No Smoke Up Butts! (Acts 9)

If you got to encourage a new Christian, or someone about to start a church, what would you say to them? In today’s reading (Acts 9) God brings a message to a guy who is both a new Christian and a soon-to-be church planter. What’s God’s word to him? “I will show him how much he will suffer for my name.”

Thank you very much!

But … new Christians suffer, and church planters definitely suffer, and so if you don’t tell me I’m going to suffer, you’re just blowing smoke up my butt. One thing about God, He doesn’t blow smoke up people’s butts. (I’m assuming that’s the first time that’s ever been said about God. Perhaps we should pause for a moment…)

So, how about we decide to join God in not being butt smoke blowers? How about we stop saying that everything is going to be sunshine and lollipops for people who believe in God, and start mentioning the fact that they will have to suffer for His name?