Perry’s Scope: Christian sermons, lessons, and resources for teachers

CBS has developed a compelling show where the CEO or company owner goes “undercover” within his company, disguised as an entry level worker to see how the company is doing from the employees’ perspectives. The bosses tend to learn a great deal about their management style as well as the satisfaction level of their workers. They also find out some of the better and worse employees within the organization. At the end of the show, the boss reveals himself to the employees – some are rewarded, some are not.

There are similar stories throughout history where an individual of power is hidden as a “regular person.” The myth of the Linden Tree is one of these, where the gods, Zeus and Hermes pretend to be beggars and find only an older couple to be hospitable. This was the reason for the treatment of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14.

There is a legend that Solomon was temporarily deposed as King of Israel. During his time away from the throne, he was unknown to his subjects. He found some were generous and some were stingy. When he regained the throne, he rewarded accordingly.

Jesus describes a judgment scene in Matthew 25. He blesses some and curses others because of their actions toward Him. Both groups want to know when they had encountered Him. He responds that when they acted or failed to act in compassion to the least of His people, they did so to Him.

Jesus went “undercover” in coming into the world. Some encountered but did not recognize Him. The same is true today! Imagine, the God of the universe taking on flesh to live among us, yet we fail to see Him!

One thing is clear: How we act toward His people will determine how He acts toward us. Treat every person as though he is Royalty and see what comes.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene

Do you remember what it felt like when you discovered the “World Wide Web”? Wasn’t it exciting to know that you had, at your fingertips, access to nearly any subject in the world? If you wanted to learn about the natives in Ecuador, you just entered it in a search engine and you had a variety of articles to scour.

There is a plethora of information available to us (I love using “plethora”). As you may have noticed, some of the information on the “Web” is accurate. Some is not. Snopes.com has become a popular site for discerning minds. Often someone initiates an e-mail with information that seems to be true and then sends it out. Before long, it is forwarded to the masses. Then we find out it is false.

The Enemy of God is much like this. He tends to give us a lot of misinformation, especially about God. Some of that information seems true enough, but when we explore the scriptures we find out that he has lied to us.

He told our parents in the Garden that they would NOT die if they ate the forbidden fruit. They made a bad choice and died. That choice also has consequences to their descendants all these thousands of years later. We DO die.

The Enemy has given the impression that we won’t live. How many people have you heard of who do not believe in an afterlife of any kind? Communism has the worship of man and the denial of God at its very core. It is an atheistic philosophy that says there is nothing after we die. What does the Bible teach? What does the resurrection prove?

Those are just two examples of the Liar. They contradict each other. To those of us with a Western approach to life that seems illogical. However, the Satan is not interested in logic; he is interested in combating God. So, he spins whatever lie he can to deceive us; even when he contradicts what he just said.

The Bible is our “Snopes.” With the surfeit of misinformation about God being handed to us, it is imperative that we know the facts. Check the Book. Listen to what GOD says about God’s things. We can’t go wrong when HE is right.

Keep The Light Burning!

Perry Greene