Greenville’s Church – NewStart Church

To the Chief Musician

I was talking to an acquaintance the other day, someone who had recently taken a part time job leading praise and worship for a church in the Upstate on Sunday mornings. In the course of our conversation I learned that the pastor of this particular church had made it very clear to my friend that [...]

Seen of Angels

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. It all began with a [...]

Thank God for Flesh that Fails

Rom　7:25 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Paul told the Romans in Romans 7:4 that we “should” bring forth fruit unto God. Through the power of the Spirit we can bring forth fruit, [...]

Self Examination

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? The ability to examine one’s self has always been the difference between those who become great for God and those who fail in their Christian walk. [...]

How to Recognize God’s Voice in Your Life

1 Samuel 3:1-10 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he [...]

To the Chief Musician

January 14th, 2012

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I was talking to an acquaintance the other day, someone who had recently taken a part time job leading praise and worship for a church in the Upstate on Sunday mornings. In the course of our conversation I learned that the pastor of this particular church had made it very clear to my friend that he was not to “manipulate” the people in any way. Essentially, my friend was not permitted to encourage the people to worship, clap, or in any way do anything that might be deemed “out of order” or “emotional” to a “modern” church.

A short time later I was reading in the Psalms and came across these verses:

Psa 47:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.> O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Psa 66:1-2 <To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.> Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: ²Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

Psa 81:1-2 <To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.> Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. ²Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

As I read these passages, I took real notice, for the first time, of the phrase in brackets that precedes each: To the chief Musician. David, the writer of these songs of praise and worship, is giving specific instructions to the chief musician responsible for leading the people in praise and worship. As this realization hit me, I was struck by the contrast between David’s instructions to his chief musician and the instructions of that local pastor to my friend, his chief musician. While King David instructed his chief musician to encourage the people to clap their hands, the local pastor forbids it. While King David instructed his musician to encourage the people to shout with a joyful noise, the local pastor insists upon dignity and solemnity in church. While King David instructed his musician to use timbrels (tamourines), I seriously doubt such instruments would be viewed favorably in the local church.

What else does the Bible say about praise and worship?

1Sa 4:5-6 ⁵ And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

1Ch 15:28-29 ²⁸ Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps. ²⁹ And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

David danced in worship. Imagine that! How would that be received in many churches today?

2Ch 20:19 ¹⁹And the Levites…stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

2Ch 30:21 ²¹ …and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD.

2Sa 6:14-15 ¹⁴ And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

Ezr 3:13 ¹³…for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Neh 9:4-5 ⁴ Then stood up upon the stairs, of the Levites…and cried with a loud voice unto the LORD their God. ⁵ Then the Levites…said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Neh 12:40-43 ⁴⁰ So stood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the house of God…with trumpets; ⁴²…And the singers sang loud…and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

Notice the recurring emphasis on “loud” and “noise.” Why is it that it is acceptable to shout and get loud at concerts, football games, political rallies, etc. but not in praise to God?

Psa 5:11 ¹¹But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

While some modern churches forbid shouting for joy, David said let them shout for joy.

Psa 32:11 ¹¹ Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Psa 33:1-3 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. ² Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. ³Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.

Psa 35:27 ²⁷Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified…

Psa 95:1-2 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. ²Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psa 98:4-8 ⁴ Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. ⁵ Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. ⁶ With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. ⁷ Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. ⁸ Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.

Psa 100:1-4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. ² Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing…⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 132:9 ⁹Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

Psa 132:16 ¹⁶I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

Psa 150:1-6 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. ² Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. ³ Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. ⁴ Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. ⁵ Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. ⁶Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Isa 12:6 ⁶ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

Zep 3:14 ¹⁴Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Zec 9:9 ⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Luk 17:15-19 ¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶ And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? ¹⁸ There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. ¹⁹And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Not only did Jesus not rebuke the Samaritan for getting loud, He praised Him and wondered where the others were.

Luk 19:37-40 ³⁷ And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; ³⁸ Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. ⁴⁰And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

The discomfort of religious leaders at loud praise is nothing new; the Pharisees of Jesus’ day were disturbed by it as well, and even asked Jesus to forbid it. Of course, Jesus refused, saying that if we don’t praise him out loud, the stones will do it for us!

