Foothills Christian Church

What If…

By Foothills.org

…

I lived like a first century follower of Jesus? What would my life be like (minus the togas and sandals)? Would it be all that much different?

Yes and no.

No, not that much different: Your life would be filled with work and job, family and friends, eating and drinking. The same as it is today. So how would it differ? Acts 2 tells us:

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

1. They were devoted to growing (learning the teachings) and being connected (fellowship).
2. Their lives were filled with awe, thanksgiving (praising God) and affection from people (favor with all people).
3. They helped one another’s needs.

Mostly, I see these people deeply committed to being connected: to Jesus and to His family. Do you think people today are as committed to being connected to other followers of Jesus as much as they were in the first century? If not, I wonder why. What is it we, the people of the 21st century, may have lost over the last 2,000 years where being connected is not a devotion?

Let’s think about it and see what the Bible says on the matter this Sunday,

See you then!

Pastor Doug

Published by Foothills.org

Face To Face

By Foothills.org

During this journey, the entire nation camped at the base of Mt. Sinai, where Moses heard a call from God: “Come to the mountain.” This was a big deal and Moses knew it. God wasn’t asking him to go on an afternoon hike, God was asking him to come to the mountain where he might live, or he might die. One thing for certain was that he would meet face to face with God.

Albert Schweitzer faced such a call. He was a brilliant young man with a promising career as a musician. He was also adept at philosophy, theology, and eventually medicine. He felt God had called him to the jungles of Africa to establish a hospital. This was a big deal- most people who ventured into the interior died from accidents, weather, or exotic diseases. This calling was a “You might live, you might die” calling. The only guarantee was that you would meet God face to face. Dr. Schweitzer accepted the call, and established the first hospital in the interior of Africa. In 1952 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy, “Reverence for life” and his medical work in the interior of Africa.

Do you think one of the reasons we don’t have the opportunity to meet God face to face is because we don’t accept the challenges where “We might live, we might die”? Discovering your mission in life, your purpose for being in this world, won’t be found in an email or text message. It only comes when you accept the challenge to go the mountain of God.

This Sunday we are going to wrestle with the message: What would your life look like if you had a mission to live for? What if you accepted the challenge of come, even though you might live or die?

Hope to see you there,

Douglas Peake

Published by Foothills.org