The Wilderness

I am in desperate need of heat! My wife rules the thermostat with an iron fist. You have a $500.00 natural gas bill and all of the sudden blankets take on a whole new meaning. Seriously she keeps the thermostat on 64. That’s right, 64 degrees!!! I literally have on a stocking hat right now inside while I’m typing. If I could type with gloves on I would. I cut it up to 65 one morning and got in some big trouble.

We keep the heat turned way down to avoid another $500.00 gas bill. One of the bad parts of living in a 80 year old house. It's a solid house, but not the best insulated and the thought of giving Piedmont Natural Gas that much cash scares me. This could be said of church’s today. Not with the heat bill, but with change. We get scared to change the way it has always been, because we don’t want to upset the ebb and flow of the business called church. Somebody tried something once and maybe it caused a lot of discomfort, so we better not try anything like that again. There is no room for this mindset in the church, we are to be Kingdom Minded, and if we get focused on the Kingdom then nothing else really matters.

I’ve got to tell you I am really getting excited about where God is leading us and I can’t wait to get there. I want us to adopt a theology that says we aren’t going to shut up, back up, or let up, until we get called up, Whatever it Takes!

We started a study by Max Lucado on the book of John this past Sunday, and I love it. I have never really payed that much attention to John the Baptist prior to this study. I knew that he baptized Jesus and all, but never really looked at him until this past weekend. John the Baptist (turns out did a lot more than just baptize Jesus) he was on a mission from God. He knew exactly what he was doing and who he was doing it for. Look at these verses:
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am' The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the LORD, as the prophet Isaiah said." 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 "It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."
John 1:19-27 (NKJV)

We are called to partner with John and be that voice crying in the wilderness. Our wilderness is the whole world in which we live. I would like to ask you a question, when is the last time you invited a friend to church? Make a commitment today to ask one person to come this Sunday to Sunday School and stay for preaching. It’s not that hard, you just open up your mouth and say would you like to come to church with me. Pick them up if you have to, don’t let anything hinder you. I am looking forward to moving our class to the sanctuary, lets fill it up this Sunday. It takes all of us and we can make a difference. With God all things are possible and we know that He is on our side, so what is stopping you…..just do it!!

Have a Blessed Day!!!