{"id":21530,"date":"2019-07-11T19:07:57","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T23:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=21530"},"modified":"2022-06-02T13:28:07","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T17:28:07","slug":"ivory-soapy-attitude-camp-meeting-7-6-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=21530","title":{"rendered":"Ivory Soapy Attitude (Camp Meeting, 7\/6\/19)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">PUMC hosted the Camp Meeting on 7\/6\/19.\u00a0 Our music Director (Sue Crispin) and The Voices in Praise Choir led the music, and Pastor Jim (Bolton) preached a challenging message about being clean on the INSIDE in order to be clean on the outside.\u00a0 Hypocrisy was a problem with the Pharisees, and it&#8217;s a problem we need to watch out for in the church today.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-shadow'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Is He Wearing <em>That<\/em> Shirt Again?!?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">OK. Pastor Jim is now beginning his 6th year at PUMC, and he has consistently shown us that he likes to enjoy worship. He likes to have fun; sometimes even to have fun with us. Since joining PUMC, he has spoken at the Camp Meeting every summer (except for 2017 when he got called away to a last minute emergency).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Up until this year, he wore the same shirt to Camp Meeting every year&#8230;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-21530 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Pastor-Jim-2014-08-03-Camp-Meting-_16011-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-2938\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Pastor-Jim-2014-08-03-Camp-Meting-_16011-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Pastor-Jim-2014-08-03-Camp-Meting-_16011-178x178.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Pastor-Jim-2014-08-03-Camp-Meting-_16011-184x184.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-2938'>\n\t\t\t\t2014\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Pastor-Jim-Grove-shoes-IMG_2287-_300w-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-8088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Pastor-Jim-Grove-shoes-IMG_2287-_300w-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Pastor-Jim-Grove-shoes-IMG_2287-_300w-178x178.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Pastor-Jim-Grove-shoes-IMG_2287-_300w-184x184.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-8088'>\n\t\t\t\t2015\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CampMtg-2016-07-31-Pastor-Jim-shirt-_IIMG_0092-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-12231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CampMtg-2016-07-31-Pastor-Jim-shirt-_IIMG_0092-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CampMtg-2016-07-31-Pastor-Jim-shirt-_IIMG_0092-178x178.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CampMtg-2016-07-31-Pastor-Jim-shirt-_IIMG_0092-184x184.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-12231'>\n\t\t\t\t2016\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_0819-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-18754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_0819-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_0819-178x178.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_0819-184x184.jpg 184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-18754'>\n\t\t\t\t2017\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So&#8230; as the evening approached, the biting question on everyone&#8217;s minds is &#8220;will Pastor Jim wear that yellow plaid shirt again????<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Click the below drop down box for the surprising answer&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Here&#039;s the 2019 Shirt!<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21525 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_20190707_195442-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_20190707_195442-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_20190707_195442.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yep!\u00a0 There&#8217;s that shirt again (and the pants look pretty familiar too!)\u00a0 He&#8217;s playing with us now.\u00a0 From now on, count on this shirt being his designated &#8220;Camp Meeting Shirt.&#8221; \n<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Music<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This year (perhaps inspired by last week&#8217;s powerful performance of Richwood UMC&#8217;s band, &#8220;Sanctified&#8221;, we decided to forgo the Auditorium&#8217;s piano and bring our electronic keyboard.\u00a0 Despite the weight and difficulty in lugging it to the Grove, it was proved to be well worth the effort&#8230; especially after we <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-21524\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Choir-_20190707_195300-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Choir-_20190707_195300-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Choir-_20190707_195300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>discovered a mouse scurrying across the piano&#8217;s strings!<\/p>\n<p>Our Music family was well represented as Sue Crispin played the keyboard, and the Voices in Praise Choir sang an anthem (Chris Tomlin&#8217;s &#8220;Is He Worthy?&#8221;&#8230; &#8220;He is&#8230;&#8221;).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Before getting into the Camp Meeting&#8217;s traditional song, &#8220;In the Garden&#8221; (its writer C. Austin Miles once lived in Pitman), we opened the musical selections up to the congregation.\u00a0 Hymns were picked from the Camp Meeting&#8217;s hymnal (and Sue had no problem pounding them out on the keyboard&#8230; even the ones in the key of D flat!).<\/p>\n<p>Lee&#8217;s guitar and Larry&#8217;s bass added to the chords of our &#8220;Mouse-Less&#8221; keyboard. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Ivory Soapy Attitude<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Pastor Jim then took the pulpit to preach on three related texts- Matthew 5:8, Matthew 6:19-24, and Matthew 23:25-28.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Click on the &#8220;play&#8221; button to listen to a recording of the sermon, then follow along below&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-21530-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/01-Ivory-Soapy-Attitude-_16kbs.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/01-Ivory-Soapy-Attitude-_16kbs.mp3\">https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/01-Ivory-Soapy-Attitude-_16kbs.