I just started a sermon series in the book of James. James addressed the Jewish believers who had been scattered and were beginning to lose their way and cave in to the pressures of the world. They were no longer living what they claimed to believe. I see the American church in the same predicament -- pursuing comfort, rather than commitment. Dr. Daniel Kim, a Korean pastor, was beaten by his family for accepting Christ; but he remained faithful. This week, a 17 year old girl from Ohio petitioned for asylum in Florida due to fear that her father will kill her to maintain the family's honor, because she accepted Jesus Christ; but she remains faithful. These are examples of "committed" Christ-followers. Would you cave in to that type of trial? Would you be faithful to God? Would you stand firm in your commitment to Christ?
In James 1:5-12, we discussed proper responses to trials and Paul Longnecker shared his testimony. Paul was a wayward military aircraft mechanic who was in a motorcycle wreck that changed his life. Rather than getting mad at God for taking away his ability to fully function, Paul thanked God for giving him the gift of a second chance and bringing him back to Himself. When trials come, we must stand firm and not waver! God is for us -- not against us
It was a tough morning, but God gave us a tremendous altar response and brought a family into the fellowship of our church. I was in a fog this morning, as I'm still not over sending our oldest daughter off to college. The emptiness is our house is very difficult for me right now. We had some confusion in the absences of a Worship Pastor, but the volunteers responded like champions! We had 16 lights out across our Worship Center, due to a lightning storm; but God shined bright! George Singletary shared his testimony of salvation and challenged us all. With school back in session and summer vacations over, both the attendance and the offerings were strong.
Tonight, we observed communion together and it was the first time our new Deacons had the privilege of serving. There is a VERY sweet spirit of unity and cooperation in our church family at present. You always have a few disgruntled folks; but the most of our people are taking ownership, volunteering for service, showing up at all hours to care for the facilities, starting new ministries, caring for one another, visiting, conducting home Bible studies, and more! Realizing the healthy state of our church, it really made communion a special time tonight.
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