Getting Back to the Basics
So, last week, we moved our worship gathering to Dublin Park over in Madison, AL, and we worshiped, prayed, and broke bread with one another. (No, I'm afraid we didn't shoot any video of our time together, but I wish we had.) Instead of a sermon (per se), I read a passage from Matthew, then asked a simple question:
"If Jesus built His church on the simple fact that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then what other simple, basic truths are absolutely imperative to our Spiritual development?"
By that, I proceeded to explain: perhaps we have complicated things as Christ's church. If he intended for us to confess and live the truth that He is the Son of the Living God, what does that mean for us?
These were some tough questions, and believe me when I say there were some blank stares Sunday afternoon when I asked, "What are the absolute basics of our faith?" "What things are going to matter when this world comes to an end?"
Some of the answers I got, included:
As a long-time church-goer, I was always taught to mock such answers. We called them the typical "Jesus" answers. You know, in Sunday School, when the teacher asks a question and the first three people to get called on, say, "God," "Jesus," and "The Bible" in that order, hoping to get the answer right by matter of default.
Sadly, those are the basics, and we've gone far afield somewhere along the way. Why are the answers "God," "Jesus," and "the Bible" rote, typical answers, and not the best answers we have to give? How did those answers become so flippant to us?
So, that's what we're going to study. The kids are going to start a new curriculum (courtesy of several of the ladies in our group) about the basics of the faith, starting with the Bible. They'll be using Through the Bible Publishers, "DiscipleLand" curriculum to teach the kids about the Word of God. The adults will be studying the basics of discipleship, utilizing studies from Paul E. Little's classic, "Know What You Believe" and "Know Why You Believe" in a message series titled, "Getting Back to the Basics."
You're all invited, and we'd love to have you stop in to worship with us, but if you can't be there, I strongly suggest picking up the two books we'll be using, by clicking the links above. Or, if you want, wait until I finish the series, and then ask me for mine!
Grace and peace to all of you:
my brother and sisters in Christ,
-jeff
"If Jesus built His church on the simple fact that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then what other simple, basic truths are absolutely imperative to our Spiritual development?"
By that, I proceeded to explain: perhaps we have complicated things as Christ's church. If he intended for us to confess and live the truth that He is the Son of the Living God, what does that mean for us?
[caption id="attachment_700" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Can it ever be "as simple as..." ?"][/caption]
Does it mean that we need to get up Sunday morning and get dressed in our "Sunday best" and put on our best faces (phony smiles and all) to go and interact socially with each other, calling it "fellowship?"
Does it mean that we should put a priority on our involvement in so-called "ministry opportunities" during the week?
Does it mean that we are supposed to sing in the choir or participate in the worship songs on Sunday morning, in order to be a "good church member?"
Does it mean we should always have something in hand to place in an offering plate?
Does it mean we are supposed to help make the Christmas and Easter pageants "the best one yet!" ?
Or does it simply mean that we are to be the hands and feet of Christ, sharing this beautiful story we've been told, and constantly developing our relationship with Him, learning His word and communing daily with Him...in His presence...at the expense of everything else that the world and the "popular" church has added to His message in Matthew 16?
These were some tough questions, and believe me when I say there were some blank stares Sunday afternoon when I asked, "What are the absolute basics of our faith?" "What things are going to matter when this world comes to an end?"
Some of the answers I got, included:
- faith
- obedience
- prayer
- reading the word
- being authentic (not hypocritical)
- loving other people
As a long-time church-goer, I was always taught to mock such answers. We called them the typical "Jesus" answers. You know, in Sunday School, when the teacher asks a question and the first three people to get called on, say, "God," "Jesus," and "The Bible" in that order, hoping to get the answer right by matter of default.
Sadly, those are the basics, and we've gone far afield somewhere along the way. Why are the answers "God," "Jesus," and "the Bible" rote, typical answers, and not the best answers we have to give? How did those answers become so flippant to us?
So, that's what we're going to study. The kids are going to start a new curriculum (courtesy of several of the ladies in our group) about the basics of the faith, starting with the Bible. They'll be using Through the Bible Publishers, "DiscipleLand" curriculum to teach the kids about the Word of God. The adults will be studying the basics of discipleship, utilizing studies from Paul E. Little's classic, "Know What You Believe" and "Know Why You Believe" in a message series titled, "Getting Back to the Basics."
You're all invited, and we'd love to have you stop in to worship with us, but if you can't be there, I strongly suggest picking up the two books we'll be using, by clicking the links above. Or, if you want, wait until I finish the series, and then ask me for mine!
Grace and peace to all of you:
my brother and sisters in Christ,
-jeff
Back to the Basics....love it
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