CONFIDENCE PLACED IN CHRIST

We are experiencing good days at Memorial Drive. That's in comparison to years of bad days of the past. What's going on that is different? It seems pretty simple: our confidence is growing in Jesus and is decreasing in ourselves. That's rather scriptural don't you think?

We had been the Church of Christ but we weren't seeking the Christ of the Church. He didn't really fit in as we needed business organization (remember "business" meetings?); we needed to stand for something and against other somethings. We weren't looking to Jesus; we were looking at what we could stand against or better yet, who we could stand against. I was an angry preacher in the pulpit breathing threats of daring positions to be taken by the remnant of faith. Whatever side we assumed, of course, was always the truest of remnants. Remnant sort of verified we were old testamently new testament.

Jesus has changed our place as he has changed our hearts. We've discarded the squint-eyed judgmentalism of suspicion of everyone not exactly like us and we began to loosen selfish-control and opt for Spirit control. I really had to back off of trying to run things just the way I wanted. Other ideas are often better than mine; oh, go figure.

Jesus works with us. We have not arrived. We never will. But I hope we will continue our learning curve to be more positioned upon the nature of Jesus and not of our best or most intelligent selves. Jesus will give life to the dead and direction to the hopeless. We hunger for such input from above.

We are so odd. In the past we have tried to reach the world by preaching to the church what was wrong with other churches. Wouldn't it be something if we could preach to good news to the church and let its life seep out into the community of hungry seekers who reside among us? We are noting a contagion for Christ developing and our plans are to fan the flames.* Let us join together to grow in the Spirit of Christ. He is the only leader worth our time and commitment.

*Note: Don't forget our area -wide meeting this Sunday night at 6:00 at the Union PAC near 68th and Mingo. The Union PAC is not the big UMAC at the south of the football stadium. Turn West at that building and drive around to the Union PAC. Its parking lot is just north of Sam's. All churches are invited.