James 5:16 says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
Lately, I have been convicted and dealing with how we relate to one another in the church. I wonder how many of us feel loved, outside of our cliques, in the church? It saddens my heart to know that many of us go church get encouraged then leave church not knowing how to live the Christian life or how to help others live the Christian life.
I am so burdened with how to properly communicate that as we mature in Christ, we need to bear one anothers burdens and not hide or judge one another to the point where we hide behind the mask of "everything is okay". We need non-judgemental ears not enabling ears (as Professor Guy Lipkins would say). Our holy, righteous, loving, justice-seeking, discipling God cannot accept sin. That's why confession and repentance is so important. Therefore, sinning is not the problem. The problem is when we choose to do nothing about our sins.
Simply going to church is not enough. We must engage in worship, engage in the Word, and engage with one another. The things we go through are not for us to say "look what I went through" because I am so blessed. Your testimony/gifts/blessings are so that God can get the glory and you are blessed as a result of being an insturment in the Redeemer's hands.
Obviously, I have a lot of issues/ideas/potential articles/studies that I am dealing with or want to do. I am working with a group of teen girls called "Girls In Charge" that deals with dating violence, drug abuse, and abstinence. The number one cry from these young ladies is "I just want to be able to talk to someone about what I am going through without them freaking out or judging me." Which does not mean that we make the sin/issue/problem something that is "alright" but show people that the Word of God has the solution to whatever they are going through in a loving, "I have issues too" way.
I don't know . . . I hope I am making some sense.
Last edited by Dountonia - Baptist Site; 06/23/09 10:38 AM.