Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Conferencing Challenge

1 Peter 2:12 "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

Last night I shared the following with 3 churches gathered in their Annual Business Meeting (called Church Conference) Maybe I said it to scare and challenge myself...

We are United Methodists. Heritage of Jesus, Apostles, Church Fathers, Crusaders, Reformers, Wesleys, Circuit Riding Preachers and the lay ministers who did everything in the church in the meantime. We need each other. We need the Holy Spirit to fall upon us.

These are not easy days for the church. Transitions, transformations, traditions, transplants and transpositions of the ancient harmonies into the tunes of the day.

We have a powerful and loving God.
We have Jesus, the one and only begotten of the Everlasting God.
We have talent and we’d better have faith.

Everything we do in our daily lives is a witness.
People are watching the lives of Christians as never before.
Is our God real?
Does the Church really care or is it just another sales pitch?
Do your words and deeds match up?
Is your life about you or is it about something, someone higher and holy?
Will we serve in our community as a deep expression of our faith?
If we are ‘saved’ does it show? Think on these things. Amen.
1 Peter 1:13 Prepare your minds for action!

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