Green Pastures and Still Waters
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Do You Pray? Reminders about prayer and evangelism almost always make me feel guilty. This week’s sermon is about both. Does anyone feel like they pray as much or as well as they ought to? Do we share the gospel as often as we should? Ugh. I have always struggled with both of these and I am afraid that if I wait to preach about these subjects until I have mastered them I won’t live long enough. But, since I am committed to letting the Truth master me rather than trying to master the truth, I’ll tell you what the text says and we’ll commit to carrying these things out together. And, actually, this text is more encouraging than discouraging. Prayer is not “one more thing to do.” As the Spirit presents it here, prayer is the way we access God’s help in becoming who we are designed to be. We have help!!! And, our witness often has more to do with the way we live than what we say. We need to understand the gospel and be able to share it simply but sometimes our lives are so loud people can’t hear what we say. Our behavior, the timing of our words and our manner of speech are critical components of evangelism. We could say it this way, if we are diligent about being a disciple, it will be easier to make disciples. So, I hope you’ll join us Sunday in-person or on-line and that you’ll be encouraged with the offer of the Spirit’s help and with the impact we can make on the outside world with a life well-lived.
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I apologize for being snarky, but that has to be one of the most ignorant statements ever made. I hear and/or read it from time to time and I can’t believe anyone who has any knowledge about the world around us would say something so foolish. We have been watching the debacle in Afghanistan unfold as the Taliban moves like rats in their takeover. People want out of that mess. Sadly, many will suffer and die at the hands of those evil-doers. Women and children will be abused and subjugated. They will be treated like objects rather than human beings. I’ll leave it to you to determine how much of this is President Biden’s fault. To me, the real problem is the religion of the Taliban. Their commitment to Sharia law is a commitment to laws from hell, not from God. To suggest that the religions of Christianity and the Taliban are “basically the same” is about as ridiculous as suggesting that eating cow manure and eating filet mignon is basically the same because they are from the same animal. The truth is, and this is not simply my opinion😊, the application of true Christianity has changed the world for the better. Men, women and children are all better off when the teachings of Christ are applied to the everyday life of culture. Disciples of Jesus, living out the principles of Colossians 3, are a blessing to their homes, employers and neighborhoods. The gospel matters!