“The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them...providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church...the need is for Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men aflame.”
- CH Spurgeon
The title of this quote is taken from Ecclesiastes 1:9-14.
Because Truth matters,
George
I recently came across this interesting picture from a postcard that churches can sent out to people. I think that it's very thought provoking, not only along the lines of it's original intent, but also for what it means to the individual Christian.
The way that I see it is that it's a call to an awakening; a process of self-examination for Christians attending churches and pastors alike.
Christian: Do you give God the leftovers of your day, grabbing a bite of the Bible when you have time, or are you taking the time to feast on the riches of God's Word?
Pastor: Do you fee your flock the Word of God or are you giving them just enough of a "rush" to get through to the next service where they will come back and hear the next feel good message?
We cannot neglect our spiritual bodies and expect to be a healthy and growing Christian, much like the fact that we can't neglect our physical bodies and expect to be healthy.
To quote an old church sign,
7 days without God's Word, makes 1 weak.
The following is from an email list that I belong to. It was taken from J. P.'s Inspirations.
The reading deals with a call to ministry, something that I am dealing with on a personal level. I have known that I have been called to the preaching ministry, but have had difficulty in dealing with it in as far as discerning the next step. In the mean time, I am seeking God's will and am doing the last thing that He told me to do until I have know what the next step is. (thanks Dr. Blackaby)
The article reminds me of some of the "simple" truths of the calling such as:
Humanly speaking, we see Moses was an unlikely candidate to be called as the one to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. There was a price on his head in Egypt and he was in exile. Yet, we see God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. Moses was chosen by God. Even though he felt he was not qualified to be their leader, God equipped Him with all he needed to carry forth His will and set God's people free.
We are also unqualified for the mission which the Lord calls us. Jesus will remind us that He chose us, we did not choose Him. (Jn. 15: 16). He will supply all we need to enable us to successfully work for Him. By His Spirit and Word, we are led and spiritually fed. As God gives us spiritual food and leads us, we are also to share with others.
If we let the Lord's will be done in our lives and follow Him, we shall have success in all we attempt in His service. Success in the eyes of God, is different than in the eyes of men. To obey is better than sacrifice, and God rewards our faithful obedience.
Remember that God told Moses, "I will be with you" and still tells us these same words today. If we listen closely, we can hear the Lord speaking to our hearts. He will never leave or forsake us. He will always be there, even until the end of the age. Whatever God has called us to do, God will go before and prepare the way. If we are called to share God's Word with others, the Lord will bless us as we seek and let Him equip us for the task. He alone is able supply the spiritual food to sustain souls that they might grow in His grace and knowledge.
We have God's blessed assurance and can claim every promise He has given us. We give thanks for the ever abiding presence of the Holy Spirit and God's help in our lives each day.
I believe that every now and then that we, as Chrsitians must look at the source of our walk,... our faith... and our hope. It is my firm belief that Christians need to hear and keep hearing the Gospel of Christ like the lost need to hear the Good News.
In out Sunday Youth group, we are going through an Evangelism program entitled Sharing Jesus Without Fear. One of the verses that is discussed that we go over with a lost person is Romans 6:23, which reads,
for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.This truth is a fundamental aspect of the preaching of the Word of God. Through it, the sinner is made aware that yes, there are consequences for a life that is lived apart from God. Through this verse, the Holy Spirit can convict the heart of a lost person as well as strengthen the hope and assurance of a Christian.
One of the most basic truths in God's program involves the fact that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The death we are intended to understand is the second death. There are only two ways to satisfy this basic truth: First, all humans must be paid that wage because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Second, another, an innocent One on whom death has no claim because He never sinned, must pay that wage in our stead, substituting His death for ours. We find both aspects applied to practical Christian life in Romans. Paul writes in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is essential that we thoroughly understand that Christ died, not merely as a benefit, but for us, that is, in our place. His death substitutes for our well-deserved death, which we earned through sin. Earlier, the apostle had written in Romans 4:1-5:
When confronted by such scriptures that cannot be broken, our only possible conclusion is that the sin-debt that each person owes to God absolutely cannot be worked off. It is so huge and serious that an already sin-defiled person cannot pay it off. Once a person sins, his debt is absolutely irredeemable by anyone or any action except through death. Either each individual pays for himself, or Christ pays in his place. These are the only acceptable payments. | ||
