Pastor’s pen: “The Church that God intended.”
As we discover and rediscover that the Bible is not simply a book of stories for us to know about, or a series of doctrines for us to intellectualize over, we are compelled to accept that scripture should inform our actions as well as our beliefs. God intends for His church to be a vibrant force in the world; not living a life of selfish comfort but moved by selfless sacrifice. Romans 12: 1-2 communicates this clearly. “…in view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
For us to be the church that God intended, we need to submit and offer ourselves to become the kind of Christians that God intended. How often we look at the church (local or wider) and lament its lethargy and ineffectiveness and start judging it. News flash: the condition of the church is created by the condition of Christians! We can want a move of God but am I willing to let God move me? We may well say that nothing is impossible for God. True, but we also must remember that God is going to move among a people that are hungrier for Him than they are for the elusive contentment, success and position being offered through worldly values systems.
If we are going to become the people that God intended, and if we are going to become the Church God intended, we have to come to a place of wanting God’s way more than the carnal/natural way; willing to sacrifice the things that have dominated our priority lists that have never been on God’s priority list and allow God to carry out His renovation of our minds. It will also require us to listen to what God is saying and being obedient even though it gets uncomfortable. Remember God is not looking for lukewarm Christians, He wants us to be on fire for Him, and He is the One who will set us on fire! See you at the prayer meeting!!!
Pastor Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment