16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Overcorrecting makes for a lot of car wrecks. The right-side tires get off in the gravel, you feel the car tugging into the ditch, and in a moment of panic you jerk the wheel and roll the car. Our absentmindedness often has us panicking over dangers in many areas of our lives. We lose our focus and drift outside the lines that God has painted for us. In our zeal to get back on track, we often lose our way altogether. For some time now, the Church has lost its muscle tone in its defense of the weak, in its pursuit of justice, and in its willingness to stand up against violence and cruelty. The perception of the Church has become that of a wimpy, emasculated, lips-zipped consoler. Now that’s not the biblical Jesus and that’s not the Christians who are His namesake. There’s a growing movement among church leaders in the West that is intent on showing that God’s people are not pushovers. Christians, especially believing men, are finding their voice again and stiffening against a lot of the rot and erosion all around. This is a good thing. But, in this revival of muscle, there is the dangerous possibility of an overcorrection. In an attempt to show that we’re not the lightweights that popular culture portrays us to be, are we jerking the wheel? One hot button issue that seems to be a flashpoint in all of this is the matter of guns and self-defense. Would Jesus encourage Billy Joe to take his guns to town or would he encourage him to listen to his mom and ride without? Jon Piper has written a thought-provoking article on this very topic and, while none of us will agree with it entirely, I think it forms a good basis for a much-needed conversation. So; God, guns, the gospel, and our 2nd Amendment rights and responsibilities. We probably won’t need any coffee or baked goods to fuel the conversation but it can’t hurt. I hope you’ll consider joining us Sunday morning, September 15th at 8:30am in room 208 in the Family Life Center as we eat, fellowship, and work on this together. See you then and there!
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
https://www.emmanuelacc.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/September-8-2019.png16321056Josh Ricehttp://www.emmanuelacc.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/EACC-114_Logo-300x115.pngJosh Rice2019-09-08 12:00:192019-09-09 11:38:57Where the Water Runs
The picture Christ paints of the blind led by the blind, tumbling headlong into the ditch, is a particularly pitiful one. Blind people have a great and undeniable need and the ones who are best positioned to help them navigate through the asphalt jungle are those who can see. In the parable, the well- intentioned blind man who attempts to take others in hand and lead them onward is ultimately held responsible for the tragedy that comes. Unless we be given sight, we must never endeavor to lead anyone who remains in darkness.
Every time and place has its poor and needy. The United States, rich and prosperous as it is, is still home to many homeless and, sadly, the disabilities of many cancel out many of America’s opportunities. There are a great many of our neighbors who need a hand. In the years since FDR’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society, our country has worked hard to meet every material need present in every community. After billions and billions of dollars of appropriations, the establishment of whole government departments, and the institutionalization of benefits; the ranks of the needy around us have only grown. In The Tragedy of American Compassion, journalist Marvin Olasky first began to question whether the abdication of social services to the State by the Church was a good development. His writing in the early 90’s has given rise to a movement to restore the soul to our nation’s charitable efforts and to give charge of the blind back to those who can see. Unable to assign the entire book for our roundtable discussion, I’ve chosen instead to include a thoughtful review of the book written by Daniel Bazikian. Please take a moment to read through it and come prepared to share your thoughts with the rest of us. We’ll be gathering in room 208 on Sunday morning, September 8th at 8:30. Hot coffee and fresh baked goodies will caffeinate and sweeten the discussion! -Pastor Tate
