Posts Tagged ‘ faith ’

Boo! (Did I scare you?)

October 30, 2011
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“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” (Proverbs 31:25)

“This is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.” (1 Peter 3:5-6)

Scripture repeatedly describes a woman of faith as someone who is unafraid. She has a quiet confidence that can only come from knowing that if God is for us, nobody can successfully stand against us (Romans 8:31).

There are plenty of frightening things in our world. There are the continuing economic troubles, the constant threat of war and terrorism, the increasing acceptance of everything except Christianity, bad news from doctors, disappointments from family…this world can be a scary place!

Christians get to look at things differently. The thinks that spook so many shouldn’t have a strong hold on us. We’re concerned for the economy, but we know that life is more than food and the body is more than clothing (Luke 12:23). We pray for peace, but we know that death is not the worst threat (Matthew 10:28) and that we all have an appointment with it anyway! (See Hebrews 9:27).

When Franklin D. Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – he was almost right. The only fear we have is a respect for God (Ecclesiastes 12:13) which is being replaced by perfected love (1 John 4:18). So let’s join the worthy woman of Proverbs 31 and share a good laugh at the fears of tomorrow!

Looking for a City

June 24, 2011
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Here among the shadows living in a lonely land, we’re a band of pilgrims on the move!
Through dangers, burdened down with sorrows, and we are shunned on every hand,
But we are looking for a city built above.

These are the words to a hymn not sung often anymore – but they weigh on my heart as I think of the many here who are sick or hurting this week. This world is a lonely and lovely place. There is great beauty and goodness alongside great difficulty and pain. Our existence in this place and time is purposeful. God has something for us to do—but we eagerly anticipate a better day.

Heaven is best described as the place where God’s will reigns supreme in all things. It is the place where sin cannot exist—so neither sorrow nor death can survive there. It is the kingdom of eternal life and joy. It is the place where we come face to face with Christ, our savior. What a day that will be!

Abraham set out on a journey at the command of God. He didn’t know where he was going—except that God would show him. He didn’t know what dangers, setbacks, and heartaches he would face. The one thing he knew was the God who told him to go. That was enough for him. That’s enough for you and me.

“By faith, he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:9-10)

Keep looking for that city!

I Want to Know Christ

October 30, 2010
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I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11

Paul had a prayer and a goal. He wanted to know Christ and he wanted others to know him. Knowing here is more than knowing facts. It has to do with a personal relationship with Jesus our Lord.

One of the most common stumbling stones to real knowledge of Christ is to think we know him and identify with one part. Some are like the blind men who felt different parts of an elephant. One assumes that spiritual life is like a trunk, another thinks that the spiritual life is like a tail, yet another feels the part and concludes that the spiritual life is like a leg.

Even the great apostle Paul knew that there is more to Christ than is humanly possible to fully comprehend. Everything in the spiritual life resists neat categorization. As we read and reread the gospel stories, we find new gems and new riches. We never fail to learn new truths. We can study the Bible for years and know that there are new truths awaiting us as we eagerly await our next reading.

To some who seem to know the scriptures well, the knowledge can become a conceit and a way to control. The humility of wisdom always whispers that there is more.

As we approach the study of the Holy Scriptures with open minds, this teachable spirit will allow us to gain new insights from the Word of God. Our prayer is as Paul prayed: I want to know Christ!

Help My Unbelief!

March 6, 2009
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“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

A person with a small faith may act on that smallness and lack any real commitment to God.  It may be that one with little faith will not exercise any of that faith and be living in a state of denial of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It could be that one is exercising that little faith and developing and growing.

Whatever is happening in our life, there are times when we feel a bit like the father in Mark 9: I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief. I need more trust in the Savior. I need more faith to move me to greater service.  I need help with dealing with unbelief that creeps back into the recesses of my soul on too numerous occasions.

I wonder what could happen if we could increase our faith a degree or two?  Would that make a big difference in our churches and our world? If 100 people increased their faith just a degree would it mean that those 100 people have increased their faith by 100 degrees?

