Thanks for coming and checking this out. I am very new to the blogging scene, but I really felt compelled to start so that I could share some thoughts that God places on my heart in an environment that hopefully will not offend or make people uncomfortable. The reality is that you can choose to read or not read, so if you don’t like what you read, don’t read. I have little to no interest in accumulating large numbers of readers; my only interest is to put God’s message out there for any to see.
To tell you a little about me, I’m a student pastor currently serving at Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Bismarck, Arkansas. I have been there for 2 1/2 years now and I will tell you that I have the absolute best job in America. It is so fulfilling to do what God calls you to do. I have had many jobs ranging from military service to banking to fast food service, and I can tell you that nothing fulfills a person like being where God leads.
I want to clarify and few other things for any potential readers to dismiss any early confusion. First off, I believe every word in the 66 books of the Holy Bible to be written by men and ordained by God in order to relay His message to His church. I believe it to be complete truth, infallible and without error or contradiction. Therefore, I believe that God prophesied through prophets for thousands of years to His people the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, who was born of a virgin and lived a perfect, sinless life only to be crucified on a cross. This had to be done to pay the debt for the sins of all humanity, as Jesus was the only available perfect sacrifice. If you admit your sins, believe in your heart that Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after His death, and confess your need for Him to be your Lord and Savior, then you will begin a relationship with Christ that will guarantee an eternity in heaven with Him and a life-long relationship with His Holy Spirit living in your heart and being your counselor through this life. If you ever have any questions or comments about this, I would love to talk to you about it.
Although I’m sure any pastor or student pastor would say this, I firmly believe in my heart that God is up to something big in Bismarck and in turn in the world. This generation of students is simply amazing. They are unlike any generation we have ever seen. They are more independent, mentally tough, and spiritually curious than any group of people in history. They will try anything and do anything to fulfill the God-shaped hole in their hearts, which leads to some of the strongest Christians in their faith and some of the most bizarre and even Satanic groups of people among our teens today. My heart is to reach this generation for Christ in order so that they will in turn lead the church to the greatest revival of God’s people in history. I firmly believe this can and will happen if we as the church do our part.
So where do we start? Great question. Here’s just one man’s take on this. I believe the first step is for brothers and sisters in Christ to become real and authentic in their faith. I firmly believe the primary cause of people rejecting Christ is Christians who claim His name yet live in every way except what Christ would have us to live. This is very easy to say, but not necessarily easy to do.
So what can we do? We have to start by examining our lives. I would challenge you to do this: take one normal day in your life, and examine everything you do; how you spend your time, how you treat others, what is important to you. See how that matches up with what God’s word teaches us to be the “fruit of the spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)- “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
If you see your life is not producing these things, it’s time to pray to God and begin to put your focus on producing good fruit. No Christian will ever be perfect. But we definitely have a template that we should be gravitating towards as children of God. Know that I am praying for you, and I ask you to pray for me as I continue this same battle of becoming truly authentic in my faith. We can change the world. Christ has called us to reflect Him to the world. Are you a reflection of Christ?
ezekiel8 