By the way, I don't preach from a written manuscript, so some of these are points I hit yesterday and some are points God has shown me since I preached yesterday. Here are some of the key things to take away from this passage:
- Times right now are really rough. It doesn't matter if we're talking about the economy or if we're talking about your personal life. We all have valleys that really stink and mountain top experiences where we're high on life. But all of those experiences come and go. We will all go trhough roiugh patches at some time or another. What has you grounded? What is your support system?
- We need to have a firm grasp of our faith in Jesus. The New King James Version says to "hold fast." We don't use that term often today, but it means to grip ahold of something and to not let go. Have you ever seen someone drive who had white knuckles because the grasped the steering wheel to tightly? We need to have that kind of hold on Jesus Christ. There is an old hymn that I always liked that said "We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast secure, while the billows roll..." An anchor has no value if it is not grasping at something to steady the boat. Our faith in Jesus is totally useless if we do not grap a hold of it firmly.
- Jesus IS a Crutch. So many people bash followers of Jesus becasue they say Jesus is a crutch for weak people. They are partially right. We are all weak, but some are too weak to admit their need. Jesus is much more than a crutch, He is our mighty King and should be the whole desire of our very being, not only a support system. When everything crashes down around you, you need a firm foundation to build your life on if you want to make it through the storm. There is no firmer foundation than Jesus Christ.
- We need to have strong FAITH! One of the things that really disturbs me is how churches and ministers tell people what to do but give no helps in doing it. They'll say things like, "You need to surrender to Jesus." but they don't tell you how that is done. Well, we need to have strong faith. Here's how than can happen:
--Remember that God is faithful, even when we are not. God doesn't quit loving us and helping us just because we slip up. His faithfulness should encourage us grab hold of Him and never EVER let go.
--Get to know Jesus better! The first time I drive a different vehicle, I am really slow and not very confident because I don't know how the car will drive and re-act. It takes a few minutes to adjust and gain confidence in this new vehicle. Same with our walk with Jesus. It's hard to stick with Him if we don't know Him! We need to spend time with God every single day. It's hard to be grounded in God when you're not sure about Him. - Here's something else--- GET INVOLVED IN A LOCAL CHURCH OR AT LEAST WITH OTHER BELIEVERS! This is a biggy! Disclaimer: Going to "church" does not make you a Christ follower any more than going to a funeral home makes you a corpse. You don't become committed to Jesus simply because you walk through a set of doors and take a seat in a certain building at a certain time on a certain day. Jesus never said that God so loved that world that He told us to go to church.
Notice that I didn't capitalize "church". Here's why. In SE Ohio... well, in America in general, we think of the building as "church". Not it at all! The "Church" is the universal, invisable, indestrucable body of Jesus Christ. We who are followers of Jesus are the Church! Sometimes I think that it would be better if all the 'church" meeting houses were destroyed so people who quit idolizing buildings and start living for Jesus rather than a steeple. Okay, sorry for that rant but I had to get it out of the way! - But here is why we need to be involved in a congregation of followers of Jesus. It helps us be stronger followers of Jesus! You can be a Christian and not go to church, but a very strong one, and trust me, your faith will falter if you refuse to be with who Jesus commands us to be. But why? The word in the original Greek NT for stir up means to convulse. Ever had a full body shiver? If so, you know that it is so powerful, your body can't control it. It is an involuntary spasm. So is the Church of Jesus... Huh? When we challenge and encoruage fellow believers, love and good works automatically occur. We automatically become stronger in our walk with Jesus when we are around His people.
- We Christians need to stop judging people who don't come in the doors on Sunday. They need Jesus and they don't need bad looks or hypocrites praying for them to get "religion". They NEED JESUS! Jesus is the hope of the world! But we have been entrusted with that message. The Church of Jesus is unlike any other institution. God only created two institutions: 1. Marriage, and 2. The Church. People have to have a desire to be married and they have to have a desire to be in the Church. That takes God to work in their lives. We need to stop praying for people to feel guilty enough to come to a church meeting and start praying that God gives them a passion for following Him, which will include the Church.
Here are some other things of note:
- People accuse churches today of being centers of entertainment. SO? Some churches work really hard to make God seem boring. If you make God boring, you're sinning. If you are a minister and you bore people with the Word of God, you're sinning. God is AWESOME and NEVER boring. I'd rather my church keep people's attention than to put them asleep.
- It is awesome to see God working in the lives of people. Again, going to meetings doesn't mean your really committed to Jesus, but it can be a good indicator. We've had a young woman come to every ministry we've had this week. Awesome, considering bad weather.
- We had twenty at Eden yesterday morning. That's low, but considering we probably should have canceled due to bad rouads, twenty is great!
- I am really excited for this Sunday! I mean it! It's so cool to gather together and remeber how God has worked and how He will continue. By the way, We're going to have to schedule a baptism service soon! Praise God! That's amazing!
- God is really calling me to have great faith for what He wants to do in my life. What about you?
- I hope you guys can make it to Eden this Sunday. Worship starts at 11 AM and we have some great nursery workers for those of you who have kids.
Posts
There is a bridge that true Christians stand on, which is the only thing standing between us and a long fall, followed by a sweeping-away in the current. Thankfully, though, the bridge on which we stand cannot waver in the wind; it cannot decay and rot; and it simply cannot collapse, even with the weight of all our baggage, faults, problems, and failures. It is the bridge of the faith of Jesus Christ Himself, and it is unchanging because He is unchanging. When He promises that you will do something and be something, you will do it and be it. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24)
ReplyDeleteThe bridge of the faith of Jesus Christ is a bridge we may never fall off, but it is a bridge we may fall on. We have three “legs” of the Christian life which strengthen our stand, and keep us from falling over on our own, or from being knocked over by the devil. These three legs are: God’s Spirit (the Holy Ghost); God’s Word (the Bible); and God’s body (the Church).
Although our salvation is dependent upon Christ’s faith, and not our own, He has graciously allowed us to begin to develop and strengthen our own faith, so that He gets more glory as our faith grows. “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:” (II Thessalonians 1:3-5) As you are walking across the faith-bridge of Jesus Christ, your falls won’t be ultimately fatal. He will empower you to get up and you will eventually cross to the other side, and He will make sure you are in a proper condition to meet the infinitely righteous God.