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Open this Drop Down box to read the scripture&#8230;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<div class='et-learn-more clearfix'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='heading-more'>Scripture (NIV)<span class='et_learnmore_arrow'><span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='learn-more-content'><p><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Matthew 5:8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Matt 6:19-24<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1<span style=\"color: #003300;\">9 &#8220;Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">22 &#8220;The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">24 &#8220;No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">&#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Matt 23:25-28<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">25 &#8220;Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">27 &#8220;Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men&#8217;s bones and everything unclean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #003300;\">28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Purified!<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Typical of the summer weather, Camp Meeting traditionally tends towards hot and fiery &#8220;conviction&#8221; sermons.\u00a0 But Spiritual Growth and edifying sermons are also needed.\u00a0 So there&#8217;s always a balance.<\/p>\n<p>Pure in heart.\u00a0 We tend to be obsessed with purity.\u00a0 Nothing added&#8230; 100% pure.\u00a0 More marketing than truth.<\/p>\n<p>The weather at tonight&#8217;s service was comfortable.\u00a0 But during the summers in the Grove, it can be pretty warm.\u00a0 And a bottle of water is <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-21527\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2590-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2590-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2590.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>usually a necessity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bottled water is often advertised as &#8220;Pure.&#8221;\u00a0 Or, &#8220;Purified.&#8221;\u00a0 Fruit drink is &#8220;100% pure fruit juice&#8221; (but when you try to read the label you discover that your &#8220;100% pure fruit juice&#8221; is filled with ingredients with names you can&#8217;t pronounce).\u00a0 Years ago, there was a commercial for Ivory Soap which claimed that it was 99.44% pure.<\/p>\n<p>What about the other .56%?!?\u00a0 If we wash with this soap will be be 100% pure?\u00a0 Or, is 99.44% pure good enough?\u00a0 What&#8217;s it mean to be pure?<\/p>\n<p>By definition, pure means not contaminated.\u00a0 Not polluted in any way.<\/p>\n<p>Then what does it mean when Jesus says we must be pure in heart.\u00a0 We still sin.\u00a0 We still must confess what we&#8217;ve done wrong by thought, word and deed.\u00a0 Can we still get into heaven?\u00a0 Nobody&#8217;s perfect.\u00a0 But in order to see God and to be filled with joy, we must be pure in heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Intense Conversation<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The religious leaders built a faith system build on policy and law.\u00a0 But Jesus came to give us love and grace.\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: circle;\">\n<li>God: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10 Commandments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Pharisees:\u00a0 660 commandments\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Jesus:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 whittled down to 2\u00a0 (<em><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Love God, Love your neighbors as yourself<\/span><\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can&#8217;t make enough rules to change human behavior.\u00a0 So there must be a different way.\u00a0 That&#8217;s where grace comes in.\u00a0 Jesus came to change the perception that following all of the rules and regulations will get you to heaven.\u00a0 Rules won&#8217;t make you pure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was intense.\u00a0 Jesus was angry.\u00a0 The Pharisees said that you can have access to God, but you&#8217;ve got to pay our price.\u00a0 The poor- they weren&#8217;t allowed to even come into the worship center.<\/p>\n<p>So Jesus called them out for what they were- hypocrites!\u00a0 They look great on the outside, but they&#8217;re spiritually dead in the inside. And they were keeping people from coming to God.\u00a0 But holiness is keeping yourself under the banner of grace and living your fullest for Him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">What About Us?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Are WE pure in heart?\u00a0 Or do we just talk a good game, wear our &#8220;Sunday go to meeting clothes&#8221; and then transform into something else when we leave the church?\u00a0 Are you still singing &#8220;This is the Day that the Lord Has Made&#8221; when you get into your car?\u00a0 Are you the same person when you&#8217;re in a pew as when you&#8217;re behind the wheel?<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-warning'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A man was at a party, dressed in a devil&#8217;s suit.\u00a0 On the way home his car broke down.\u00a0 Looking for help, he discovered a church that was open, and he entered the sanctuary.\u00a0\u00a0 Members of the congregation (and even the pastor) saw &#8220;the devil&#8221; in the rear of their sanctuary and they were filled with fear and ran out of the church.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">But one older lady nervously approached the devil and told him: &#8221; I&#8217;ve been a member of this church for over 50 years&#8230; but I&#8217;ve been on your side the whole time!&#8221;<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Is that the perception we are giving out to people?\u00a0 We talk a good game on Sunday, but when we get out into the world, does our speech match our witness?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Pure in Heart<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>&#8220;<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The mouth speaks out of that which is truly in your heart.<\/span>&#8221;\u00a0 So clean the inside of the cup!\u00a0 It&#8217;s too easy to appear to be clean (reference the old Bert Lancaster movie, &#8220;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Elmer_Gantry_(film)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elmer Gantry<\/a><\/span>&#8220;).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Pharisees understood the scriptures but they put their own personal spin on it.\u00a0 Do churches today do the same thing?\u00a0 Avoid getting people upset?\u00a0 Or do put the Gospel out there and let the Spirit do the work?<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #003366;\">Psalm 24:3-4\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0Only those whose hands and <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">hearts are pure,<\/span> who do not worship idols and never tell lies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #003366;\">Job 17:9<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The righteous keep moving forward, and those with <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">clean hands<\/span> become stronger and stronger.