A Letter from Pastor Mark - May



Dear Friends,
Many times people believe that the faith is just about beliefs.  They believe Christianity is about believing the right things.  The church’s responsibility is to teach the right beliefs so that people will know what to believe.  Correct beliefs, knowing the truth is very important; however, too many times our practice of Christianity ends with knowing the truth and believing the right things.
That kind of approach to our faith is not what Jesus taught.  Jesus taught that when we discover the truth, it isn’t good enough just to believe that truth.  We need to incorporate that truth into our lives, and we need to live out that truth.  We need to take the truths of Christianity and then translate those truths into practices.  When I refer to practices, I am talking about things we do.  Practices are the ways we actually choose to live out our faith.  Belief should have an impact on how we live.
Jesus taught this very principle.  In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he taught many truths.  At the end of that sermon, he taught this parable.  This parable was given to us to help us know what Jesus expected us to do with the truth he had just imparted in his sermon and the truth he taught throughout his earthly life.
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV)
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of  mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”


A careful reading of that parable clearly indicates that Jesus expects us not to just the learn the truths that he teaches, but also to live out those truths.  In fact, he says that if we put his teaching into practice in our daily lives, then we are wise.  On the other hand, Jesus also says that if we don’t put his teaching into practice, then we are foolish.  Jesus expects us to live out the truth that he taught us.
Recently, we have been spending a lot of time investigating and learning about how Jesus has commanded us to make disciples.  The most common reference to that command also comes from Matthew.
Matthew 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
Jesus commanded us to make disciples who follow him and become like him.  Is it just a truth we learn, or is it a truth we learn and then put into practice?  The answer to that question might indicate whether we are wise or foolish.

In Christ’s Abundant Love,
Pastor Mark



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