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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
There
is so much in the world to tempt us to
indulge in ungodly pursuits, but we can
face and overcome every temptation if
we will just hold on to the kingdom to
which Jesus gave us the
keys. How
do we hold on? It's difficult to do
alone. There is wisdom in Ecclesiastes
4:12: "Though one may be
overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly
broken." For
this very reason God has called us to
belong to the church, the body of
Christ. Believing without belonging is
not biblical Christianity. Belonging
isn't just putting your name on the
roll of a church, but participating in
the life of the body. "Holding on" is a
group thing. Here
are three ways the body helps
individuals hold on: 1)
We hold each other
up.
This means holding each other up to God
in prayer believing that "the prayer
of a righteous person is powerful and
effective" (James 5:10). It
also means being a "brace" to hold up
those who are crippled by difficult
circumstances. Paul writes in Galatians
6:2: "Carry each other's burdens,
and in this way you will fulfill the
law of Christ." We
need to love each other enough to help
carry the heavy load that life
sometimes hands us, just as Sam helps
Frodo bear the load in the popular
Lord of the
Ringsstories. Bearing
one another's burdens is the very
essence of what it means to be
Christ-like. Lions
prowl around the herd, growling and
raising a ruckus. If they can make the
herd panic and run, one will eventually
get separated from the group and dinner
is served. We
must hold each other together, seeking
out those who stray from the group. In
this way we lessen the risk of
individuals falling prey to the devil's
schemes. We
tend to just assume that people will
practice the spiritual disciplines and
witness to those in their sphere of
influence. The reality is, most of us
need accountability for spiritual
things, just as we do in other areas of
life. Such
spiritual accountability was a basic
element in the Methodist revivals of
the eighteen and nineteenth centuries.
The class meeting was a small group
that met weekly for the particular
purpose of holding each other
accountable for spiritual
growth. All
of this takes time, of course, which we
seem to have so little of these days.
Yet each of us can make time for the
things we consider critically
important. I
hope God can convince us all that our
spiritual growth is just that,
critically important -- not just for
our own personal benefit but for the
well being of our whole
society. Give
some time to God by participating the
small-group ministry we'll be launching
soon, and God will equip and enable you
to hold on -- no matter how severe a
storm life may send your way.
See
you in Church Sunday. God loves you --
and so does the preacher!
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
Ministry
of the
Word:
Recent
sermons
Our quarterly e-magazine
Gateway
Today
For the Gateway family
Pastor
Jerry's Weekly
E-Mail
FROM
THE PASTOR
From
Gateway
Today
The
e-magazine of
Gateway Church
SUMMER
2004
Holiness
in an unholy world
It
requires believing - and
belonging
"...
but I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of
me."
(Philippians
3:12)
Living
a holy life in an unholy world isn't
easy.
by
Jerry
Sermons
Body
life
2)
We hold each other
together.
God has warned us how the enemy works.
"Your enemy the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone
to devour" (1 Peter
5:8).
3)
We hold each other
accountable.
I find it strange that we carefully
build accountability into almost every
dimension of human life except
spiritual formation and
growth.
Investing
the time
©
Gerald R. Varnado. All rights
reserved.
