My bank
account does not connect with my affirmation of faith. I do not give any money
to the church or to charity. I am ashamed that I have been so selfish. If I will
not give my part to those who need, then how can I expect others to give. If I
do not contribute, then no one will, and thus many will go without when I
should go without.
Monday, October 8, 2012
‘Gut-Level’
I am not a good steward of my finances. I am selfish with my
money, so selfish that I cannot even save money for own selfish needs, without
spending most of it on my own selfish desires. I typically spend money on fun
nights out to the movies, or meals outside of the café, even though I get free
meals at the café.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
This
video is all about the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, or the CBF. The CBF is
responsible for missions worldwide, whether they are on the opposite side of
the planet, or whether they are right next door. They bring together Baptist
churches, communities, organizations, and conventions in order to accomplish
things that none could do on their own.
BGCT Ministries
As I have searched
through the BGCT website, I have found that the BGCT has a point that someone
can input a question about the Bible, and someone on staff will answer them.
This is interesting because it can do so much good, however, it can also bring
harm. It is good to be able to answer someone who has a genuine question;
however, if the answer is biased, or is claimed as absolute truth when in
reality it is a convention’s interpretation of the truth, it can be a problem.
Baptist Standard: Communion
In the Baptist Standard I read a story about communion in
church, and Lifeway has created a percentages chart showing how many Baptists respond
to communion in what way, whether their church is open in communion, closed
off, or somewhere in between, and when churches usually do communion. I learned
that it is more common to only offer communion to those who have professed
faith in Jesus Christ, however, it is also nearly as common for churches to
restrict communion to Baptized believers. This story is important, because it
allows discussion over the topic. My church allows any confessing believer to
partake of communion, whether they are baptized or not. I find it unnecessary
to restrict communion from believers just because they have not been baptized.
The
Baptist Standard is a great tool for Baptists to use to follow up on current
Baptist news, and grow in their denomination.Community
According to Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, we are to be brothers and sisters in Christ. In Christ we share our
grace, and our grace is shared in Christ. We as Christians need one another
because with one another, Christ’s works can be accomplished. With Christ’s
works being accomplished by the community of Christians, the works will be the
only thing that the community is focused on, thus there will be a community of
brothers and sisters, wholly set on fulfilling God’s plan and fulfilling our
purpose.
The Empty Minister
It is not only
possible for a minister to stray away from his/her relationship with Christ,
but it is most prominent. Ministers can convince people all day that they are
close to Christ and walk with him every day, when in reality they are far away,
and lost. A lot of the times, ministers get themselves confused with what
ministry is about. Ministry is meant to help people, but more importantly it is
meant to bring all of humanity closer to God, this including the minister. I believe
that ministers forget their own relationships between God, family, friends, and
self, while desperately trying to convince themselves that they are doing what
God would want them to do. This is harmful to the minister because the longer
it is allowed, the harder it will be to bounce back. This is very harmful to
the family. As a minister, spouse, and parent, the priority should be to lead
those around you in a Godly way, and if you are only fooling yourself with a
pseudo relationship with Christ, your loved ones will do the same. The same
goes for your congregation if you are a pastor. An ‘Empty’ Minister will show
characteristics that are un-godly. For example, they will lie a lot to protect
their image. As minsters, we must strive to desire God more and more, and never
forget why we are ministers.
Politics within the Church
1)
Politics are a tricky thing
to have, because they can cause a great amount of grief, however, without
politics, there cannot be equality. We should have politics within the church
to govern and lead the church for the church. Politics become bad when a
certain individual or group of individuals decide to use the political system
within the church to gain an advantage over other people. The point of politics
is to bring equality, once equality is lost, politics have failed. The upside
to politics is that we can decide as a church or convention what we want as a
whole, whether that be adding or taking away a new position, mission, or
theological belief.
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