Studying the Saints, The True Church

Update: I just heard this on KKIM AM1000 from Rev. Randy Walquist of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM: A recent USA Today survey showed that the American Church has lost the home field advantage. This so ties in with my message today! The survey showed that 72%  of Americans do not belong to a Church but believe in a living God. They do not belong to a Church because they feel that the Church and Church attendees are hypocritical. 50% of that group said that Church attendees get on their nerves. 4 out of 5 said that Church attendees to not show the love of Jesus. Chew on that for awhile!

This is what I posted earlier today…………..

I just love going back and reading about God’s Saints, my Mom would say to me, “I want you to grow up to be a Saint!” Grandma Caraway said to me in 1974, “You are going to be a Preacher someday!”( Definition of a Saint: a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous) We are all called to be Saints! To behave like Saints! 1 Cor. 1:2 in King James we read: Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. When I was growing up if someone got to big for their britches we would say, ” You think your a Saint!” Today many of us think we are Saints, but many of us have a ways to go, I sure do. Now to be clear I’m not talking about the Catholic Church and their Saints, I’m talking about you and me and our calling from God, being Holy and virtuous, living a Saintly life for God. Today I have been studying the life of Pastor Robert Murray McCheyne of Scotland  who lived from 1813 to just 1843. He was just 30 when he died, But what an IMPACT for GOD! Oh, so much of the Church has watered down what it means to be the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

McCheyne was careful and consistent in his devotional life. It was a happy custom to spend time before breakfast reading scripture (three chapters a day, singing hymns (he was an excellent musician), and praying. He followed the counsel of Godly seventeenth-century Anglican Jeremy Taylor.

Taylor said, “If thou meanest to enlarge thy religion, do it rather by enlarging thine ordinary devotions than thy extraordinary.”

Warren W. Wiersbe writes in his book, “50 People Every Christian Should Know”, That is good counsel(from Taylor) for today, to many Christians are scurrying around looking for special meetings, thinking that extraordinary experiences will make them better Christians. In my own ministry in Pastor conferences, I have discovered that too many ministers neglect their daily devotional time, or hurry through it, so they can get involved in “more important matters.”

McCheyne said, “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awesome weapon in the hand of God.”

I love to hear people say, “My Pastor is a Holy man of God!”

Another quote, “I feel there are two things it is impossible to desire without sufficient passion—-personal holiness and honor of Christ in the salvation of souls.”

The American Church is not Baptizing enough. We are not growing the Church in America, most Church growth comes from people changing Churches. I have read so many books/facts and figures on this! Also there is the problem of when people are baptized many forget about them, that they are just in diapers and don’t stand by their side to grow them up in Jesus Christ. 

Another quote from McCheyne, “Live so as to be missed”

Also:  “To gain entire likeness to Christ, I ought to get a high esteem of the happiness of it. I am persuaded that God’s happiness is inseparably linked in with His holiness.”

I strongly encourage you to study the Saints of the past………a good start is Wiersbe’s book.

The Late Chuck Colson, another Saint,  said one day on his radio program, Breakpoint, “The American Church has become one big High School pep rally, there is not much substance.” Yes the American Church as a whole wants to make people “feel good” We need more of: ” I have come to comfort the inflicted and inflict the comfortable.”

Grab one of Colson’s books, read it, it is either going to comfort you or make you feel very uncomfortable, better yet, read your Bible.

My discernment, through studying these Saints,  has shown me what true Church is, It’s all about God and His Word.