Keep Pressing On

I press on​ toward the goal for the prize

​  
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus

- Philippians 3:14

Are You Truly Committed to Your Church?

3/23/2013

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Dan Reiland, in his book Shoulder to Shoulder has this to say about church commitment...
Commitment is a fragile thing....When the Padres do well, the fans show up; when the Padres don't do so well, the stadium is nearly empty.  Sometimes as I look at church attendance in sanctuaries I wonder if something similar is going on.  People will call in and ask what the sermon title is to make a decision whether or not they will attend church that morning.  Some folks sleep in because they were out late the night before.  Church members sometimes withhold their tithe to demonstrate that they are unhappy with something.  
How committed to your church are you?  Your church needs you to help it become better.  Commitment is necessary for your own spiritual growth as well as the growth of your church.  Your pastor needs your commitment and support in order to fulfill the Great Comission of Matthew 28 - to go and make disciples.     - Shoulder to Shoulder, p. 53

AN EXERCISE:  Make two lists.  On the first, list activities, in order of priority from top to bottom that  you never miss, that you'd get up early for and stay up late for (work and school would be on this list).  On the second list write down those activities you would participate in depending on your mood, how you feel or if other opportunities didn't present themselves (going to a movie, dinner, etc.).  

NOW BE HONEST (no one is watching:) Which list is church on?   How high or low is it on the list? If the church is the body of Christ, what does this reveal about your commitment to Christ? Have you fallen out of love with Jesus?  Ask God to forgive you, He will (1 John 1:9).  Repent and return to the right priority of Christ first in everything (Revelation 2:4-5)
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CHRISTIAN GRAVE ROBBERS

11/14/2011

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Picture
You may have seen the news from Springfield Illinois:  "Thieves nabbed a 3-foot-long copper sword atop Lincoln’s Tomb in what is believed to be the first theft at the site in more than a century."   Copper theft has become pretty common, why did this one make headlines?   Because it’s the tomb of Abraham Lincoln whose life and sacrificial leadership gave us a country free of slavery.  To steal from Lincoln's tomb is to desecrate the ideals of the United States of America.  This means the thieves were either anti-American or they were ignorant of history - either way they are guilty of irreverence, that is, taking lightly those things which are heavy.  We’ve all been guilty of this.

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for God’s honor and glory is “kabod.”  It means “heavy.”  When we treat lightly the truly weighty things of God we lack reverence for Him.  American Christianity has been guilty of this by being both anti-“take up your cross” and ignorant.  

We treat lightly the command to gather regularly, we treat lightly the instruction to listen to the word AND obey, we steal from God by not tithing, we refuse to be like our Lord  and hold grudges instead of forgiving.  We have turned the command to love others into an attitude of the heart when it is actually a call to action. We call ourselves followers of Christ, followers of the one who said, ‘Take up your cross daily and follow me,” (Luke 9:23), but we have remade that cross into recliner.

The tomb we have stolen from is the empty tomb, the from which Christ rose to give us new Life, capital “L.”  Irreverence is thinking our life, small “l” is of more importance than His.


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    I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.
    ​
     - William Carey

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    My name is Tim Kirkes.  I am honored to be the a child of my heavenly Father, the husband of Lisa, the father of two boys and the pastor of San Dimas Wesleyan church.

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