A STAND UP CHURCH

A STAND UP CHURCH

Monday, August 08, 2016

  Mark [ESV] 12:28-31 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and

seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"

Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

  John [NLT] 5:1-9a [While in Galilee He performed miracles.] Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

  Logos, the Word living and written, is little more than stories unless applied to our life. (John chapter 1)

  During my 53+ years as a follower of Christ I’ve moved around geographically, but consistently participated in church. Since experiencing a number of strokes, recovering for the most part with the biggest exception becoming a right hand seat driver, my participation is less physical, but has increased considerably otherwise. This otherwise involved, continues to involve, learning to walk in new ways physically and in ministry. Though the obvious details involving ladders, steering wheels, et al have changed, as I continue to work at traveling in God’s John 14:6 Way I’m still challenged by my Lord to sit down when I don’t want to and stand up when I’d rather not.

  During my 53+ years as follower of Christ I’ve participated as a member in 6 local assemblies, helped served in others, and closely observed several more. I have seen trouble in every one, a few crippled, some to die. Some while there, others after my family moved geographically. I presently am with a troubled body of believers.

  I am of the opinion that those that have not left and those that did leave our local congregation are of the same mind; wanting our body to get up and walk. But to walk how?

  I continue to give this question much study and thought, arriving concretely at the certainty that I, we, must not hold to the distracting primary goal of the survival of our local assembly, but prayerfully seek:

·         What is the will of God for me personally as an elder member in the midst of this transitional time? I have answers and have been implementing them to the best of my knowledge and ability. Today, this DT for one.

·         What is the will of God for other participants individually and as a group?  

  If we individually and corporately sincerely seek direction in and by the Word, our local assembly will arise and walk loving Sovereign Jehovah God and one another in biblical responsibility, with healthy survival of Benson Baptist Church as a by-product. 

  So be it?

EBB4