my last post ended up being about prayer and how it is not about us giving God our wish list, but rather getting God's will done in our lives. over the past several days, God has continued to emphasize the importance of prayer to me. i've seen bits of the news reports - enough to know what's been going on. just yesterday, in my favorite restaurant, a couple of guys sitting next to me carried on their conversation about the big topic of the weekend. i wanted to get into the conversation, but was speechless. what can you say? critics love to jump on the bandwagon, and this time around, the wagon has a lot of riders and an endless supply of seats.
i know people who are skeptical of big churches. they're on the wagon. others are skeptical of any contemporary way of doing church. they're on the wagon. others are skeptical of Christianity. they're on the wagon. meanwhile, the rest of us are speechless. If Ted Haggard can fall, what makes us safe? And it's not just about Ted Haggard. there are two other guys that i know personally who have fallen in similar ways recently. they weren't in big churches. they weren't on tv, but they were just as much a part of the fight between good and evil. if they can fall, what keeps me safe? Galatians 6:1 warns us that we should be careful when another Christian falls, understanding that we could fall just the same.
i hope that none of us blow this off as some thing that doesn't affect us. it affects all of us who take the message of Christ seriously. our ultimate mission in life is to share the gospel, while we are in the process of everything else we are called to do. anytime we are around non-believers, our responsibility is to look for opportunity to share the gospel. just a few days ago, a friend of mine who i love and pray for and am encouraged by, mentioned a situation she was in but doesn't like. she said that she was wondering if her reason for being there was to be a witness. i told her "of course it is." there may be other things God wants us to do, but as we are doing them, we are to be making disciples of Christ, which starts with sharing the gospel. without the gospel, there is no hope for anyone. sadly, though, the more Christians stumble, the more our message appears to be a joke. regardless of whether we liked Ted Haggard, or his church, or his denomination, the gospel that he represents is the same gospel we are commanded to share. this affects us all.
it can also be a little scary. again, what keeps us from falling? i used to spend a lot of time being afraid i would fall. i still know it's possible - that is, if i think i can't. proverbs tells us that pride precedes the fall. we are all sinful by nature and have the capacity to commit any sin we find enticing. but now, instead of being scared in an unhealthy way, i find encouragement. Jude 24-25 says: To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord
are we willing to pray with the sole desire of being conformed to the image of God?
i know people who are skeptical of big churches. they're on the wagon. others are skeptical of any contemporary way of doing church. they're on the wagon. others are skeptical of Christianity. they're on the wagon. meanwhile, the rest of us are speechless. If Ted Haggard can fall, what makes us safe? And it's not just about Ted Haggard. there are two other guys that i know personally who have fallen in similar ways recently. they weren't in big churches. they weren't on tv, but they were just as much a part of the fight between good and evil. if they can fall, what keeps me safe? Galatians 6:1 warns us that we should be careful when another Christian falls, understanding that we could fall just the same.
i hope that none of us blow this off as some thing that doesn't affect us. it affects all of us who take the message of Christ seriously. our ultimate mission in life is to share the gospel, while we are in the process of everything else we are called to do. anytime we are around non-believers, our responsibility is to look for opportunity to share the gospel. just a few days ago, a friend of mine who i love and pray for and am encouraged by, mentioned a situation she was in but doesn't like. she said that she was wondering if her reason for being there was to be a witness. i told her "of course it is." there may be other things God wants us to do, but as we are doing them, we are to be making disciples of Christ, which starts with sharing the gospel. without the gospel, there is no hope for anyone. sadly, though, the more Christians stumble, the more our message appears to be a joke. regardless of whether we liked Ted Haggard, or his church, or his denomination, the gospel that he represents is the same gospel we are commanded to share. this affects us all.
it can also be a little scary. again, what keeps us from falling? i used to spend a lot of time being afraid i would fall. i still know it's possible - that is, if i think i can't. proverbs tells us that pride precedes the fall. we are all sinful by nature and have the capacity to commit any sin we find enticing. but now, instead of being scared in an unhealthy way, i find encouragement. Jude 24-25 says: To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord
are we willing to pray with the sole desire of being conformed to the image of God?
posted by Jonathan Branch at 3:12 PM
2 Comments:
Thanks for your blog on prayer. I wrote this in response.
When a Brother Falls . . .
It’s easy to point the finger,
Even easier to wag the head,
But unless we learn their lesson,
It might be us instead.
For when we judge our brother
Instead of judging his sin,
We’re falling right into the trap,
And Satan’s won again.
The Stronger should help the weaker,
Fallen need help getting up,
If this we will remember,
Satan’s plans we will disrupt.
“For ye who are without sin
Start casting the first stone,”
And before you what’s happening
You’re standing all alone.
So drop the stone from your hand
And instead of walking away
Drop to your knees beside the one
Who can wash the sins away.
Jesus wants the entire world
To come to his repentance
And he can wash away your sins
Before I finish this sentence.
So, become your brother’s keeper,
And set him on his feet,
Making your tomorrow brighter,
When his sins you don’t repeat.
By TJR
When a Brother Falls . . .
It’s easy to point the finger,
Even easier to wag the head,
But unless we learn their lesson,
It might be us instead.
For when we judge our brother
Instead of judging his sin,
We’re falling right into the trap,
And Satan’s won again.
The Stronger should help the weaker,
Fallen need help getting up,
If this we will remember,
Satan’s plans we will disrupt.
“For ye who are without sin
Start casting the first stone,”
And before you know what’s happening
You’re standing all alone.
So drop the stone from your hand
And instead of walking away
Drop to your knees beside the one
Who can wash the sins away.
Jesus wants the entire world
To come to his repentance
And he can wash away your sins
Before I finish this sentence.
So, become your brother’s keeper,
And set him on his feet,
Making your tomorrow brighter,
When his sins you don’t repeat.
By TJR
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