House Church Talk - Article on Purpose Driven

[jim sutton]

"Dan Beaty" <dlbeaty at copper.net> wrote:

>Discernment is important, even when discerning "discernment ministries!"

Yes, a good example there.  Many very real and sincere believers just swallow 
the opinions (and authority) of others too easily, too quickly.  They go from 
teaching to teaching, or from experience to experience, never able to be fully 
satisfied with Jesus Himself.

If we?re too willing to accept the "rules" established by some outspoken 
leader in the church (remember guys like John R. Rice, Bob Jones, etc?) when 
they rule out the faith of others, we only show that we are still lacking 
substance in our own walk with the Lord Jesus.  We?re not to be judging 
ourselves -- or others -- by the standards of mere men, but by the Lord Jesus 
Himself.

We need to be followers of Jesus Christ.  Yes, we will have our own set of 
convictions and ideas as a local group, or as a larger association (formal or 
informal) of believers.  We will tend to have speakers, teachers and others 
that we look up to and agree with.  But we need to always remind ourselves 
that God, and His saving/sanctifying grace, and His wisdom does not begin or 
end with us.

Other committed believers are also in God's family, serving in the field, 
looking to Jesus each day, doing whatever the Lord gives them to do.  They may 
be in India, in China, in Africa, or even in the IC group down the street. 
 They may do and think things we would never be comfortable with.  And God may 
well be the one who set them to their task, and He may have given them the 
very perspective they hold.

A big part of being a vital part of God's family (the body of Christ) is being 
able to see and recognize the family.  If we can be easily confused by 
externals like how folks sing, how they see the local fellowship, how they 
baptize, what day they meet for worship, how they feel about HC, IC, etc., 
then we can also be led astray by the flesh in other ways.

Our Lord Jesus is never fooled.  Our eyes need to be filled with Him.  Our 
ears need to be tuned in to His voice.  Our hearts need to be open and 
responsive to His Word in Scripture.  If our spirituality is truly spiritual, 
then we will know what to be concerned with, and what not to worry about.

At least that's how I see it.

Jim