More Thoughts on Simplicity

More Thoughts on Simplicity (Acts 2:46&47)

We live in a confusing world. The church hasn't escaped that confusion. I don't think I've ever lived in more challenging times for the church and her people. Gimmicks and gurus who have all the answers litter the church landscape. We follow the fads and gimmicks at our peril.

A recurring thought walks regularly through my mind these days. It goes something like this. What if we just used the Bible as our standard? What if love became the preeminent quality in the church? What if we longed for and prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit on all our efforts? What if we just kept things very simple? What if we just loved people with the love of Jesus?

We don't need new programs. I don't think we need new methods. Quick fixes haven't worked throughout the years, and they still won't work. Let me tell you what I think will work.

LOVE will work. People flocked to Jesus because they knew He loved them. When we put Jesus' love to work in our community, looking for ways to share it with those who don't know Him, it will work!

SERVICE will work. If we really believe Jesus is our model, then we must serve. We must step outside the walls of our church buildings and look for new and fresh ways to serve our community. If we choose to quit demanding service and look for ways to serve in Jesus' name, it will work!

PRAYER will work. We pray too much for ourselves and too little for those who need Jesus. We pray too much for our issues and not enough for the issues the keep people from Jesus. We pray too little for most everything. Choosing to make prayer a priority as an expression of our absolute dependence upon God will work.

SPIRIT-FILLED LIVING will work. The early church had incredible influence in their pagan culture. That influence was Spirit-driven. Most of us know little of that kind of life. Again, we too often choose to live subnormal Christian lives. We live with so much clutter in our souls. We tolerate so much that hinders God's work. We live so full of ourselves that God's Spirit has no room. If we choose to pursue His fullness in our lives, we'll experience "church" that works! -- Pastor John Strain is Senior Pastor First Baptist of Toms River

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 18; Ezekiel 8-10; Hebrews 13

Think About This: "The Christian is a new creature, born and taught from above...and has renounced the confused, distant, uncomfortable notions he/she once formed of God...He/she sees God in Christ, reconciled, a Father, a Savior and a Friend, who has freely forgiven him/her all his/her sins and given him/her the spirit of adoption; he/she is now no longer a servant, much less a stranger, but a son/daughter; and because a son/daughter, an heir already interested in all the promises, admitted to the throne of grace, and assured expectant of eternal glory." John Newton, Letters of John Newton, 1781