pastor j

Is the matter arrogance or is it ignorance? I grew up in an era where most adults either began or ended a sentence with the tag, Lord. willing. I think this reflects that more people have been brought up under the "before in a bottle" concept of faith in God where his will is collateral and is to be shaped by human wants and whims. The admonition given by Paul points to the Christian culture that centralizes a life around the faith in the resurrected saviour and belief in a soon second coming. As one person stated, some people make their own plan and then ask God to bless it. Wise people ask God's blessing and then trust that God will present, to them, a blessed plan. I ascribe that the scripture, in all thy ways acknowledge him, literally means all thy ways and that it contains a promise that God will order one's steps if allowed. That is, what being a follower of Christ means to me and that is the difference between having a mindset that success is found add God's will is followed.

The foundational truth that Jesus conquers death and the grave. There is eternal life through Jesus. These are the documented witnesses, numbering sufficient to the believer. no doubt there were countless more. But, just as He said, He is risen!

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is the simple contemporary axiom that comes to mind. The lesson discourse points toward a problem then which remains a problem today. The infatuation with the ability to speak a word of life or to be a spiritual wonder fascinates the church. However, the church can appear callous to the needs and trials that plague the lost. A spiritual experience of a visitor or candidate for salvation is only add strong ad the interest shown in the circumstance of the follower. A pastor friend of mine was lamenting that his membership had sharply declined abd He wasn't sure why. I wanted to tell him. It may be because, while you're excited about all the events (worship services) you have on your church calendar, two of your deacons have lost their jobs, subsequently had automobiles repossessed abd have had to move in with family members. When things were well for them, they were the center of activity in the church. When difficulty hit, they were displaced and others embraced. The church has made little effort to support, job referral, compassion basket etc. They speak of the fine preaching and the fellowship. But they feel left in an island of distress while the church chases its organizational agenda. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but demonstrate no love, I'm as a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. Love is what impacts lives and love is what sustains families through the most difficult of times.

The purpose of Jesus living in the flesh was to be an example, to model how we might live in this present world. To not consider Jesus as an exemplar of the faith walk is to limit ourselves to those other flawed, though redeemed, examples. Now unto him who is able to keep us from falling... tells us that we can walk in a newness of life serving a holy God in righteousness.