Hello All,
This last week has seen me having to deal with what I call "churchianity." These "churchianity" issues involve non-essential areas of Christian life and chosen pet doctrines which puff up rather than build up! It's a pervasive problem that must plague the church until Jesus Christ comes and sets up a Kingdom where every answer is definitive and every debate is rendered useless, wasted time. We won't be debating Calvinism or Arminianism when Jesus comes. We won't be spending time arguing over form of worship service issues, or whether God can create a rock so big... you get the point! Oh, that we would be so captivated with Christ, that form or dogma would take a back seat to the joyful service of dispensing His power among the World!
I say all this because "churchianity" has nothing on "Christianity." What a joy it is to be taken and captivated by Christ and His power to change a life, and move a soul for eternity. That's attractive; churchianity is not! With that in mind, I was blessed by what happened after service today.
I was on my way home when I received a phone call from a lady who has been trying to get in touch with me for a few days for counseling. She is in a bit of a bind, and her marriage has fallen apart. As I got on the 55 freeway, she asked me if I had time to talk. Seeing as I had not even gotten on the 91 yet, I was sure that I had at least an hour or more!
She began by complaining about the state of her marriage and how messed up things were. Much of the problem was due to her choices as well, though the early part of the conversation was much more focused on the problems caused by her spouse.
I could tell that she was very frustrated, but I was convinced that the Lord wanted to do a work in her. I pressed the point with her several times that what she really needed to do was come before the Lord and confess her sin to Him, so that He might forgive and cleanse her. She was hesitant to own what she had done to contribute to this situation, but she did eventually get there.
I was turning onto my street and running out of time to press the point. I asked very simply, "Don't you want to get rid of the guilt and just be clean before the Lord?" There was silence and then, in a hushed whisper, she quietly said "yes." We prayed together and you could hear over the phone the Lord washing away the stains of guilt that she was walking around with. It has'nt been a long time, but when you are a believer who has walked in the mud, any length of time is too long! As she confessed her sin to the Lord in prayer, I could hear healing falling all over her.
She did'nt ask me if she was chosen to repent or if she should now submit to a sprinkling or full immersion baptism! In the privacy of my car, over the phone, and a physical distance of over an hour, the Lord did a wonderful work that rejuvenated her and refreshed me.
It made me think that I have the best job in the world. To facilitate the meeting between a woman in sin and Almighty God, calling the former into a welcome reconciliation with the Lord, is the greatest privilege on Earth and what I signed up for!
Please pray for this nameless lady. Pray that she would have the boldness to continue to walk in newness of life and that her repentance would be visibly attested to by a changed life.
Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
This last week has seen me having to deal with what I call "churchianity." These "churchianity" issues involve non-essential areas of Christian life and chosen pet doctrines which puff up rather than build up! It's a pervasive problem that must plague the church until Jesus Christ comes and sets up a Kingdom where every answer is definitive and every debate is rendered useless, wasted time. We won't be debating Calvinism or Arminianism when Jesus comes. We won't be spending time arguing over form of worship service issues, or whether God can create a rock so big... you get the point! Oh, that we would be so captivated with Christ, that form or dogma would take a back seat to the joyful service of dispensing His power among the World!
I say all this because "churchianity" has nothing on "Christianity." What a joy it is to be taken and captivated by Christ and His power to change a life, and move a soul for eternity. That's attractive; churchianity is not! With that in mind, I was blessed by what happened after service today.
I was on my way home when I received a phone call from a lady who has been trying to get in touch with me for a few days for counseling. She is in a bit of a bind, and her marriage has fallen apart. As I got on the 55 freeway, she asked me if I had time to talk. Seeing as I had not even gotten on the 91 yet, I was sure that I had at least an hour or more!
She began by complaining about the state of her marriage and how messed up things were. Much of the problem was due to her choices as well, though the early part of the conversation was much more focused on the problems caused by her spouse.
I could tell that she was very frustrated, but I was convinced that the Lord wanted to do a work in her. I pressed the point with her several times that what she really needed to do was come before the Lord and confess her sin to Him, so that He might forgive and cleanse her. She was hesitant to own what she had done to contribute to this situation, but she did eventually get there.
I was turning onto my street and running out of time to press the point. I asked very simply, "Don't you want to get rid of the guilt and just be clean before the Lord?" There was silence and then, in a hushed whisper, she quietly said "yes." We prayed together and you could hear over the phone the Lord washing away the stains of guilt that she was walking around with. It has'nt been a long time, but when you are a believer who has walked in the mud, any length of time is too long! As she confessed her sin to the Lord in prayer, I could hear healing falling all over her.
She did'nt ask me if she was chosen to repent or if she should now submit to a sprinkling or full immersion baptism! In the privacy of my car, over the phone, and a physical distance of over an hour, the Lord did a wonderful work that rejuvenated her and refreshed me.
It made me think that I have the best job in the world. To facilitate the meeting between a woman in sin and Almighty God, calling the former into a welcome reconciliation with the Lord, is the greatest privilege on Earth and what I signed up for!
Please pray for this nameless lady. Pray that she would have the boldness to continue to walk in newness of life and that her repentance would be visibly attested to by a changed life.
Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez
1 comment:
Great post! You got it. (Miss you brother!)
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