Practical Christianity

I read this yesterday and just wanted to share it with you:

 

"I am impressed with the wonder of what God says, but He cannot expect me really to live it out in the details of my life!" When it comes to facing Jesus Christ on His own merits, our attitude is one of pious superiority -Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things,it cannot be done."

 

This is from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for his highest. He is making the point that many people are like this, even those who say they are Christians. The call to be a Christian must be lived out "in the details of life." The call to follow Jesus is a call to die to your own desires, and a call to allow Christ to live in your life. The Bible says, "I have been crucified with Christ..." This must be something that we take seriously, but too often we take it lightly. We regard the command of Christ as no more than a good suggestion. I pray that we would all seek to be conformed to the image of Christ no matter what the cost.

 

--BD

Different Song and Dance (wrap up of Wednesday Bible Study 2/25)

Another day, another post. It is in the plans to continue this trend into at least Friday. Keep coming back and we'll keep posting. Stop coming, and we'll post anyways, just in case.
Tonight we had our weekly study in Exodus, chapter 34. I will begin by stating that it is not possible for me to do the lesson justice with anything that I write. Bobby may just be the only person who could review the lesson accurately. But I will give it a try.
Exodus 34 Begins with Moses up on Mount Sinai with the LORD, just after he had come down and broken the tablets on the golden calf that Aaron made for the people, and Moses (in accordance with the Lord's command) had the people kill everyone among them whom would not follow the LORD. The command was then given for the people to leave Sinai and head out to the wilderness. All of that said, the first half of chapter 34 is a reiteration of the covenant that the Lord had originally made with the people, and Moses cut out two more tablets for the Lord to write the Law on them. Most of our lesson was really spent in the second part of the chapter, from verses 29 and on to the end of the chapter. When Moses came down from his time with the LORD, his face shined brightly (or shone brightly, not sure the proper wording here.) It was so bright that Moses had to veil his face to speak with the people, so that he would not frighten them. And whenever he would go into the presence of the LORD, he would remove the veil so the people would be able to see that Moses had been in the presence of God.
And it was on this point Bob laid the foundation for the lesson. Many of us know someone that when you see this person or are around them, it is very evident the Lord is present in their life, so much so that it just overflows in absolute joy. Even on the worst of days, they have joy. And there are times when those around us who know that we are believers will be quick to point out that something we say or do is not in accord with how we should be, because our joy is not measured by things that can change on a daily or minutely basis. Our joy is anchored in the everlasting glory of God, and that Christ has died for our sins and forgiven us by His grace. This will never change, and should always be the source of our joy.
With that in mind, we are to be missionaries where we are. I think many of us have that in mind. But we are also to be ministering to one another whenever we gather, and that can often fall between the cracks. We joke about tv shows, brag about who has the best roster in fantasy football, gossip about what is the latest news around church, or just gather to do something and just neglect this Eternally Great Bond that we share with one another, which should be the very center of our gatherings at all time. Amongst believers, there shouldn't be a struggle to get the conversation to turn to the things of the Lord. I personally fall short far too often in all of these areas. And by no means do I mean to stop watching tv, stop playing fantasy football, and not gather to play video games and other such events, but that does not need to be our focus on the evening. Our testimonies on what we have been reading in Scripture, or what the Lord is doing in our lives may be just what somebody needs to hear to get out of spiritual depression. You may be reading something the Lord desires for everyone around you to hear. Check that, you are reading something the Lord desires for everyone around you to hear. If we will simply open up to one another and grow as one body, loving and encouraging, and admonishing (holding accountable) when necessary, evangelism will come natural. People will see our love for one another and desire to come to that.
And another point before I end, we discussed 1 John, chapter 3, talking about light and darkness, and what association does light have with darkness. They are two distinct things. A room is either light and you can see what is around, or it is dark and you are tripping around and can't see anything around you. As we are amongst unbelievers, we must maintain our light, and be a light to them. If we are conforming to the groups we once hung with and fall into the sins we once were enslaved to, we are doing them, ourselves, and most devastatingly, Christ a great injustice. We have been set free from sin and been entrusted to the Gospel to be ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ, and Christ's "aroma" to this world. Let us live each day with this in mind. Grace and peace. -Bubba.

Mixed Reviews (Visitation 2/23)

Several things before I start. One) What does everyone think about the color scheme on this page? Personally, I have an opinion, and would like to know what everyone else thinks to see if I'm in the minority. Two) The other people responsible for posting on this site need to tighten up and update... If we update, they will come. Maybe, it worked for the guy in "Field of Dreams".
All of that said, we were back on the beaten path and on knocking on doors on Monday night (literally, we were down a gravel path behind Wendell Elementary). One group met much opposition to the gospel, the other had several welcoming visits (you can probably guess who was in each group based on the description.)
Group 1 met with several houses, and did not even get to have as much as a conversation with any of them. They met one lady who was a believer in the LORD but was preparing dinner or something along those line and couldn't speak with the group. One house went to a baptist church in Zebulon, and though they told us they go to church, we were ran off of the porch. The wife did not know why or if she was saved, and her husband (a large, impatient and rude man) would not let the group share the good news of eternal life with her. While we may have just caught them on a bad night or at a bad time, there was no love shown for us whatsoever. And as a husband with a wife unable to speak of her faith and unwilling to let people talk to her about it, I would venture to say there was very little love shown to her as well. Be praying for them and families like them. There were several no answers and some people who asked the group to come back. There was also a woman who did not wish to speak with the group, and upon the group leaving as she had requested, she called the police (which is becoming commonplace on Monday nights, unfortunately). The group did have a good conversation with the police officer.
Group 2 had much more immediate satisfaction type visits. The first house this group went to was Lauren's new house in Wendell (welcome to civilization Lauren!). The group was there for awhile, and had fellowship with Lauren and her friend Sarah. Upon leaving there, the group walked down into the cul de sac and met with Frank and his family. They have lived in Wendell for, no exaggeration, less than a week. They moved here from somewhere north (Virginia I believe) and are interested in finding a church. After directions were made clear (the basics like Food Lion, 97, crazy intersection as you leave Wendell are less basic when people are that new to the area), they anticipate visiting HBC as soon as they get moved in and comfortable, and I am confident we will as a Ministry go back there to visit with them and help them any way possible, spiritual or physical.
So that is the low down on this weeks visitation. Look forward to many posts in the coming days. There are 3 scheduled to happen in the next 2 days. Also, be in prayer for our ministry as we make efforts to love one another in a greater way, and become more involved in one anothers lives. Read my post last week (the one under this post) for more information. Be in prayer for our church as we are starting the new Sunday School curriculum this week, that it will be a blessing for the spiritual growth of us as a whole, and that we can grow and effectively minister to the community and one another. Be in prayer for our Spring Retreat coming up in just over a month. It will be here before we know it! And in everything we do, let us be the "aroma of Christ", glorifying God in our lives, and making it abundantly clear that we are the Light of the World! Grace and Peace. - Bubba