Rev 7:9-10 ⁹ After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; ¹⁰ And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

It’s a fact: heaven will be loud with praise. So, let other churches and pastors forbid praise and worship. As for us at NewStart, we’ll continue to obey the Biblical commands to be loud, to shout for joy, to clap our hands, to praise Him with loud cymbals, to praise Him in the dance, to leap for joy, and to sing a new song!

Seen of Angels

December 11th, 2011

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1 Timothy 3:16

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

It all began with a simple command. For eternity past, and we have no idea for how long, God had dwelt alone. We have no idea if he had ever created other worlds or other universes. Our story, however, begins with His existence, the fact that He just is. He dwelt in the Spirit world, in neither light nor darkness – the Bible teaches us that He created both:

Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness…I the LORD do all these things.

The Bible tells us at times that He dwells in darkness, and other times in light:

Exodus 20:21 …Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Yet 1 John 1:5 says God is light; light and darkness have meaning only to us. To God, light and darkness are meaningless, since He created both. With a word, He spoke heaven and earth into existence. We can only assume that He created the angelic beings at the same time He created the heavens. How long ago, we may never know. When the Bible says, “in the beginning,” it does not tell us when that was; it may have been thousands of years, millions, or billions of years ago. We simply know that God spoke a word and a great angel was formed. As the angel took shape, God said “you will be my messenger,” and He named him Gabriel. He spoke again, and this time a great and powerful warrior came into being. God declared that he (the new angel) will be His archangel, the leader, the warlord, the supreme commander over all of His angelic forces, and that his name would be Michael.

At God’s word a mist came up out of the bottomless pit and began to take shape. It was a fearsome creature, a loathsome and terrifying figure, an angel that God named Apollyon, the angel of the bottomless pit. God spoke again, and this time it was not the horrible and terrifying shape of Apollyon that appeared, but a magnificent and beautiful being, one that was, amazingly, full of wisdom. The Bible says he was perfect in beauty. God had never created anything as magnificent. How could something be better than perfect in beauty? There is no more ”full” than full of wisdom. He was adorned in every precious stone, and from the very first day of his creation he was perfect in His ways. Incredibly, he was without sin. This could have been for thousands, maybe millions or billions of years, but one day his beauty and wisdom and perfection went to his head and the scriptures tell us that iniquity was found in the heart of this heretofore perfect creature we know as Lucifer.

All of these angels were created by God and were present when the earth was created. Job 38:1-7 says the sons of God (the angels) shouted for joy when the foundations of the earth were laid. In other words, they were present at the creation of the earth. When the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and God said, “let there be light,” the angels were there. Now imagine, if you will, as the angels peer into the throne of God; put yourself in their shoes for a moment, cognizant of the fact that the scriptures declare that no man can see God:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time…

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time.

Colossians 1:15 Jesus is the image of the invisible God….

1 Timothy 1:17 …invisible…

Hebrews 11:27 …invisible.

Exodus 33:20 …there shall no man see me, and live.

1 Timothy 6:16 He dwells in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see:

God is the source of all energy, so all the energy of the sun and solar system comes from Him. All the energy of every atomic or nuclear explosion is in Him. A mortal could not draw near a single nuclear explosion, how much less to the source of all energy in the universe? And so, when the angels peer towards the source of their being, what they see is not a shape, or a form, but rather pure energy. We can imagine that they see pulsating light, since God is a spirit (John 4:24) and a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). Imagine what you see when you look in the direction of the sun: you don’t see a clearly defined shape, but instead you see light. It is intense at its center, but it spreads out over all the earth and solar system. Thousands and possibly millions or billions of years ago, as the angels look into the direction of God’s throne, they see this same light, multiplied a billion times over. Gabriel doesn’t see God, he sees light; Michael doesn’t see God, he sees light; Lucifer, the angel of light, with all of his glory and majesty, looks into the throne of God and sees nothing but blinding, searing light. It’s no wonder that the angel of light gets a little jealous as he compares his glory to that of the Creator.

When the Bible speaks of His hands, His feet, His ears, His eyes it does not literally mean physical hands and feet, but it instead defines God in terms we can understand. One place says his hand spans the heavens, while another says even the heavens cannot contain Him. For centuries, possibly thousands, millions, or billions of years, this is all the angels see: pure energy. Yes, there is the occasional manifestation: the burning bush, the cloud, the pillar of fire. But they never see the essence of God in any other form – they never see God as He wishes to reveal Himself. They never see Him in a form that can be comprehended by finite minds, even those of angels.

