I have had the privilege of teaching through our statement of faith article by article since Feb. One of the most convicting lessons was on the fall of man. According to the article, we have inherited “a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and his law.” This means we rebel against God with every breathe, every action, every thought. Even our best motives are tainted with sin. This should help us only see our need for Christ more and praise him that his blood covers every sin.
Yesterday, we considered together that the choice facing Rahab to align herself with the unbelief of her people or to align herself with the one, true, God mirrors the choice facing all people. Jesus Christ is coming. For some, his arrival will be a day of rejoicing. For others it will be a day of judgment. The only way to avoid the judgment of that day is to switch our allegiance from sin to God. My prayer this morning is that Third would be increasingly marked by an evangelistic zeal that appreciates the certainty of Christ’s coming and that we would see many come to saving faith through our bold proclamation of the Gospel, both from the pulpit and in our relationships.
A friend’s blog sent me to this article by an atheist who thinks Christianity is good for Africa. I appreciate the atheist’s thoughts and observations that people seem more at peace because they were converted. He even credits the reformed tradition that emphasizes the direct connection man can have with God specifically (see priesthood of every believer). He also realizes that a major breakthrough must take place in one’s philosophical/spiritual framework in order to make the kind of changes that he sees in the African Christians. The question I have is what event, fact, or experience can change someone’s worldview? And are they really better off for believing in Christ if you are truly an atheist?
I will kick off the New Year with some reflection from an article I read at NBC.com on cowboy churches. YEE-HAW. There is apparently a network of cowboy churches started by the denomination of the SBC’s missions organization North American Mission Board. If that was confusing, it was intended to be. The churches are targeting cowboys by meeting in barns, having rodeo events, and playing country style worship. I am actually all for these things. What stood out was what seemed to be a justification for having a church built specifically for cowboys. The rational was repeated a couple of times–”You don’t feel judged based on how you’re dressed, how you talk, how you look. We’re not asking somebody to be something they’re not.”
