Without Ceasing (part 2)

Remember "Without Ceasing' from last Friday? The point was that a symptom doesn't necessarily identify the problem unless you dig deeper. There's a whole bunch of biblical support for fruit or works being the result of having been saved. (more details in a later blog). You don't pray a lot? You don't read your bible a lot? You need to have a serious conversation with yourself about these and the other characteristics of the early church. Today those of us at CBC saw the opposite of what we were talking about - a wonderful couple (Jack and Marsha Nonweiler) who are faithfully putting their trust in God as they head off to Haiti to establish a full time medical clinic at Three Angels - Haiti. I cannot commend them enough that they can hear what God is directing them to do and to use their faith and confidence in God's sovereignty to give up a successful medical practice to go to a one room apartment and a 1 room clinic. I will pray for them and hope you will also. As a matter of fact, stop reading now, go to God in prayer. Pray for Jack and Marsha - use your own words and thoughts to pray for them. [I just did, so can you]. God bless you Jack and Marsha. soli Deo Gloria, ron r

Without Ceasing

Speaking of last week's sermon on the new church. If you missed that sermon, please go to the web (http://centennialbiblechurch.org/CBC_Sermons_Sunday_School_c92983.html) and check it out, it's the Mar 22 sermon. Key passage was 1 Thes 5:17. Interesting if you go to blueletterbible and look up that verse in different versions of bibles, and you'll find it says the same thing. Ok, so what part of that don't I understand? Why am I not doing it? When we lament how bad things are for Christians around the world and we admire their faith and strength to endure and persevere, I think we fail to recognize our weakness. And that weakness is to be a Christian without ceasing. We have so many distractions, so many other interests; Satan doesn't have to work hard to get us off track, just get us to look up. Such as to not pray without ceasing or to 'love our neighbor' while we're driving in heavy traffic, or forget to read our bible (another without ceasing) Being a Christian is not for wimps and it is not a part time job. For some being a Christian was saying a prayer and saying that Christ was their Lord and Savior and then going back to what they were doing just before. I think a good analogy of the expectations is marriage. Marriage is a 24 X 7, every week, every month, every year. We can do it, and those of us who have been married can prove that we can do it. (36 years for me this coming Wednesday). Without Ceasing.

Welcome to my new blog

Welcome to my blog. So what is a blog? Blog is short for weblog and 'is in the form of an online journal, with new entries appearing in sequence as they are written, especially as dealing with reflections or opinion, and typically incorporating links to other articles.' [Webster's online Dictionary] And so you ask - just what will I be putting in my journal? Well for starters, thoughts about this last Sunday's very good sermon on how the early church was a praying church. Or I will be writing about some of the ideas and points presented during the 2009 Shepherds Conference - such as what is an Evangelical? Or some observations on the latest book I'm reading - which is Worldliness, edited by C. J. Mahaney. More on that to come. This will be short because I want to get this up and running. If you read this and like the idea of discussing last week's sermon or putting your 2 cents worth on my comments about TULIP or unattended children in the church, don't just nod your head, add a comment. I only ask that you keep comments relevant to the topic of the original post - makes it easier for others [and me] to follow. And if you have any other topics of conversation, just send me an email. soli Deo Gloria, ron