Sunday Sermon Question

Well, today, my pen was writing very fast to keep up with all the questions put to us this week at church. We are moving forward through Revelation and were in chapter 2 today with the letter to the church in Ephesus. The part of the message that screamed out to me was where they were told that they have "forsaken their first love", basically pointing out that they had lost their focus, and become content and stopped falling in love with Jesus. So, here are a few of the questions to ponder...

Have you lost your "first love"?

How do you know you have a genuine love for God?

Are you sold out for God?

Then, this is the one that my mind has been tossing around all day long. It was found in a book by Jimmy Carter where he said that someone once asked him this question that changed his life....

If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

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Wow, that is a good one, huh? Of course my first thought is to rationalize it with the actual legal system. Then I think things like well it would depend on who was trying to convict me, if I had a fair trial, and what the rules are. But after I stop trying to complicate it, I realize a few things.

I think if someone visits my house, they could notice things that would say I am a Christian such as scripture decorations and books about Jesus on my shelves. They would find bibles all over because Bryan and I have a lot of them. But then I realize that they could dig a little deeper and maybe find some things that would confuse them, such as some of movies on the shelves or other books that could go against the moral teachings in the bible.

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If they were required to spend a day with me, they would hopefully see me spend time in the word and quietly with Jesus. Hopefully they would notice me pray and talk about Jesus with my kids. But then there is that other side where they might wonder how I divide my time, and my resources. They might wonder some days where my "joy" is and how could I possibly get so grumpy?

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But I think a big part of it would come down to character testimonies. So, I have been thinking about what people would say if someone asked them the question. I think there is a lot of people that know me real well that would say yes, but I can't help but think about others that I am meeting especially being in a new place. How many people in Salem would say I am a Christian? So for me, I see this as a big opportunity as I meet new people and come in contact with strangers every day! It reminds me of my first trip to the grocery store here called Winco. It was SO weird to be shopping there and I kept thinking how strange it was that there was no way I was going to run into anyone I knew. I hadn't felt that alone in a long time. I guess it makes me think and wonder if I have been "conducting" myself in a way that shows I am a follower of Jesus when everyone I meet is a stranger. I have very little chance of running into someone from church after all!

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It was a great sermon and one that really got me thinking!