"Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
As the body of Christ we are called to be the light of the world. We are called to bring light to the darkness, to bring clarity to chaos. All this is done through the sovereign grace of God. It is amazing how soon and quick we forget just that when trouble or change comes our way. We fall pray to the misguided flesh and that puts us in a place where we now have to apologize for our moment dumbness.
What I find is that we are so consumed with being Christians the we forget to be disciples. Though I do not agree with his theology, I remember Bishop TD Jakes making a statement that said,"we are busy doing the Lord's work that we do not spend time with the Lord of the work." We do not get plugged back in to the source that we need that will bring us to place of true humility as we re-present Christ on Earth.
We must undersatnd that all our actions are being filmed live by the opposition. I remember Jay Z had a song out called The Street's are Watching where he said,"When the, streets is watching, blocks keep clocking /Waiting for you to break, make your first mistake ." As soon as we make a mistake here comes the camera crew to shout out your name before men that you are a heretic or hypocrit. Now if you are out there bugging, there is no excuse but I am not talking about things that are truly outlandish.
My point is that we have to understand that under a lamp post in the dark, people can see us clearly is the same way that the world views us in our walk when we error. We must be humble enough to admit when we are wrong and correct ourselves. we must now that we are the light of the world and carry ourselves to reflect that light.
As I write this I ponder on how someone just brought this to my attention in such a major way.Peace Nasir
Just my thoughts
1/28/08
to be sound with flavor...........
I awoke this morning with the same question that I went to sleep with last night. Where do I find a place of worship that is sound but also understands the dichotomy of what it is to be black and reformed. I had the opportunity this morning to read a blog called, "So you want to be a diverse church?", this morning. Brother Woods, sounded off better than I could have of trying to be sound but also appealing to the flavor that he comes to the table with.
Being black in America is one thing but be to black in America as well as totally depended on the Sovereignty of God puts you in a whole another class. It disenfranchises you from most of the pseudo-christian culture. Where it is cool just to go to church with no relevant change taking place in you life. As I woke up yesterday, I began to really to get disheartened by the fact that there were no churches in my city that really preached Christ centered messages to the black community.
Along with my wife, we eventually ended up going to a predominately white church. The service was outstanding. We arrived late but the word that I got in that 30 minutes was more food than I had received at a service in South Carolina since we moved back here. I was always dismayed from going to this church because this church was one of the biggest churches in the city if not the biggest. But I was challenged and informed but yet I felt indifferent.
I grew up in an holiness church then starting preaching in a baptist church , ordained by a missionary church and I attend a Lutheran Seminary. With that being said I have seen a lot of things but this church though not a reformed church preaches a reformed doctrine as much as I could tell. As we left I asked my wife, "Why do we seek to entertain in the black churches instead of informing and teaching". She could not answer and I went back to eat more carpet in prayer. Once again I stood at the door of my question," how do you be sound with flavor". But I am still encouraged by the words of C.H. Spurgeon," believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.”
Just my thoughts
Being black in America is one thing but be to black in America as well as totally depended on the Sovereignty of God puts you in a whole another class. It disenfranchises you from most of the pseudo-christian culture. Where it is cool just to go to church with no relevant change taking place in you life. As I woke up yesterday, I began to really to get disheartened by the fact that there were no churches in my city that really preached Christ centered messages to the black community.
Along with my wife, we eventually ended up going to a predominately white church. The service was outstanding. We arrived late but the word that I got in that 30 minutes was more food than I had received at a service in South Carolina since we moved back here. I was always dismayed from going to this church because this church was one of the biggest churches in the city if not the biggest. But I was challenged and informed but yet I felt indifferent.
I grew up in an holiness church then starting preaching in a baptist church , ordained by a missionary church and I attend a Lutheran Seminary. With that being said I have seen a lot of things but this church though not a reformed church preaches a reformed doctrine as much as I could tell. As we left I asked my wife, "Why do we seek to entertain in the black churches instead of informing and teaching". She could not answer and I went back to eat more carpet in prayer. Once again I stood at the door of my question," how do you be sound with flavor". But I am still encouraged by the words of C.H. Spurgeon," believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.”
Just my thoughts
1/17/08
The Reality of Serving
Though I have a great admiration for the Apostle Paul' s writing, I look and say to myself that I do not want to be him. He was an amazing dude that had insight and wisdom, far beyond anything that I can imagine in myself at this moment in my life. But as I read his story through the different letters he wrote I am rocked off the fact that he never spoke about quitting. He would say "I have fought the good fight" (2 Tim. 4:7)or "for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung".( Phil. 3:8).
These are the words that Paul spoke about the things that he endured as he trekked through his life with God. It is amazing to me that Paul speaks with so much confidence in God when so many bad things are rocking his world. He is beaten, almost killed and many other things but he continues to be consumed by the majesty of the Lord. He looks at it as if it is a privilege to suffer for Christ. What a brand to have associated with you?
This serves as a reminder that walking with the Lord will cause you at times to be in a stage of suffering every once an a while. The fact of the matter is that God gets the glory out of the situation and you reap the benefits. This is a easier said than done task but it holds true. As the old mothers in the baptist church used to say" even when you can't trace him you have to trust him." Wow, what wisdom is found it that statement.
I am forever rocked off the word of God.
Just my thoughts
These are the words that Paul spoke about the things that he endured as he trekked through his life with God. It is amazing to me that Paul speaks with so much confidence in God when so many bad things are rocking his world. He is beaten, almost killed and many other things but he continues to be consumed by the majesty of the Lord. He looks at it as if it is a privilege to suffer for Christ. What a brand to have associated with you?
This serves as a reminder that walking with the Lord will cause you at times to be in a stage of suffering every once an a while. The fact of the matter is that God gets the glory out of the situation and you reap the benefits. This is a easier said than done task but it holds true. As the old mothers in the baptist church used to say" even when you can't trace him you have to trust him." Wow, what wisdom is found it that statement.
I am forever rocked off the word of God.
Just my thoughts
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