Church of Christ

I did something a little bit different today. I went to church at a different denomination, which I never had been to before. It was a Church of Christ. I really like that name, because to me they should all be “The Church of Christ, or The Church of God.” However, I am really trying to escapes the denominational stigma of churches. In the eyes of God, there are only two different kinds of people. Those that accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and those that don’t. 

I have learned when I go to a different church, that I need to accept folks just the way, which they are. You might would have guessed that the first person, that I ran into, was a man, which introduced himself by his religious name. He said that I could call him brother so and so. His name was not all that important; it was just the way that he put it. I shook his hand, and told him that it was nice to meet him. 

The first thing that they done when the service started, was to hold hands, and sing a song, they ended the song with a prayer. I never have experienced this before, but it was a refreshing change. We sang several songs, but there was no music to accompany the words. That is one of the beliefs that particular denomination adheres. The strange thing is that we sang songs, out of a book written with musical notes, and they had a piano covered with a sheet. 

When the man got up to preach the Word I thought that he did a fabulous job. I was sitting in the middle of the church, and he stayed almost even with me, for most of the time. He had a microphone in his hand, and never stayed behind the pulpit. He had an elder of the church, to read the scripture from the Bible. I have seen these kind of preacher’s before.  Oh, I almost forgot….

Before he started to preach, he asks us to hold the hand of the person sitting beside of us, and looking into their eyes, say these words. “I have struggled. I know that you have struggled to, because we all struggle. I had rather be here struggling with you, that to be somewhere else, struggling by myself.” I thought that was strange and different, but it made sense when he started to preach. 

He preached on these three verses, found in first Peter. 1Peter 5:8-10  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

He brought out the truth of these verses slowing, but surely. The main idea, that he brought out was the fact, that Satan is not a friend to the Christian, by any means. He is walking around, and taking his time to cause us as much pain as possible. The same trouble that he causes one person is the same trouble, that he causes us all. The preacher stayed with this for a while. He took his time making sure that each of us had a good understanding.

Now it was time to wrap it all up with verse ten. But…Don’t you just love the word but in the Bible, especially when something pertaining to Father follows behind? Verse ten is nothing more than a winning verse, for the Christian.            But the God of all grace.      That small statement would preach a multitude of sermons by itself, but it doesn’t stop there.  It reaffirms our Salvation, and our destination, because of our faith in Father’s Son, Jesus Christ. 

The only painful thing about this verse is the fact, that we will suffer a while. I dare not to even try to guess what that word “While” really amounts to. I would guess that it is different in different situations. However, I believe that it will not be as long, as it could be if we have the proper attitude, toward the suffering. Once we go through the pain of the suffering, there are rewards.

These look pretty good to me. Make us perfect, in the situation that we just passed through. The next time this situation comes our way we will know what to do, and how to handle ourselves. The word perfect covers all the rest of the reward. We will be established, strengthened, and settled. The word secure would fit in this group, because that is what all this amounts to being.   Ain’t God good?

The preacher ended with a verse from the book of Exodus. I thought that it was a fine way to end this sermon. If we will compare this verse to First Peter, chapter five, and verse eight. It makes a better sense of understanding.

 Exodus 23:22  But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries

I guess the question that you are waiting to hear is this one.  Am I going to go back to the Church of Christ?  Now, as much as I love to hear music playing, as I worship the Lord, it is not my call. I am praying about it, and don’t know.

              ….Much Love