Author Archives: Clark Bunch

On the Lighter Side (3)

Posted on by

It’s been a long time since I tried to spread the laughter here on The Master’s Table.  Have a Coke and smile!

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up,
stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning Alex.’
‘Good morning Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque. ‘Pastor, what is this?’
The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque. Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, ‘Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:45?’

Jesus Was Not Religious

Posted on by

jesusI’ve said before that the problem with religion is that it’s easier than following Jesus.  It is usually a given that something is wrong with us, wrong with the world, perhaps critically or else just a little off, but most people agree that something must be done because all is not right in the world as it is.  Religion, in most cases, offers us the chance to do something.  If we read the right book, say the right things, act right, talk right and treat each others the right way we can “fix” what is wrong.  Religion, as such, is worthless.  But what could I mean that Jesus was not religious? Continue reading →

Father Abraham (A Father’s Day Sermon)

Posted on by

abrahamThere’s a lot of negative things to say about topical preaching, but I know two things: 1) Father’s Day will be one of the most searched terms today on the Internet, and 2) No matter what “topic” I begin with, before the sermon is over I will preach the Gospel. 

“Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham.”  So goes the old children’s song.  While we recognize Abraham as the primogenitor of the Jewish nation, like any member our fallen race he was far from perfect.  One danger of celebrating historic lives is that we elevate a person too high by never mentioning certain shortcomings or character flaws.  Historians have to be careful in their presentation of certain figures, particularly the ones they like.  Continue reading →

Bible Survey, The Flood

Posted on by

bible-pagesWhen I set out to begin Bible Survey, I said that it would not be a verse by verse commentary on the entire Bible.  Well, the problem is that I was doing almost exactly that.  I’m working on it.

The Flood, Gen. 6-8  is now available.  I invite you to join this journey through the Bible, and welcome an open discussion in the comments.  Did the flood really happen, was it a global or local event, how did Noah get all the animals on the ark?  Did the ark look like a boat, or is the “shoe box” design more accurate?  Hit me.

Can A Person Get Saved Reading the Old Testament?

Posted on by

reading-bibleI certainly teach that the whole Bible is about Jesus.  The Bible, on the whole, is the story of how a holy God relates to a sinful and fallen people.  Jesus is at the center of that story.  You’ve heard all this before.

The question I heard raised this morning is “Can a person get saved only reading the Old Testament?”  II Timothy 3 tells us that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God.  Obviously the New Testament is God-given, and we need to read and study it.  If the Old Testament was sufficient, why would God give us another?  But still, if the gospel is all over the Bible, is there enough there to lead a person to Christ?  And I say, yes it is possible.  Continue reading →

America Is Not The World

Posted on by

world mapMany of us in the United States are so richly over blessed that we are out of touch with the rest of the world.  I remind my students a few times each year that America is not the world, and it happened again today. Continue reading →

Saving(?) the SBC

Posted on by

First Baptist ChurchThe Internet Monk is at times the most critical voice of the SBC, even while on the inside.  At the close of Advance 09, he aknowledges there are problems that the SBC needs to work through in order to remain effective, and wonders how we will do it.  Continue reading →

History Repeats Itself

Posted on by

Jeremiah_as_Michaelangelo_Saw_Him“History repeats itself” is actually a terrible misquote.  It leads students to ask questions like “If history repeats itself, why do I have to learn it the first time?”  No, the actually quote is “Those who do not learn history (the past) are condemned to repeat it.”  Google George Santayana.  The point is that if we learn from history, we can avoid making the same mistakes.  Here’s an example of New Testament people not learning their Old Testament history. Continue reading →

The Jesus Disconnect

Posted on by

jesusThis blog has two stated purposes, clearly displayed in the headline banner: to be God honoring and Christ centered.  Those words are written there to both advertise what this blog is about, but also to remind the author what this blog is supposed to be about.  We must keep our eyes on the prize; so said the Apostle Paul, in a manner of speaking.  For the Christian – take note of the first five letters of that word – Christ must be the central theme running through everything we do, from studying the Bible to blogging on the internet. 

I’ve written on this several times before (read the About page) and have to fight the temptation to repeat everything.  InternetMonk has posted on nothing but the Jesus Disconnect  for the past couple of days.  He notes that many professing Christians show interest in the death and resurrection of Jesus, but are less focused on his actual ministry.  Some do not see his ministry as having any relevance to “our ministry” at all.  Continue reading →

Memorial Day

Posted on by

flagMemorial Day is next week (May 25), and I’ve been thinking about what that means.  Memorial Day is traditionally the first long weekend of summer, so maybe for you it’s just another excuse to break out the grill and water toys.  If you have to work that day, maybe it’s an inconvenience that that the Post Office and banks will be closed.  Some people will simply sleep in that day and not care why.  The American dream lives on.

The real reason for Memorial Day is so that we remember.  In this case, we remember the men and women who died in miltary service to our country.  Formerly known as Decoration Day, it began following the Civil War and was expanded to honor fallen soldiers of all wars during World War I. 

So, Memorial Day is strictly American and has nothing to do with the Bible, right?  Continue reading →