Active Christians
Good Morning,
James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
We have created a sedate society that sits, watches, and does very little. Americans are television watchers; they have no fight, and they do not strive for the goal, labor to succeed, or spend long hours staying up late to achieve their desires. We have raised a generation that plays video games rather than kickball on the playground. Children used to ride bikes, run outside, go to ball courts, put up basketball hoops, build forts, and dig holes – not now.
We have adult-controlled games so no child gets punched in the mouth for saying stupid things. (There ought to be a healthy fear of getting beat up; that is life, and every person should learn it.) Children used to learn that being stupid yields hurt: riding bikes, climbing trees, or even by saying dumb things.
We have developed passive parenting. Parents want to reason, talk, and logic with their children, but that is not what the Bible says about raising children.
Matthew 7:21-25 tells about being “doers," and ends up with the story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock. Notice that he built something.
vs. 24 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:”
Those who DO what the Lord says, are the wise men; not those who just sit, watch, or hear. Matthew writes again on this subject:
Matthew 12:50 “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
In our present day, the government controls our speech, tells us what can and cannot be said. (Why cannot I say you are tall, short, etc?) Employers have training about how to address co-workers or customers. Why does someone else’s feelings control my right to speak? That is the philosophy of the Old Europe our founders left behind; hence, they wrote the First Amendment - the freedom to speak. Satan likes people who obey, sit quietly, and do what they are told to do, even if it is drink Kool-aid from Jim Jones in Ghana. I think it is confusing that the parents who allow all kinds of language on the television do not want anyone to say the word "stupid."
Our government wants to develop a mindset that obeys without resistance: "put on a mask," "get this shot," "work on Sundays." I do not care what you do; that is your free choice, as long as it is your free choice. I care when someone forces another to do things against their will. One may consider someone bad for not wearing a mask, yet another may consider them weak and uneducated for wearing one. The choice should be that of the individual, not because someone said he must.
1 John 2:3 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”
John says that if you are not a KEEPER of the commandments, you do not know God. Keeping the commandments is not accomplished by simply sitting in church, but by doing what the Bible says; that makes you true to God.
Running a risk, taking a chance, and trying, even if you fail is reality! Who will start businesses or churches if no one is willing to get involved and do something?
For years, we have been changing into people who stay out of situations; such as not helping when someone is getting beat up or robbed. I like the commercial of a Texas store where a guy pulls out a gun to rob the place, and instantly, ten customers pull their guns to stop the robbery. Some years ago, a bank security guard in Southern California was fired from his job at the bank. The bank policy was to allow robbers to go so that harm to customers would be avoided. This security guard waited until the robber was out of the bank to pursue him. He caught the robber and held him for police… but the bank fired him anyway.
Many convenience store workers are told to allow folks to steal rather than to allow a conflict. If those guys were caught and were tossed into jail, they would not rob, and then the rest of us could pay less for our goods.
Satan wants folks to allow criminal elections to take place and for honest people to do nothing. That is a passive response; we need an active response. The American revolution was not passive.
Back to the church; we need folks to get involved! We need people who go soul winning and teach Sunday school classes to be active not passive. Get involved in giving, in teaching, in spreading the Gospel, in working on the buildings and grounds, and in becoming a part of active Christianity! For Christmas, give God an active Christian life.
Our church motto is “A Church of Active Faith.” May we live it.
Pastor