another chance (archive)

AS ALWAYS MY PRAYERS ARE THAT ALL OF YOU ARE WELL. I AM LEARNING MORE AND MORE AS THE YEARS GO BY THAT I AM INDEED ONLY HUMAN AND CANNOT BE IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE AT A TIME. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO VISIT EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, BUT TIME DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THAT IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT PLEASE ALWAYS KNOW I PRAY FOR YOU ALL AND EACH OF YOU ARE DEAR TO ME AND I AM NEVER MORE THAN A PHONE CALL AWAY. MY NOTE THIS WEEK IS DIRECTED TOWARD ONE THOUGHT. IN ONE OF MY RECENT STUDIES I THOUGHT OF A QUESTION AND IT ASKED WHAT IS APPEALING ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN FAITH? AND THE OTHER PART OF
 THAT QUESTION WAS WHAT IS NOT? NOW THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF ANSWERS THAT CAN BE GIVEN FOR THE FIRST PART, LOVE, KINDNESS, FORGIVENESS, PEACE, TRUTH AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. SADLY THOUGH THERE IS OFTEN BUT ONE ANSWER TO THE SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION AND THAT IS PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIAN, BUT DO NOT SHOW IT, LIVE IT OR HAVE ANY OUTWARD APPEARANCE THAT IT IS EVEN TRUE. HYPOCRISY IS A WORD USED ALONG WITH OTHER DEPICTIONS OF THE ONE PART
OF OUR FAITH THAT IS NOT APPEALING. HOW SAD IS THAT? SO MY THOUGHTS ARE THIS, JESUS HAS CALLED US TO BE WITNESSES UNTO HIM. WE ARE TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIS LOVE, HIS KINDNESS, HIS FORGIVENESS, HIS PEACE AND ALL THAT HE OFFERS INCLUDING OUR ETERNAL REWARD. THIS IS THE CALL TO EACH BELIEVERS, EVERYONE OF US, BUT DOES IT NOT MAKE SENSE THAT BEFORE WE CAN DO THAT WE MUST FIRST PRACTICE IT? PEOPLE WATCH, MANY OF THEM HAVE AN OPINION OF CHURCH FOLK AND WHAT GOES ON WITH THEM. WORDS LIKE, GOSSIP, BACKBITING, HYPOCRITE, MEAN, BETTER THAN YOU, ARE WHAT MANY PEOPLE THINK OF WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT CHURCH OR AT LEAST THE PEOPLE WHO GO. DOESN'T SOUND TO APPEALINGDOES IT? DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A GROUP YOU WOULD WANT TO BE AROUND AND THAT IS TRULY SAD. WHEN I WROTE MY BOOK ONE OF THE FINDINGS DURING MY STUDY WAS
THAT THE NUMBER ONE REASON MANY PEOPLE DID NOT GO TO CHURCH WAS BECAUSE OF SOMEONE WHO DID. THEY WERE NOT SEEN BY OTHERS AS REAL. THE ACTIONS THAT OTHERS WITNESSED WERE NOT THAT OF A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST. I ONCE HEARD A DEVOUT ATHEIST SAY THAT IS WAS NOT JESUS THAT HE HAD ANY ISSUE WITH, IN FACT HE LIKED HIS TEACHINGS AND VIEWS AND HIS CHARACTER COMPLETELY, THE PROBLEM FOR HIM WAS THAT SO MANY WHO CLAIM TO FOLLOW HIM ACT NOTHING LIKE HIM. A VERY STRONG, BUT SADLY A VERY TRUE STATEMENT. WE ALL ARE CAPABLE OF
MAKING MISTAKES, BUT PRAISE GOD WE CAN GET ANOTHER CHANCE AND BE FORGIVEN BY THE LORD WHEN WE ASK. AS BELIEVERS WE MUST START PRACTICING THAT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND START BEING WHO JESUS CALLED US TO BE. LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND ASK YOURSELF, CAN PEOPLE SEE JESUS IN ME? IF YOU DON'T SEE HIM THEN THE CHANCES OTHERS DON'T ARE VERY HIGH. WE ARE MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE SO WE CAN DO IT, HE CREATED US TO LOVE HIM AND SHOW HIM TO OTHERS. LET'S GET BUSY AND
BE ABOUT OUR FATHERS WORK. REMEMBER THE LOVE AND COMPASSION THAT JESUS SHOWED TO OTHERS INCLUDING ME AND YOU AND MAY WE ALWAYS BE WILLING TO SHOW THAT TO ALL WE AFFECT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS LIFE. HAVE A BLESSED DAY IN THE LORD.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, HERE, THERE OR IN THE AIR!!!!!


PASTOR ANDY