Our Sunday morning (Aug. 16) message was brought by our senior pastor, Dr. Larry Crawford: "To Be Like Jesus."
We stood for opening prayer and the reading of God's Holy Word, with the opening scripture reading taken from Romans 8:1-16.
In 1897, Charles Sheldon wrote a book, "In His Steps." He wrote about the mythical town of Raymond that experienced transformation because of church members who were challenged to a new commitment. The Rev. Maxwell, the minister of the church, was preparing a sermon on 1 Peter 2:21 -- "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."
"The doorbell rang and the minister went to the door to discover a young man -- a tramp, looking for work. He expressed his sympathy, but was unable to help the man who stood dejectedly at his door. Two hours later the minister's sermon was finished, and that Sunday he preached on the topic of: "The Sacrifice and Example of Christ."
At the end of the service, a man came to the front of the church and began giving a speech. The minister recognized him to be the same one whom he had seen the day before. "I'm not drunk ... and I'm not crazy," the young man began. "But I lost my job 10 months ago. I'm a printer by trade and I've not been able to find work. My wife died four months ago and I have a little girl that I can't take care of. I don't expect you to find a job for me, but I do wonder what you mean when you say I'll go with Jesus all the way. What does it mean when you sing songs like, 'Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken'? Are you folks actually denying yourself to win the lost? Are you making sacrifices to help people in distress?"
As the story goes, the man collapsed after his brief speech and was taken to the minister's home and cared for. He died later that week, and his last request was that he see his daughter, a request that was granted. His last words were, "Thank you for taking care of me ... I think this is what Jesus would have done."
The next Sunday, the minister gave a challenge to his congregation: "How many would be willing to pledge themselves to this basic proposition -- that for one full year they would do nothing without first asking, 'what would Jesus do?'"
About 50 people were willing to take him up on his challenge. There was a publisher of a newspaper, a superintendent of the railway, school teachers, and a woman who had just inherited a million dollars. After the service the minister explained that although they might not always know what Jesus would do in a particular situation, these people were committing themselves to asking the question and answering it as best they could. He also cautioned them not to make any decisions on the basis of immediate results. The real question was: What would Jesus do? Once that was answered, it was the responsibility of each person to obey.
The rest of Charles Sheldon's book addressed the struggles each person accepting the challenge faced in applying this basic question to his life. The publisher of a Sunday newspaper wondered whether Christ would have published a Sunday edition. He made some tough decisions without any regard to the consequences -- whether the circulation would increase or decrease. Others found it difficult to apply this question to their lives, but as best as they knew how, they were obedient to Christ. As a result of asking this question -- What would Jesus do? -- and trying their best to live out the answer, a revival came to that community.
You and I both know that our lives have become very complicated. We are cluttered and we are confused; we don't know what we should be doing. Could our lives be simplified merely by asking: What would Jesus do? How would He treat His employees? How would He invest His money? How would He spend His time?
Yes, on many occasions we might not know the answer to that question, but for each time we would be puzzled, we may have three or four times when we know perfectly well what Christ would do if He were in our shoes.
"What Would Jesus Do?"
If we took this question seriously, what would our priorities be? Let's think of it this way: What do we need to change to live like Jesus?"
Another question I hear quite often, is, "Pastor, why aren't my prayers being answered?" Turning to the Bible we can find our answer. See: Luke 11:1-13, John 6:1-2, Mark 6:45-46.
"Where do you and I get off thinking that we shouldn't have 'half' of that kind of prayer life? What right do we assume, to get angry, or frustrated with God because He's not answering our prayers?"
"It might be that we are not asking properly." See: James 4:2-3.
"Or perhaps you ask amiss. Amiss means to miss, to lose sight of the target." See: 1 John 5:14-15.
"Finally, a third reason your prayer might not be answered is your faith is weak. Or you are thinking only of yourself." See: James 1:6-8.
"But there is another side to this coin. Some prayers are answered because of the fact that someone else is praying for you." See: James 5:16.
"Or, that you believe in, and practice repetitive prayer. See: Matthew 7:7. Be like that man who kept asking his neighbor for bread. Or the woman who kept after the judge, and after the judge, to deliver her from her adversaries."
"And my final point this morning. To assure that your prayers will be answered, you have to forgive. God is an Almighty God, but if He forgives the likes of you, what makes you think you can have answered prayers from Him, if you don't forgive the likes of those who have trespassed against you? You can't. So forgive, forgive, forgive, for answered prayer. And forgive ... To Be Like Jesus."
All verses quoted above are from the KJV, the King James Bible.
We now have two morning worship services. Our first service, the Early Morning Service, is at 8:30 a.m., with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. After Sunday School, the second morning worship service, the Mid-Morning Service, will start at 11 a.m. The one exception is when we have our monthly Fellowship Supper when we revert back to just the 11 a.m. morning worship service, followed by our shared, sit-down meal.
Monday evenings: 6:30 p.m. Altar Prayer service.
Wednesday evenings: 7 p.m. AWANA for children (meal provided), and Bible Study for adults.
Friday evenings: 6:30 p.m. "Through The Bible In A Year," and a pot luck meal.
Saturday afternoons: 3:30 p.m. Nursing Home Ministry, Golden Living, Anderson.
Please remember you can hear a rebroadcast of one of our pastors' services, on KURM radio, 100.3 on the FM dial, at 8:30 a.m. Sunday mornings. Or listen to our pastors' services on our website at www.firstbaptistchurchpineville.com/Sermons.html.
If you have no church home of your own, we would love for you to join us (off the northeast corner of Pineville square, just behind U.S. Bank) in ours. No friendlier, down home church, can be found anywhere in the four-state area.
Religion on 08/20/2015