Category: Sister Judy (Page 1 of 255)

I was reading way back in Roman times A.D. 215 that new believers were put into a training program for three years before they could join a church. The bishops had a manual on how to teach the essentials of faith, with only the most qualified and trained bishops and teachers being responsible to instruct them. Along with scripture, creeds, etc, they gave moral instruction and guidance on what jobs and forms of entertainment they should avoid, etc. They had each one make a formal confession of faith along with a moral examination. Then if the candidates passed, on Easter Sunday morning they were baptized and anointed with oil, prayed over and dressed in white robes. Encouragement was given to be faithful in worship, fellowship with other Christians and included private prayers 3rd, 6th, and 9th hours. What a wonderful way to enter into the Christian family.
That way of belonging to a church is quite different from one of the churches we joined after Al retired. All the previous times a church call committee came looking for Al, and now we were looking for a church body to join. One Sunday at the church we had been attending, the Pastor announced that he was going to receive new members and included our names, although we had not even told him we were interested in joining. That was quite a surprise! Al’s practice had always been to have new member classes that met each week and at the end asked them to pray and seek if this was the Body of Christ that they felt the Lord was directing them to join. It is a big decision as we are committing first to the Lord, then to belonging to the Body of believers that deeply care for one another and grow together as we share the Good News and reach out to the needy and lost.
It’s not all about dynamic preaching and massive church buildings, or a country club or an arm of the Republican party or Democratic Party. It’s all about Jesus and His kingdom. Our former church houses several different kinds of churches in the one building as they vary the times they meet. It is not exclusive and all are welcome. Let us be the church that Jesus gave His life for and share the Good News of His kingdom.
We can’t grow and mature if we are constantly distracted and on the move, missing the clues from our own bodies, souls and spirits. We need to dial down, get alone or with the Lord and at times with someone who really listens, prays and helps us hear Him. It’s good to ask ourselves if we want to mature in the Lord, to know ourselves and grow, above all the voices of the world. Maybe we keep busy to distract us from encountering our shadow side and the truth about ourselves.
Of course, just because we may be faced with temptations and conflicts doesn’t mean we are going backwards, but they may be the very things that helps us fight and come away stronger. I read about the parable of the palm tree: an evil person was angry with a young palm tree and wanted to damage it. He put a large rock in its crown but in later years when he passed by, the tree was larger and more beautiful than the other palms around it. The rock was a challenge, forcing it to send down its roots more deeply. Our struggles can also cause us to go more deeply into the Lord. None of us are sinless and without flaws, so let us deal with those things in our lives that put distance between us and the Lord, growing more beautiful and dependent on Him. Like Peter wrote in II Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ”
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