Contemporvant...

Seeker Friendly? Contemporary or Relevant? My Bible says: "None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." (Romans 3.10-12 ESV)

See below for a good message about "seeker" services. Think about it, Biblically, God is the Seeker.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Society: Reflection of the Church

The following post is from Pastor Myrue Spivey of Grace Bible Sanctuary in Palm Bay, Florida. I thought it was well thought out and made a lot of sense. I post it here with his permission.

"The Church is the conscience to society and society is a reflection ofthe church. A self-restrained society is a testimony to a holy living and God pleasing Church. But a loose, corrupt, immoral and unrestrained society is an indictment on the Church for it's lack of holiness and for it's dishonoring of God!"

Therefore, when you read of, hear about or actually witness personally some of the godless and immoral evils taking place in our society. Do not pull your spiritual dagger to go to war with the world. Rather recognize that they are simply reflections of OUR failure to function as an effective conscience to society.

May it drive us to our knees in repentance for our personal and corporate sins, crying out to God for a fresh vision of Himself and for power of and from the Holy Spirit to grant us a love for Him and a love to worship and adore Him- rather than seeking how much more we can do for Him. Remember, "When we be who we are called to be. God can and will do through us all He purpose to do through us for Him!" In other words,"Knowing Him intimately is prerequisite to serving Him faithfully and all service rendered apart from knowing Him intimately, is blasphemy!"

James 4:1-10 "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

James 5:13-20 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call forthe elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will beforgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."

Myrue L. Spivey May 16, 2009

Facing Adversity: Gaza Baptist Church

In Gaza, not all the population adheres to the Islamic religion. It is true that out of almost one and a half million Palestinians only 2,000 claim to be some sort of “Christian,” and of that number about 200 would be classified “evangelical.”

Today, I would like to focus on one group. The Gaza Baptist Church is the center of worship for between 150-200 Christians. These Christians live daily in the midst of adversity. They live with bombs going off around them and amid persecution from Muslims and nominal “Christian” groups.

According to a WorldNetDaily article, the pastor, Hanna Massad, also holds a United States citizenship and is eligible to return to the USA. He will not leave, however. Pastor Massad is staying where God has called him- to the place where he leads a small remnant of believers. It reminds me of the attitude of Paul:

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. (1 Corinthians 4.11-13 ESV)

This small band of Palestinian Baptists endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2.3-4). They serve as a shining example of how to walk through adversity. I must say, their example has spoken to me personally. I pray that God strengthens me through any adversity I may face in my life. Whether it be the threat of death or just political persecution. The same God that strengthens the Gaza Baptist Church is the God that strengthens me and my family.