WATCHWORD:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season—do the work of an evangelist. 2 Timothy 4:2a, 5b
I am not ashamed of the Gospel (of Christ Jesus) because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Romans 1:16
Devote yourselves to (the ministry of) prayer, being watchful … and pray … that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim Christ. Colossians 4:2-3
It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known. Romans 15:20
I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Philemon 1:6
Meditation:
Faith Thoughts, Part 1
Some years ago, my Christian education class at church went through four class sessions studying the book “Walk Across the Room” by Bill Hybels. This was a study to help us to understand and to organize all those elements of our faith journey so as to share our experience with others. During the course of these classes I found that I was understanding my own walk of faith in greater clarity. So, for this meditation, and the next two, let me share with you some ideas about faith that touched me, personally, and are probably the same ones that touched you.
First, I am an “evangelical” Christian, in the broadest sense of that word. For many years, I resisted that word because of all the negative qualities that I associated with it. The word is a tough one because it has been so misused and distorted in the media, in politics and in society in general. Webster New World Dictionary defines an evangelical as: “(living) according to the Gospels or the teaching of the New Testament,” and “faith through belief in Christ.” That sums up pretty well who I try to be, and often fail, time after time.
I am a “sinner” (another misunderstood word), in thought, word and deed. But on the other hand, I am a “saint” (here is another one), in the “true sense” of the word. Martin Luther tells me that the test of a true saint is one who is baptized, dedicated, confirmed, and believes that Christ is savior and one who consciously tries to live out that belief. Luther would tell me that belief in Christ is all I need and by His grace my sins are forgiven. My role is to try to imitate Christ as best I can, failures, that sinner part of me, not with-standing.
I have heard it said that Jesus was one of the truly great teachers! I believe that He was the greatest teacher, but He is so much more. He is God among us, and he came to teach us through parable, prophesy, example and all those stories that we find in the Bible, the whole Bible – Old and New Testaments.
Christ as God. God as a human being, These are tough concepts. In my belief, Jesus is God incarnate. Incarnate is a strange, old-fashioned and often misunderstood word. In my vocabulary, it simply means that God became a man in every respect in order to understand more fully life as we humans experience it. He came in that form to show, by word and example, what God would have us do and how he wishes us to relate to one another. In short, Jesus, the Christ, is God! God as Teacher!
I am convinced that there is much in the Bible that is sometimes difficult to process and too many teachers and preachers have made it difficult for new believers. At the core of my belief is one simple and singular event that makes a Christian – belief that Jesus is God incarnate, he became human, was executed, and returned to life — the Resurrection! There is proof of this based on reliable witness testimony. Everything else (parting of the Red Sea, Jonah and the whale, Daniel in the lion’s den, the feeding of the 5,000, the virgin birth, etc.) is God-inspired that instructs, and communicates blessed and sacred events and stories that have changed the world. Those stories do not change my basic belief, they enhance it and they give it meaning.
Maybe you, like me, have struggled with communicating the depth and strength of your faith, maybe you can glean something out of my ramblings. We all scatter seeds as we live out our faith, and share our belief. May God bless our continuing journeys, as we scatter seeds of grace. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Those Irish — Muldoon lived alone in an Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day the dog died and Muldoon was beside himself with grief. He went to the Parish Priest and said, “Father, me dog is dead! Cana Ya be saying a mass for the poor creature?” Father Quinn replied “I’m afraid not, we cannot have services for an animal in the church but there are some Baptists that just moved in down the lane and there’s no telling what they believe. Maybe they’ll do something for the poor creature.” Muldoon said, “I’ll go right away, and Father do you think 10,000 Euro is enough to donate for the service?” Father Quinn exclaimed “Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn’t ya tell me the dog was Catholic?”
Prayers:
Gracious God–We are recipients of your great love and the good news of your gospel in our salvation. Enlighten the eyes of our heart that we may see, that we may know what is the hope to which you have called us: the hope of eternal life. May our hearts burn with the words of the Great Commission — so that we make disciples of all nations.
We pray that you open doors in all areas which our lives intersect. May you pave the way for the conversations we will have. We pray that you would open doors in our leisure activities, and our relationships. Make us aware of opportunities to bear witness to the greatness, the glory, and the goodness of our Savior. Give us a boldness to walk through these doors and proclaim the hope of redemption in Christ and the promise of eternal life, for the glory of Your name and for our good. Lord we ask these things by the blood of your Son. Amen