The intention of preaching and teaching is to increase faith.  There are times when we see our faith grow and our actions show it. There are other times when we struggle and our faith seems to wane.

Enter opportunity for March-May at the Burns Church of Christ.  Each Sunday night at 6:00 for three months we are providing a grand opportunity for us as a church, and for the community we serve, to increase our faith.  What can happen is we can raise the level of faith in our community.  Maybe there will not be a need for a bigger jail.  We know that only good can come when we are get help for our unbelief.

House to House: Building Our Faith

February 28, 2009
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Faith is one of those words that can be tough to pin down. Some folks say it means a blind leap in the dark. Others say it is exclusively evidence-based. Which is it?

I think the answer is both. Real faith is not kept in contradiction to reason, but it extends beyond reason. Faith begins in evidence and moves out from it-even when believing is difficult. The word used in the New Testament for faith is pistis, a word which is also translated as trust. It’s not merely mental agreement: “Yeah, I think that’s right.” It is belief that produces trust that produces action.

Have you heard these scriptures lately?

  •          “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)
  •          “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)
  •          “…the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:3 ESV)
  •          “Faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 1:17 ESV)

Perhaps the most piercing scripture off all is the question that Jesus asked nearly two thousand years ago: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8 ESV)

If Jesus asked that question of you alone, what would the answer be?

Faith is absolutely essential for God’s people. It’s not optional! It must be the kind of faith that trusts and obeys even in moments of doubt.

The church at Burns wants to help make sure that the answer to Jesus’ question is a resounding YES! To that effect, we’ve planned several things we’d like to let you know about. These are all designed to help us all build our faith.

We’ll soon be offering The Case for Christ series, by Lee Strobel. Visit with us at 6 pm on Sunday nights in the months of March, April, and May to see a video series by an atheist-turned-believer who explored the evidence about Christianity. After the videos are over, we’ve invited some experts to come share even more evidence that they’ve seen in their work. There will be time for discussion and questions. Don’t worry; this material, although it is deep, is very accessible.

You’ll see a lot of us in the month of June, too! We’re planning to come door-to-door in the third week of June to see if there’s any way we can help you on your spiritual journey. We’ll be offering Bible studies and good, Bible-based materials for your consideration.

We hope that you will join us whenever you can, and it is our prayer that when Christ returns, He will find faith in you! Please let us know if we can help. You may contact our office at 441-3984 or by email at office@burnschurchofchrist.org. Check our website for more specific information: http://www.burnschurchofchrist.org

Changing the World When the Sky is Falling

February 27, 2009
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You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:13, 14

As I drive by the Discovery School, where four of my grandchildren go, I always pray for each of them as they spend their day in learning and interaction.  My prayer is simple.  “Father, will you bless each child in the school?  Will you make this day a good day for my four grandchildren? Will you help them to be safe, have a love for learning and make their school a better place because they are there?”

It is easy to buy into the diabolical lie that the world is coming to no good and Christians must hide their lights in little cubby holes and talk about how bad the people in the  world are.  “Look what the world is coming to?  Our country and all other countries are going to the Devil and we can’t do anything so let’s hide our salt and light so we won’t become contaminated. “‘The Sky is falling’ and we can’t do anything about it.”

The first century church met a world as bad as any that’s has ever existed. (Read again the Book of Revelation.)  They went everywhere saying “Look what has come to the world.”  They believed that God was in charge of our world and that we need to infect the world with the virus of Christian teaching. (Per Matthew’s class Sunday night,)

Who rubs shoulders with men and women of the world every day?  Who works and plays with men and women of the world every day?  Whose kids interact with boys and girls of the world every day?

Why is our light not shining?  Why is our salt not working?  Why are we backing away from telling the story of a Crucified and risen LORD?  Why sit back and curse the darkness when we have the light?

We have the opportunity to bring light into the lives of men and women, boys and girls of Dickson County. Sunday nights – March- May – The Case for Faith. Be here and bring a car load.

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