How you doin? It's been suggested to me that my email can be a bit long.
I'm going to work on that. It may mean that you'll get 2 or 3 a day.
Just kidding. Stacey and I watched a sermon last night on IBethel TV by
Chris Vallotton. He posed the question, "are we Christians or followers
of Jesus?". It was based on his experience out of the country. In other
countries he said that people responded poorly to his claim of
Christianity, but responded well to his claim of being a follower of
Jesus. In many countries Christianity represents crusades, war, sinful
living, condemnation, hypocrisy, and more things not of God. Chris
pointed out that a prayer of acceptance is no where to be found in the
Bible. Following Jesus is found 100's of times. Christianity is
mentioned twice. A prayer of acceptance is AWESOME!!!! But a life of
following Jesus is what we're called to do. We read Mark 6 this morning.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion
on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began
teaching them many things. (Mark 6:34) I love Jesus' compassion.
As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And
wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the
sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the
edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. (Mark 6:54-56)
COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God's timing is perfect. It's been a long
week or so. This is the revelation and new glory that God was preparing
us for. Follow Jesus. Like any good sports fan, I had a sports related
analogy. If I wear a Phillies uniform and sit in the stands... I'm
fanatical fan. But when I leave the stadium, I go back to my regular
life. The actual Phillies players regular life still looks like a MLB
player. They are practicing, dealing with the media, receiving physical
conditioning and treatment. They look like pro ball players on/off the
field and in/out of their uniforms. I'm a baseball fan, but follow the
Phillies. I'm familiar with them. I know their players, style of play,
management, ect. You could say I have a relationship with them.
Christianity allows for sin due to Jesus' acts on the cross.
Christianity also allows for a distant walk with Him. The further away
from Him we are, the quieter His voice is. Following Him does not allow
sin. Following Him allows for a closer walk. The closer we are to Him
the more we can hear Him. The more we hear Him the more we are convicted
of our sin. The closer we are to Him, the more we receive power to
defeat our sin so we are free. I love being free. A tough question...
"are you a Christian or a follower of Jesus?". COME ON!!!!!!!!!!! Follow
Jesus today! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment