 Sunday, February 4, 2007 |
|
What
does it mean to be a disciple in God's Village?
In the last several weeks we have looked at
worship, Bible study and prayer as components of
effective discipleship.
The first principle is worship. In
response to all of God's blessings, we joyously and
enthusiastically give God praise. Our very
existence is dependent upon God's gracious mercies.
The air we breathe, the shelter in which we live,
the food we eat are all the result of a loving, caring
God. If God withdrew His loving hand, the universe
and all of us would be no more. Discipleship begins
with our understanding God's goodness and our response to
that goodness by praising and magnifying God.
The second principle is Bible study. God's
Word restores and renews us as communities and as
individuals. Nehemiah 8 contains the wonderful
story of Israel rebuilding the Temple and the walls of
Jerusalem after their return from exile. The
completion of the work was honored by a reading of the
Word of God. At the end of the reading all the
people said Amen. The Chinese language does not
contain one word translation for Amen. They render it
with a phrase, The heart wishes it to be exactly so.
When it comes to desiring and working on daily and
systematic Bible study all of us should join our Chinese
friends and say, The heart wishes it exactly so.
The third component of discipleship in the village
is prayer. Last week our friend and
colleague, Dr. Louis Anthony, led us in our discussion on
prayer. Sometimes people ask, "why pray?"
If God knows all, sees all and is in all,
what is the point? However, true disciples
understand that God has given us a unique gift. God has
allowed us to become partners in the creation of the
universe. We have the responsibility of joining
with God to pray for peace, the end of poverty, the
well-being of creation. Our ancestors were fond of saying
"prayer changes things". They understood
that prayer is a key component of discipleship in God's
village.
Readings for February
11, 2007: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; 1
Corinthians 15:12-20; Luke 6:17-26
***
OUR PURPOSE
Building the Village by Caring
Concept: Our pastor, the Reverend Wallace Charles Smith, envisions a holistic Ministry of Building by Caring, which includes a 3-tier approach - Care for Ourselves (spiritually), Care for Our Relations (family, friends and members), and Care for Our Community (outreach). In building our capacity to care we will also create an atmosphere that will increase our church's membership, winning more souls to Christ; they will know we are Christians by our love;.
