Saturday, July 05, 2003
The late Rich Mullens wrote the great song, “My God is an Awesome God”. I love that song—both the words and the music. That is how I am feeling right now about my God. He is so Awesome!! And I am so thankful to be His child!! I am often a disobedient child, but I love Him nevertheless. But I digress from my original intention for this post.
My God has connected me with a new friend. I know it is God’s connection because it never could have occurred otherwise. God chose the Internet to make this connection. My new Internet friend has been such a blessing to me already. He is highly intelligent, an excellent writer, articulate about his faith and has his head screwed on right when it comes to matters of God, Christ, and the church, and just life in general. I admire him so much already. And perhaps best of all, he writes to me and lets me write to him. He is praying for me (as I am for him) and that’s such a blessing. I am honored, humbled and awed that he would do so. My new friend has reminded me once again of the truth of Scripture (Proverbs 27:17) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” My friend is unique among people today because he is open and honest. He writes a daily journal for all who wish to read and in his entries articulates so well on so many subjects. Reading his journal entries and exchanging emails with him has just sharpened me so much. Because of him I am encouraged to write more and more relevant “stuff” in my blogs. I feel as though a bubbling bottle has been uncorked! I feel like the floodgates of a dam have been opened and water is pouring forth. That’s how I describe my mind these recent days since my exchanges with my new friend began. I now realize my mind had become somewhat stagnant. I sure don’t want that to happen! So now I have more ideas about which I want to write than time to write. But I have made a commitment to myself. Now I am making it to you who read this Blogspot. (That’s probably an audience of one, if that many! I think I only had 3, maybe 4 to begin with! My prayer partner, but I don’t think he reads blogs much; Josh, but he’s in Thailand and probably has neither time nor access to be reading blogs; my friend, Jennifer who isn’t able to access internet too often or easily; and maybe my new internet friend! He may read my blogs sometimes. Anyway—to my “vast audience of readers” I make this commitment: I am going to post more often about more sensible(?), interesting topics—at least interesting to me!!! (No, I will try to write as though there were readers out there!!)
Of course I still have to balance blogging with my commitments to my wife (whom I love dearly); my children who I also love and to my prayer partner whom I love and admire so much. He’s my spiritual hero! And I have a commitment to my week day employer and to my ministry at my wonderful little church, Countryside Christian Fellowship.
It is about church I am posting now. Not that specific congregation but the church, the Body of Christ. At my church (which shall be referred to as Countryside, or “my church” from now on in these posts) I have begun a series of messages entitled, “A Great Religious Movement”. My first teaching on the subject is what I want to write about now. I taught (preached—whatever you call it. I hope my preaching teaches and motivates.) on the subject, “What Does It Mean To Be A Member of a Non-Denominational Church?” I listed 4 imperatives for a congregation to be a non-denominational church. I’ll list them here without expanding as I did in the message at church.
1. We must be committed to the Word of God as the final authority
2. We must preach and teach the great cardinal doctrines of the faith—and not major
in denominational or secondary doctrines or the traditions of men. (I listed some
of these during the sermon.)
3. We must maintain the unity of the one Body of Christ without compromise
4. We must build our fellowship around individuals—not organizations or programs or denominations.
That was the body of the message. Of course I developed it by “fleshing out” each of the 4 points. Then came the challenge of a proper conclusion. After puzzling over it for some time God gave it to me through some reading I was doing at the time. I am going to share that conclusion with you. But I think this post is long enough for this time. So look for the conclusion in my next post.
Jim
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