July 23, 2011

7-23-11 Saturday, 6:56 am Springfield, 78 degrees.

Romans 10

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart … that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (8-10)
This is one of the most basic and clear statements of how a person responds to God’s offer, by confessing and believing. It almost seems too simple, and has been minimized by some.

My message tomorrow reviews the contribution made by Martin Luther, including the primacy of the Bible, and the simple profound truth of salvation by grace through faith. The United Methodist Church, now 227 years old at times has strayed from these simple yet profound aspects. As a pastor I am glad to be preaching the simple and profound truths, with the goal of increasing the number and the fruitfulness of disciples of Jesus Christ in 2011 and beyond.

10:45 am – Home from early morning at Wesley.

I attended the United Methodist Men’s monthly breakfast and heard a great talk by Matt Kerner. He shared a little of his story and the details of reaching college-aged people with emphasis in “connect, grow, and worship” (three aspects of the “develop” in the Wesley mission statement). He defined four types of relationships college age students form: social (frequency), task oriented, spiritual (shared values) and meaningful (long duration). Our goal is to provide the context and encouragement for these relationships to by shaped around Christ, which transforms a person’s life forever.

Guide us Lord as we serve You in this generation, as Martin Luther did in his, John Wesley in his, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his. May my days and nights have a contemporary impact, and through writing and relationships impact generations to come.