Sunday Scripture

Greetings my friends. It is Sunday August 28TH 2022, and this is the day that our LORD has made. Let us rejoice. Let us be glad in it. Let us celebrate this great new day of believing, following, trusting, loving, and being more like our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Let us love our neighbor as ourself.

A little behind-the-scenes information here: I generally prepare these editions of #SundayScripture on Thursday and Friday leading-in to each new weekend. Saturday (mostly afternoon and evening) is my Sabbath. That’s when I sit down and pray, read the Bible, and write sermons. The culmination of my Sabbath is Sunday worship and fellowship with my church family. So it’s a 24-hour Sabbath from about 2 PM on Saturdays until about 2 PM on Sundays.

3 Sundays ago I preached my sermon – “Honor & Respect” – to my church family. It’s based on 1 Peter 2:10-2:25.

Here on #SundayScripture I’m presenting it in its original written form. Here’s Part 3 of this multi-part series:

There’s a popular song from the mid-1990s cowritten by TobyMac – one of my favorite singers. He wrote a song called “Jesus Freak”. It’s all about persecution. Here are the lyrics of its chorus:

What will people think
When they hear that I’m a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it’s true
I don’t really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain’t no disguising the truth
Ain’t no disguising the truth
No – I ain’t into hiding the truth

Some people we know – who know – that we know God – are defiant towards God. They can even be hateful towards God. It could be for any number of reasons. Maybe they once believed in Him and followed Him, but so many bad things happened to them or their loved ones that they lost faith in Him and even in His existence. Maybe they were churchgoers, and the church – the system or its people – hurt them in some way. I can relate to that.

You know before my 7½ years here as your brother of this Living Waters church family – I was a brother for 8 years at my previous place of worship just down the road from here. It’s where I grew up in the Lord. It’s where I learned of His ways.

I know of many cases – too many cases – where brothers and sisters – most much younger than me – attended church, served others by making coffee, or vacuuming carpets, or opening doors, or ushering in the sanctuary, or even leading or teaching others. That was just 10 to 15 years ago, and now – they are anti-church, and some are anti-God. It’s heartbreaking. These people walked with me towards God. Some of them even taught me about God. And now – they are outspoken critics about (allegedly) being duped and brainwashed by it all.

And those are the people that tend to mock and ridicule those who are all-in for Jesus. They either do that, or they just completely avoid you in every way imaginable. You are no longer in their world. You are a Jesus freak. #Guilty.

So be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Some of them are judging you and your every move. Some are curious about you. If they see you do good – over and over again – and they know that you know God – then maybe – just maybe – they may want to learn more about the God you know – from you.

“There’s something different about that guy over there. He’s a good guy. He does good deeds. And he raises his arms up high – while praising God and singing about Him. I want to be like that guy, so that I can find out about this God that he loves.”

You see – when you love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind – and you love your neighbor as yourself – your neighbors see that, and they become curious as to who this God is, and what is He all about. And that gives you the opportunity to go and tell them all about the God you know.

(End of Part 3)

If you wish to learn more about the God I know then stay tuned to #SundayScripture. The best is yet to come !

Thank you for reading my blog for this day, and may:

The LORD bless you, and keep you.
The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN.