Our Sunday morning Bible Study and worship can be attended via Zoom.
While we would certainly prefer to provide a link or login to participate here,
doing so would also enable to those who seek to disrupt these activities.
There are numerous individuals and hate groups with this expressed mission.
Our members have been encouraged to share logins with trusted associates
and to forward their contact information to the administrator for admission.
If you wish to discuss participating, please contact Dave Craw for login information.
While we would certainly prefer to provide a link or login to participate here,
doing so would also enable to those who seek to disrupt these activities.
There are numerous individuals and hate groups with this expressed mission.
Our members have been encouraged to share logins with trusted associates
and to forward their contact information to the administrator for admission.
If you wish to discuss participating, please contact Dave Craw for login information.
The Christian Life is Simple
The life that God calls us to live is simple. It isn't always easy, but it isn't complicated either. We have a detailed list of God's expectations that doesn't change. Regardless of the season, reason, reader, or leader, His Word remains the same. We have examples within the bible and within the body to help us along. And God doesn't expect perfection. He expects mistakes. In fact, He was so certain that we'd make them that He sent Jesus to pay for them in advance.
It's the alternative that's complicated. Fighting to ignore your conscience when you know that what you're doing isn't right is complicated. Keeping track of which lie you told who so that you can stick to it is complicated. Including just enough truth to be believed is complicated. Hoping that certain sets of people never meet and discuss you is complicated. Worrying about getting caught with something or someone that isn't yours is complicated. Fearing that the tapestry that others see as your life may unravel one day is complicated. And suppressing the knowledge of where this road leads is complicated. See, I told you that living the life that God calls us to live is simple.
If faith is a challenge, let's set faith aside momentarily and consider our situation logically. Think of the bible as the owners manual for a human being, written by the manufacturer. Would you consult a Ford manual to service a Lamborghini? Would you ask a dentist to fix your car, or a mechanic to fix your teeth? While these questions seem ridiculous, ignoring the operating instructions of our designer is equally ridiculous. God created the world that we live in and created us to live in it. God also provided us with detailed instructions on how to do so. Our greatest challenges arise when we ignore God's directions. Yet many choose to do so and then attempt to blame God when things end badly. This choice fails the most basic logical test, but is made daily.
Now what about faith? I agreed to set it aside momentarily and that moment is over. So, what is faith? In essence, faith is the belief that something that we can neither see nor prove is going to happen. If you can see it, faith isn't required. If you can prove it by other means, faith isn't required. Those who claim to lack faith also claim to believe in only what they can see. My first though is what are you breathing then. My first question is "Are you ever afraid?" Very few people are willing to say that they aren't.
So, what is fear? The answer is surprisingly familiar. Fear is the belief that something bad is going to happen. And just as above, we can neither see nor prove it. Yet we still believe it. Fear actually demonstrates a person's capacity for faith. They already believe that something they can't see or prove will happen. All that remains is convince them that it's something good. Faith doesn't require a leap or even a large step. Faith merely shines a new light on the path that we're already walking. With faith, God's light illuminates the shadows and unseen obstacles, leaving nothing to fear. The response of faith is simply that we keep walking.