Monday, October 24, 2005

Scott's Message: Finishing Strong


Scott's Message: Anything but a snoozer!

So how do we get going on a strong finish? 1 Pet. 1:13 is a good place to start:
First we prepare our minds:
1 Pet. 1:13: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (The hope Peter is talking about is the same as John mentioned in the passage we just read. In fact, 1 John 2:28-3:3 is a good explanation and application of Peters words here. We prepare our minds for action by abiding in Christ; we keep sober in spirit by determining not to live in a way that will cause us to shrink away from Christ in shame at His coming; and we fix our hope completely on our total & visible transformation when Christ returns.)
Part of preparing our minds is also meditating on the good common sense of giving all of ourselves, and the things we do, to Christ. There are many Scriptures that speak along these lines, but I’ll quote just one passage:
2 Cor. 5:14-15: “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

Barna says: Be church, don't just go...

The Barna Update: A bi-weekly e-mail from George Barna

Americans are creating new forms of religious experience and expression that are replacing the common approach (i.e., attending events and programs at a congregational form of a local church). During the last couple of years, in particular, there has been an explosion of activity in new forms of faith activity, such as the house church, marketplace ministries, and cyberchurch participation. The adherents of these new forms of the Church span the demographic spectrum. Find out more about this faith revolution in this week’s Barna Update by clicking on the link below or by going to The Barna Group’s home page at www.barna.org.