships.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

April 27, 2016

One Day Soon: Ten Reasons Not to Invest in This World (Rev. 18:1-24)

One Day Soon: Ten Reasons Not to Invest in This World (Revelation 18:1-24)

April 26, 2016 AM

Evangel Baptist Church-Taylor, Michigan

Pastor Ken Pierpont

Two Powerful Questions for Preachers

If you want to preach or teach effectively you have to have two questions running in your mind all the time. Here are the questions that run in my mind all week every week as I prepare my heart to preach the living word to dying men. As I communicate the love of God and the truth of God to people God loves who need the truth these are a couple questions I have in my heart.

1. Why did God want the original author to say this and why did God want the original audience to hear this?

What was the author’s intent? What was the original setting like? Why would the original author say this or write this to the original audience? What was the original author’s world like? What was the world of the original audience like? How did this truth impact them?

2. Why does God want me to teach this truth to the my congregation on Sunday?

Why does this truth matter to the people I will preach to on Sunday? How does God want this truth to impact their lives and transform them? How does the Holy Spirit want to use this truth in the lives of the people sitting in front of me with Bibles in their laps and a hundred competing thoughts running through their minds?

If you answer those two questions you will explain the truth in clear terms, you will illustrate that truth to make it plain, and you will apply to show way the truth matters to them.

Let me know if you want to talk about this.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

April 22, 2016

The Boston Marathon 2016

I have never run a marathon. I have trained for a marathon a few times. One year I was up to twenty miles in my training runs. I could have finished a marathon that year but I did not compete. Now, at least for now, I have slowed to a walk. But when the Monday of the Boston Marathon comes my heart always feels a quickening thrill. It stirs me to see the great human effort.

No matter what my pace I am going to keep moving and be as healthy as I can be to be used of God here on earth as long as He allows. Every morning I start again to walk, to eat what is good for me. I won’t be competing on the Boston Marathon, but I can get out of the chair. I can eat less food. I can eat better food, especially better food. I can keep moving forward.

Ken Pierpont

Granville Cottage

Riverview, Michigan

April 18, 2016

Seduced to Death (Rev. 17)

Seduced to Death

Revelation 17

Evangel Baptist Church-Taylor, Michigan

April 17, 2016

Pastor Ken Pierpont