Hey Gang,
Last week was another challenging lesson on the importance of the church and the Christian life. The disturbing question from last week was whether or not we are "doing" church the way God intended us to. Think about it, have we forgotten what makes our faith so radical and replaced it with something that's simply comfortable? Why do we go to church? Do we go because we are hungry to learn and grow in our relationship with Christ? Do we go because we want to worship a Holy God and be with other believers that love us as God does? What do you think is most important to God about how we do church? I asked you this question last week, how do we as the church compare the celebration of a $23 million dollar new building to raising $5,000 dollars to help 350,000 Sudanese refugees dying of malnutrition? Something just isn't right about this, anyway, I'm still thinking about it and I hope you are too.
This Sunday we will complete our 13-week series on Apologetics and the Christian Hope, Faith, and Life - it's been quite a journey. Our lesson is entitled "Life Worth Sharing" and yes it's on sharing your faith. At this time of year we all are making lists of some sorts whether it's for gifts or just things we need to get done. When was the last time you made a list of the people you know that need to know the Lord?
Our lesson says that the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. Now that sounds a little strong, but did you know that God is going to hold you responsible for the unbelievers that live around you? Here's what a lot of Christians say about sharing their faith, "I'm sometimes timid about my faith, feeling like I don't have the right to push it on others." And then there are those that question this, what if I just don't often feel a burden for the lost, and I don't know why? And then there's always those that wonder why we need to go on mission trips when there are people here in Simpsonville or at our place of work that need Jesus too? Something to think about this week as we explore Paul's reasons for sharing the gospel in Romans 1:14-17; 9:1-3; 10:1; 14-15; 15:17-20. Imagine you were charged with walking into a faculty meeting at a prestigious secular university and telling the story of a Jewish carpenter who rose from the dead and claimed to be God. This is the cultural context of Paul's proclamation - that he was not ashamed of the gospel and he was eager to share it.
Our lesson says that the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable. Now that sounds a little strong, but did you know that God is going to hold you responsible for the unbelievers that live around you? Here's what a lot of Christians say about sharing their faith, "I'm sometimes timid about my faith, feeling like I don't have the right to push it on others." And then there are those that question this, what if I just don't often feel a burden for the lost, and I don't know why? And then there's always those that wonder why we need to go on mission trips when there are people here in Simpsonville or at our place of work that need Jesus too? Something to think about this week as we explore Paul's reasons for sharing the gospel in Romans 1:14-17; 9:1-3; 10:1; 14-15; 15:17-20. Imagine you were charged with walking into a faculty meeting at a prestigious secular university and telling the story of a Jewish carpenter who rose from the dead and claimed to be God. This is the cultural context of Paul's proclamation - that he was not ashamed of the gospel and he was eager to share it.
The image at the top of the page is from the movie Schindler's List - we'll be watching a segment from the movie this week as we consider those on or not on "Our List." This part of the movie has always made me wonder if this is the way I will feel when I go to heaven and God shows me those I could have saved, but didn't while I was here on earth. You know something, witnessing is often a series of encounters - maybe one in the series is a conversation you have with someone, maybe one is someone observing your behavior, and maybe another is someone seeing how you handle a difficult situation in life. Everybody needs Jesus - give some thought this week to who you will put on your list this season. Click below for a preview of the clip we'll see Sunday.
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Have a blessed rest of the week and I hope to see you on Sunday.
In His Love,
David & Susan
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