Now we jump ahead in time four thousand years, and God sends Gabriel on a mission. He is instructed to go to Mary of Nazareth with a message:

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, and you’re going to be with child, and you’re going to bring forth a son, and his name is going to be called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The angels are very interested in this message, and there is fascination in heaven among the angels. There is a “buzz” all over heaven, because this “power”, this energy, this shapeless source of light is to come down and hover over Mary. One night while Mary sleeps, the angels watch in fascination as the blaze of energy they know as God moves over her tiny home. They stand in rapt attention and amazement as it covers her.

If there was great wonderment and fascination in heaven over the conception of baby Jesus, imagine what it was like nine months later. Every angel was on pins and needles, and there is yet another another buzz all over heaven. We must not forget that the Bible said in our text he was finally “seen of angels”. The angels of heaven ask, “What will God look like? Will He look like a normal man? Will He have red hair, or black? Will He have freckles?” Mary goes into labor, and every angel in heaven is gathered around the stable. Eyes are wide around the manger, as some angels try to peek over the others. After all, this is God about to be born; this is the source of all energy, the wisdom of the ages.

Finally, after eons of waiting, they see the birth of the saviour, and cannot contain themselves. As they are gathered around the manger, one angel says to another, “I need to go tell someone.” Haver you ever seen the excitement of a man who is a father for the first time? There is an overwhelming urge on the part of the new father to tell someone, anyone. Likewise, the angels fly off in excitement. Who will they tell? They may not know, but they’ll find someone. Their excitement is so great, for after all, they have seen God. After centuries of waiting, they’ve seen God. After millenia of hoping, they’ve seen God. They had seen the universe, but they’ve never seen God before now. They had seen miracles, but they’ve never seen God, until now.

They fly off and the first people they see are some shepherds in a field. Have you ever wondered why the shepherds were told? Perhaps they just happened to be the first ones the angel found.

Luke 2:8-9 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

The angel said, “don’t worry, I’m not here with a message of judgement or doom and gloom…I just had to tell somebody what I’ve just seen”

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The angel was, in essence, saying, “do you realize what is going on in Bethlehem?”

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

At this point, the angels had a shouting spell. After all, they had just seen God. What a glorious day it was when God, after millenia of time, was finally seen by the angels!

But there are still some things angels cannot see:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Angels cannot see the kingdom of God, because an angel cannot be born again. An angel will never know the righteousness, peace, and joy that is the Holy Ghost. They have never been born of water and of spirit. They do not know what it is to be redeemed.

Hebrews 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

We have a redemption the angels desire to look into:

1 Peter 1:12 …the gospel…with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

We have access into things that angels desire. The angels would love to have the Holy Ghost, but they can’t have it. The angels would love to take on the name of Jesus Christ in baptism; they would love to be part of the bride, they would love to be at the marriage supper of the Lamb, but it is not for them.

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou…hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

So, as we celebrate this Christmas season and the coming of the Messiah two thousand years ago, let’s not forget that He came in an even greater way, one that even the angels envy, when He promised to return as the Holy Ghost that we can all experience today.

Thank God for Flesh that Fails

November 10th, 2011

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Rom　7:25 ²⁵ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Paul told the Romans in Romans 7:4 that we “should” bring forth fruit unto God. Through the power of the Spirit we can bring forth fruit, but unfortunately we often fail to do so. Human nature is such that the more we’re told not to do something, the more we want to do it. Have you ever known a father who forbid his daughter from seeing a particular young man, only to find out that she secretly did so? It seemed as though the more the father forbid it, the more inclined she was to disobey. Such is our inherent human nature.

When Paul speaks of his struggles with the flesh, he is not excusing himself – he’s simply saying that we all have a built in human nature. We are responsible for our decisions, but we’re not responsible for the built-in human nature we were born with. We’re basically incapable of living a life pleasing to the Lord. This is the reason so many people fail when they “try” to “live right.” They fail to recognize that they are trying through the flesh. Rather than “living for God,” you have to allow Him to live through you. If you try to do it, you’ll fail. If you let Him do it in you, He’ll do the things that please Him through you.

Carnal people, people who are living through their own flesh and human nature, are not interested in the things of God; they don’t have time for such things. Even when they come to church they wish they were somewhere else, and when they aren’t in church their relationship with God is the last thing on their minds. However, when you’ve obeyed the Gospel your focus changes. Your relationship with God becomes the central point of your life.

Romans 8:14 offers a simple test to determine who is a child of God, and who is not: For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. If you want to know if you are a child of God, ask yourself this simple question: who is leading you? If you never consult God for daily direction, He isn’t leading you. If your decisions never take His will into consideration, He isn’t leading you. If He isn’t leading you, you are not His child, and you are living through your flesh and not through His Spirit.

1Co　1:29 ²⁹ That no flesh should glory in his presence.

God wants our flesh to fail. If our flesh succeeds we are tempted to think we don’t need God. In this sense we can be thankful for flesh that fails, since it reminds us that we are totally dependent on Him. Our failed flesh reminds us that we can’t do anything on our own, and that every day we need Him more and more.

Musings of a Neophyte Christian: Why My Church is Special

October 26th, 2011

Karen

NewStart Church In Mauldin, SC is vastly different from any other church I have ever attended. People of all walks of life are encouraged to come, including those people with addictions, shadowy pasts and personal problems. All are treated equally in our Church; Pastor Mike insists on it. He is adament that all attendees are welcomed and, surprisingly, all are! Our members are the most welcoming, unassuming ”equal opportunity Christians” I have ever met. I have never experienced even a hint of condescension even though I have asked many foolish questions and probably made an idiot of myself many times.

I began attending as an agnostic, anxious to understand what the ‘fuss’ was all about. I couldn’t comprehend how anyone could believe all the Christian hullabaloo about which I had heard. It didn’t take long for my non-belief to become skepticism and for my skepticism to become interest and for my interest to become a cautious belief. I have progressed very far in my journey as a Christian and encourage other doubters to give it an honest try. I truly have found a home at NewStart Church.

Self Examination

October 16th, 2011

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2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The ability to examine one’s self has always been the difference between those who become great for God and those who fail in their Christian walk. The ability of self-examination enabled David to become the greatest king of Israel, but Saul was a miserable failure because he could not see or admit his own faults. Neither man had more ability than the other, but one was able to search his own heart and the other was not. Self-examination separated Peter from Judas; Peter became the great apostle, while Judas committed suicide.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

One of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to get us to look outside ourselves, outside of our own hearts for the cause of our problems and our sinful condition. I have met people who have been in financial straights for years, yet continued to blame their hardship on someone who “did them wrong” or “ripped them off” rather than deal with the situation. I have caught myself going to a church service on more than one occasion and becoming overly critical – I didn’t like the choir, or the preaching, or the music. Then, halfway through the service, I was arrested by the Holy Ghost and reminded of why I was there.

A sinner will never experience the fulness of the Holy Ghost until he or she gets the courage to look inside the heart. As long as they continue to hold sin in their heart they will never receive what God has for them. As long as they blame someone else for not caring enough, not wanting them to have it bad enough, not praying enough, not loving enough, they will be all that they could be.

Psalm 139:23-24 ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: ²⁴And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2 Timothy 3:1-2 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

1 Corinthians 11:26-31 ²⁶For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. ²⁷Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ²⁹For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. ³⁰For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. ³¹For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

We are living in uncertain times; time is drawing short. What do you seek today? Different people have different motivations for coming to church. What about you? What motivates you? What is your driving force? Everyone has a driving force in his or her life. For some, it is a career; for others, it is a man or woman; others serve a love of money. For still others, it is a sports team or the next drink. Everyone has a god that they worship; the only question is, “which god is it?” Joshua said, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Whom do you serve? It is easy to give complete surrender to the will of God lip service, but where is your heart? Can you really sing, “Silver and Gold, Silver and Gold, I’d rather have Jesus than Silver and Gold” and mean it?

Examine your motives today. Have you lost your first love? Reexamine where your heart and your treasure are. Reexamine your investments, mindful that all will fade away someday. What will you be left with when you stand before God?