Glimpses 39

Tale of 4 people!

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G'day and welcome to Partake Ministries! We continue in our series, Glimpses Stories, and today I want to introduce you to four friends of mine.  They all would say they are Christian disciples of a sort.  I wonder if you will recognize any of them!

Freddie Fe-elgood

First we have Freddie Fee-elgood or Freddo to his friends! He runs around to every meeting he can find that has some aspect to do with Christianity.  He believes in God and likes to always feel good, regardless of anything else!  When he goes to a Church worship or prayer service, usually twice on Sunday, it's for a good entertaining time!  He has no time for doctrine and thinks sermons and teaching in Church are utterly mundane and pointless, and sees no point in acting out his faith, coz they don't make him feel good.  As you can probably tell, Freddie's prime reason to live is to feel good.  The way to holiness for him is by going to as many religious events as he can, and feeling good because of it. Freddie is holy in the eyes of the world!

Amber Al-laction

And there is Amber.  Amber Al-laction by name and AllAction by nature!!  She runs around like the proverbial headless chicken, doing good to everyone and everything!  Amb believes God exists but thinks the commitment part of Christianity is all a bit too much.  Involved in such diverse groups from Greenpeace to the local homeless shelters, she has no time for Church or doctrine.  She wants to change the world! Amber's prime reason to live is to do good and be active.  The path to holiness for her is being involved in doing good deeds.  The society she lives in think she is a holy person because of it!

Tommy Topheavy

And you have to meet Tom!  Tommy Toph-eavy is also holy in his society but for different reasons!  He has so much knowledge about God in his head; it's amazing his head doesn't explode!  He can quote Augustine, Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Jurgen Moltmann and John Stott verbatim, complete with page reference and book title!  His passion is for doctrine and doctrine alone, and this helped him to a First at Oxford University.   He isn't concerned with living out his faith; he is only concerned with reading more about God! Tommy's prime reason to live is the accumulation of knowledge!  He believes the path to holiness is by gaining as much head knowledge as he can possible store!

Chloe Christlike

Chloe is foolish in the eyes of the world because she has a firm faith, prays daily and reads the Bible fervently.  She is involved in the Church, attending prayer meetings and homeless tea-runs.  She goes to her local Bible college for evening classes to learn more about the God she wants to serve.  She is getting head knowledge but wants to apply it to her life so it goes from head to heart! Her prime reason to live is Christ and to be Jesus to other people.  Believes that the path to holiness is to be as much like Jesus as she can, growing more and more like Him constantly.  Knowing that she is doing this, makes her feel good, as she can see herself living out her faith in Jesus, who is her joy!

What about you?

Every church has people like these four characters.  Which one of these are you like:  Freddie, Amber, Tommy or Chloe?  Which do you think is the committed disciple from what we have learnt together in this series Glimpses? For more to read and think about, please read Matthew 25:31-46.

Jesus speaking about the kingdom of God and the judgment to come (remember we talked about this in depth in Part 30 of Glimpses!

31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' 37 "Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40 "And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' 41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.' 44 "Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' 45 "And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' 46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."

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