As I read through this chapter, I noticed two very important points. First, we must surround ourselves with people whose testimonies are powerful for the Kingdom. What Dr. Hunt said about "reputation" of the church you attend infiltrating your testimony, either positively or negatively, was eye opening. I have been apart of churches whose reputation in the community was less than par. Reputations of conflict, of exclusiveness, possibly tainted by a past that they never sought to restore. And yes, the testimony of that church affected the testimony of her individual people. Someone once told me not to look for the "perfect" church because it's not out there, and for the most part, I know this is true. Each church has it's share of difficulties and problems, but when those difficulties are negatively affecting the Gospel from going forth, then something has to be done. And the second point I see is that I must make sure that my testimony is not one of the "weak" links in the church. How many times have I, as a member of a church (and worse, as it's pastor), been negative about the ministry or dealings within the church? Unfortunately, I hate to answer this question. Folks, we can not let our testimonies shed negative light on God's Church. I can't be one of the "weak" links that is setting the negative tone for the church's reputation in the community. We must let our testimony point others to Christ, and we must commit to letting our testimony for Christ shine through as we serve and ministry through His local church. We need to take some makeup, and cover up some of the "black eyes" our churches have gotten. Let me rephrase that: We don't need to "cover up" our past failures as a church; We need to return to where we fell, seek forgiveness, restore broken relationships, and allow God to restore our testimony through brokenness and forgiveness. And then, we must march into our communities with the Gospel of Christ, united for His purpose.
In chapter 12 the writer of Hebrews issues Christians a challenge to run the race of faith. In order to do so we must lay aside every encumbrance and sin that so easily entangles us. We have to learn to run with endurance and keep our eyes fixed on our example, Jesus Christ. How do we accomplish this in our society? We lock arms with other men of faith and run the race.
This blog is dedicated to a “technical” approach to locking arms. This blog is dedicated to online book studies for men. We will read certain chapters from chosen books. Then we will post comments to encourage, inspire, and in some cases stir up other men. So, you are invited to join our online discussion. More importantly, will you accept the challenge to run the race of faith?
1 comment:
As I read through this chapter, I noticed two very important points. First, we must surround ourselves with people whose testimonies are powerful for the Kingdom. What Dr. Hunt said about "reputation" of the church you attend infiltrating your testimony, either positively or negatively, was eye opening. I have been apart of churches whose reputation in the community was less than par. Reputations of conflict, of exclusiveness, possibly tainted by a past that they never sought to restore. And yes, the testimony of that church affected the testimony of her individual people. Someone once told me not to look for the "perfect" church because it's not out there, and for the most part, I know this is true. Each church has it's share of difficulties and problems, but when those difficulties are negatively affecting the Gospel from going forth, then something has to be done. And the second point I see is that I must make sure that my testimony is not one of the "weak" links in the church. How many times have I, as a member of a church (and worse, as it's pastor), been negative about the ministry or dealings within the church? Unfortunately, I hate to answer this question. Folks, we can not let our testimonies shed negative light on God's Church. I can't be one of the "weak" links that is setting the negative tone for the church's reputation in the community. We must let our testimony point others to Christ, and we must commit to letting our testimony for Christ shine through as we serve and ministry through His local church. We need to take some makeup, and cover up some of the "black eyes" our churches have gotten. Let me rephrase that: We don't need to "cover up" our past failures as a church; We need to return to where we fell, seek forgiveness, restore broken relationships, and allow God to restore our testimony through brokenness and forgiveness. And then, we must march into our communities with the Gospel of Christ, united for His purpose.
Post a Comment