Thoughts on Christ and His Word

Are you tired and need some sleep? Many days my wife and I feel like we want to sleep for a long time and not wake up until noon. It never happens. Our bodies wont let us (yes we are getting old). Some people believe that when a Christian dies, we go into a soul sleep. That we sleep until judgement day and then we resurrect to be judged. This is not true. The Bible says: Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always c...

As we conclude our church-wide campaign "God's Will for Your Life" I liked how Rick Warren summarized what we've been learning. In chapter 39 of The Purpose Driven Life he writes: Jesus...helped them [his disciples] to know and love God (worship), taught them to love each other (fellowship), gave them the Word so they could grow to maturity (discipleship), showed them how to serve (ministry), and sent them out to tell others (mission). Today God calls each of us to the same work. Not only does he want us to live out his purposes, he also wants us to help others do the same. God wants us to introduce people to Christ, bring them into his fellowship, help them grow to maturity and discover their place of service, and then send them out to reach others, too. I agree that a well-rounded Christian life will live out these five purposes in proper balance. May God grant that all the saints in The Rock live a purpose-filled life for the honor and glory of our great God a...