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #003366;\">Psalm 51: 10<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Create in me a <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">clean heart,<\/span> O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.<\/span>\u00a0 (<em><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">&#8220;Clean&#8221; in Hebrew also means pure<\/span><\/em>)<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #003366;\">James 4:8<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and <span style=\"background-color: #ffff99;\">purify your hearts<\/span>, you double-minded.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Know what you believe and live it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">It&#8217;s the Inside that Matters<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Jesus goes to great length to explain that the inside must be pure if the outside is going to be clean.\u00a0 When we accept Christ, His holiness and pureness is put on us.\u00a0 That&#8217;s the pureness that God sees.\u00a0 We&#8217;re justified.\u00a0 God sees us &#8220;Just As If We never Sinned.&#8221; But- do our actions and speech match that gift of holiness?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-21526\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2586-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2586-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CMP19-07-07-Pastor-Jim-_IMG_2586.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s only the religious people who have trouble with Jesus.\u00a0 &#8220;If Jesus were alive today, and if the atonement had to take place today, who is it that would betray Jesus and nail Him to the cross? &#8211; The Church!<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s time the Church stopped allowing the culture to dictate to us and to instead stand up for what the Word says.\u00a0 It&#8217;s what&#8217;s on the inside that matters. What&#8217;s eventually seen on the outside is what is on the inside.<\/p>\n<div class='et-box et-bio'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='et-box-content'><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> A storm was approaching, and there was a tree leaning towards the parsonage&#8217;s neighbor&#8217;s house.\u00a0 But the trustees said &#8220;It&#8217;s Fine!&#8221;\u00a0 The pastor replied, &#8220;Ask the chair of the trustees to stay there during the storm!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The pastor called out a tree expert who found that the tree was dead.\u00a0 When they took it down, the top 30 feet or so was completely hollow.\u00a0 A mild gust of wind would have knocked it over.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Is the spirit on the inside full and healthy?\u00a0 Will we be able to stand tall when the storms hit?\u00a0 It doesn&#8217;t matter what&#8217;s on the outside.\u00a0 What matters is what&#8217;s on the inside.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Be 100% Pure&#8230; in Christ!<\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Being 99.44% pure will not cut it!\u00a0 That&#8217;s not what Jesus died for.\u00a0 The only way is for us to be 100% pure.\u00a0 And the only way that can happen in God&#8217;s eyes is for us to turn our hearts over to Christ and to live and breath in His being.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Romans 3:22-25<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God&#8217;s glorious standard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<div class='author-shortcodes'>\n\t\t\t<div class='author-inner'>\n\t\t\t\t<div class='author-image'>\n\t\t\t<img src='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/et_temp\/Charles_Wesley_Wikipedia-16555_60x60.jpg' alt='' \/>\n\t\t\t<div class='author-overlay'><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-image --> \n\t\t<div class='author-info'>\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Pure in Heart are those whose heart God purified just as he is pure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0John Wesley<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-info -->\n\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-inner -->\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .author-shortcodes -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re purified by faith by the blood of Jesus.\u00a0 Perfect holiness comes from a loving reverence of God.\u00a0 When we come to a saving faith in Jesus.\u00a0 When we commit ourselves to prayer, worship, service, and knowing what He has told us in the Bible.\u00a0 When we let the Spirit become who we are, and we become part of Him. When we grow in the faith.\u00a0\u00a0 That&#8217;s when we&#8217;re purified.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-20816\" src=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Mens19-Sunrise-Cross-_20190317_071409-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"147\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Mens19-Sunrise-Cross-_20190317_071409-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Mens19-Sunrise-Cross-_20190317_071409.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Pharisees weren&#8217;t pure in heart, so they couldn&#8217;t see God.\u00a0 The couldn&#8217;t lead people to God.\u00a0 But the pure in heart will see God.\u00a0 We&#8217;ll see the miraculous. Miracles do happen.\u00a0 But we need the purity of the Holy Spirit in our hearts in order to see them.\u00a0 The miraculous is happening all around us.\u00a0 But do we see it? Do we embrace it?\u00a0 Do we see Him when we walk the dog?\u00a0 Do we see Him in a rainbow or sunrise?\u00a0 Do we see the Miracle of God when we see a loving mother comfort her child?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The world might be 99.44% pure, but if we have a saving faith in Jesus, we&#8217;re 100% pure.<\/p>\n<p>The pure in heart are joyful.\u00a0\u00a0 Their lives are producing treasure in heaven that won&#8217;t fade or rust away.\u00a0 They see God because their hearts are clean, free of contaminants.\u00a0 And all of that happened because of Jesus&#8217; grace and love.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600; font-size: 14pt;\"><em>Create in me a clean heart, O God.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;\">+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the Pitman Camp Meeting, click this button:\u00a0\u00a0 <a href='https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?page_id=7668' class='small-button smallblue'><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Camp Meeting<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s it mean to be pure in heart?  How do we get there?  Is 99% pure good enough???  Pastor Jim gave the message at the Pitman Camp Meeting when we hosted on 7\/6\/19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pitman-camp-meeting","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21530"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28208,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21530\/revisions\/28208"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}