THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
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Many of us Christians are like the little girl who started fighting with a friend. Her mother who heard about the quarrel talked with her little girl about it trying to show her she was wrong and her need of asking God's forgiveness. Accordingly, when the little one kneeled down to pray, she humbly asked, "O God, please forgive me for getting angry and quarreling with Charlotte."
So far so good. But the wrong disposition was still there, for the child went on, "And make Charlotte come to me and ask my forgiveness. O Lord, give her no rest until she is sorry and comes and tells me so!"
(from Illustrations of Bible Truths Copyright © 1995, 1998 by AMG International, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
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Neh 3:6-8
6 Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
7 And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.
8 Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.
KJV
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Sunday morning I listened to Bro. Eric Harriman (FBC, Columbia) preach a sermon that is part of a series on the church reaching people for Christ. His sermon Sunday was about "Changing Some Things." I won't elaborate on the whole sermon, but one point caught my attention.
Bro. Eric said the church needs to change its talk before we can be effective witnesses. There is a need to rid ourselves of dirty jokes, cursing and swearing, and gossip. Before we can be effective witnesses IN the world, we must build some walls around ourselves to keep us from the same practices AS the world.
Building walls doesn't mean we believe ourselves better than the world. But we do offer them something better! We offer CHRIST! We offer His mercy, grace, forgiveness, atonement, redemption, justification and eternal glorification.
Notice in our Scripture that people worked "next unto" each other. That's one thing the church needs to change today! There is a definite need for harmony and unity - brotherhood in the church today. Harmony is a wall of separation because it is a wall of love for one another. And that's something the world doesn't have.
The people of Nehemiah worked to build walls. They were walls of separation and nonconformity to the world. I'm afraid the trend is quite different in today's church!
Christians read questionable literature and have frivolous pastimes that interfere with the primary mission of Christianity.
Christians spend hours reading magazines and romance novels each week, but won't spend one hour reading the Bible. Christians spend many dollars and much time at ballgames, but don't spend one hour visiting and witnessing for our Lord. And many Christians spend so much time in the world there's an absence of their presence in the church.
No. There's nothing wrong with pastimes. However, our main activity IN the world is offering Christ TO the world. We need to rebuild some walls: prayer, attendance, Bible study, giving, visitation, ministry.
Let's build some walls to keep us IN Christ so we can effectively OFFER Christ to the world.
Love ya,
Bruce