Living Out Our Faith as a Follower of Christ in the Midst of Chaos

More violence this week......what do we do? We pray. Here are a few prayer points and some scripture to remind us how we need to continue to live despite what is happening around us.

1. Pray for our world-Matthew 24 tells us to not be surprised that these things are happening.  
2. Pray for our nation-violence does not stop violence. If we continue to live that way, it will only get worse. It will not end.
3. For our city-it is summer. It is very hot. This makes people even more anxious and irritable. Pray for peace in the midst of all the chaos. 
4. Pray for ourselves-to be released from the bondage of fear and to live out what Jesus teaches more than ever. Loving your neighbor is not just a nice mantra to hang on our walls or write on a Facebook post. It is a command from our Lord.


Here are a few scripture to remind us all how to live.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.
Philippians 2:3 

Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. Romans 15:2

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sisters. Romans 14:13 

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 

Learn to do right; seek justice.Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

Romans 12
And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority[c] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[d] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”[g]says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Love What is Right

In light of the recent tragedies all over our country, I asked the Montgomery Baptist Association Director of Missions, Ken May, to write a response for our prayer page this week. 

 

 

From Director of Missions, Ken May  

 

The shocking shootings of the past weeks have left most of us in a state of confusion, anxiety, or even anger. What is a follower of Jesus supposed to do? The simple answer is to do what Jesus would do, but the real challenge is to discern with a humble spirit what that course of action would be. I am confident that Jesus is calling me to express sorrow over the lives that have been lost and to express sympathy and concern for those who are hurting. I also know that I am commended by scripture to “speak the truth in love”, but the problem is there are so many “versions” of the truth being espoused by all kinds of people on social media, insistent that their “version” is the truth, even if it is just copied from someone else’s site without research or reflection.

My understanding of the movement “Black Lives Matter” is one of concern that the lives of blacks do not seem to count as much as the lives of whites. Of course, in God’s eyes, all are precious in His sight.

Some who shout “All Lives Matter” do so in rejection of “Black Lives Matter” and some do so to complement BLM, with a view that black lives matter because all lives matter.

While it is easy in reaction to these tragedies to retreat in our own conclaves and try to shout down the other side, this stance is neither productive nor is it Christ honoring. The tragedies of the past days call us out of our shells and into relationships with those whose skin color or lifestyle may differ from mine. They call us to support the many outstanding individuals in blue who protect our lives. These events call us to cry out for justice for those who have been deprived of life without due process of law, and to build an environment where people do not fear another because of skin color or color of uniform.

It’s up to you and me to begin constructing that environment by our own actions and by continually praying to that end.

Philippians 4:8-9

"Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you".

PRAYER POINTS

This week, let's pray for ourselves....that WE, who are followers of Christ, would be reflections of Christ to all people.

Pray that as we live our daily lives, that we would be sensitive to the scars and wounds of the past and that we would be " the soothing oil of peace and refreshment" to all we meet.

What Will People Remember You By?

So, I have been doing some family research and found out that my 10th great grandfather, William Chesebrough, came to America in the 1600's. He was apparently a very godly man and he was written about because of it. (William Chesebrough was a farmer and trader in the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. He was one of the four co-founders of Stonington, Connecticut, along with Thomas Stanton, Thomas Miner, and Walter Palmer).

Apparently, when he came to America in the mid 1600's, he knew that he was coming into someone else's home and made every effort to respect that home. He made a concerted effort, according to documents, to reach out to the Native Americans in Connecticut and become friends with them. He started a church in Stonington and shared the gospel with everyone he met.

Here is the quote from someone who knew him.

"And further, it needs only to be added, that he was a man of decided Christian principal, and that wherever he planted himself he was an earnest supporter of living out our faith in Christ".

Point here is this: What kind of legacy will YOU AND I leave here in the Greater Montgomery area as a follower of Christ?

I look around and listen to the news and see incredible pain and suffering here and around the world. Part of our legacy should be that people KNEW we were followers of Christ by both word and deed and we were able to OFFER them HOPE and PEACE that ONLY Christ can give.

Let's pray about how we will be remembered today. Let's pray that our lives will point to Christ not only after we die, but now, as we live.

Points to pray for this week as we live and work in the Greater Montgomery area.

1. Pray that our own hearts will be challenged and changed, molded into who God desires us to be. That we will seek Him every day and saturate ourselves in His word so that we will know how to live and act and love others the Jesus Way.

2. Pray for those we meet, that they will see Christ in us, not our human selves. That His light would shine through us so clearly that there would be no doubt whose we are.

3. For those in our Greater Montgomery area-that we will see through the facades that are portrayed and see their hearts AND have the courage and boldness to offer the same love we have been given through Christ.

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me". Galatians 2:20

 

                                                Embrace The Cross-Steve Green