Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 10:48, “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”
The subject came up the other day at church about the general perception of the average churchgoer regarding expectations or requirements being put upon them by the church. The point was made that most people get a little squirmy when their church tries to mandate certain policies or practices. After all, attendance and participation, which is supposed to be a form of worship, is then by definition a voluntary act of the will and soul. If Christianity is indeed a relationship with a living Savior, then being told how to live that out runs counter to what we might call grace and mercy. But is it? Do we bristle at the slightest demand because it is an affront to our communion with Jesus, or is it more of an encroachment that our culture has created? Besides the most meek and insecure of us, is anyone actually going to willingly submit to an institution run by men claiming to represent God, when history has shown that such power and influence cannot be managed? And how can love be expressed and experienced when people are being told what to do? Who would become a part of a church that would expect you to attend its services, participate in its ministries, and financially support its every expense, when the church down the way has all the same amenities but isn’t so intrusive into your life?
However, the problem with all the caveats that we want to make is that scripture holds that the body of Christ is designed to be its most healthy and true representation of its head, Christ, when we hold ourselves and each other up to a holy standard. It’s true that sitting in a building on Sunday morning or giving a certain amount of your money is not expressly required in God’s word. But it’s also true that, like it or not, your heart makes those and many other decisions for you, and they indicate the condition of the throne room where the Holy Spirit reigns. The bottom line is that a follower of Jesus, in love with Him and immeasurably grateful for being adopted into His family, possesses a Spirit within that wants to live a certain way. And if we would allow that to happen, no requirements or otherwise would be necessary.
As we seek Him today, confess the parts of your relationship with Jesus where you are not following Him as you should, and let that renewal draw you back to Him.
Have a great rest of the week, and I will be with you again on Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
