Wellington Church of Christ

Growing up, I lived with my grandparents about as much as I lived with my parents.  My aunts, uncles and cousins were always around as well.  As a result of growing up around a variety of people of different ages, I now enjoy being around a variety of people of different ages.

Have you ever been asked a question in Sunday school class and have no clue what the answer is?  My wife says that when that you’re asked a question at church and you don’t know the answer to pick from one of the following:

What do you think of when you think of the Old Testament?  The first things that come to my mind are creation, covenant, and the foundation of morality.  Then I recall some of my favorite people to study: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Job, David, Solomon, Elijah, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel. 

In Matthew 5:13 and 14, Jesus makes two definitive statements about who His followers are:

“You are the salt of the earth,” and, “You are the light of the world.”

I love definitive statements and especially when they come from Jesus.

Have you ever been persecuted for your faith in Christ?  How were you persecuted?  What was your reaction when you were persecuted?  How did it make you feel?

In Matthew 5:11 Jesus said that His followers would be persecuted:

I mentioned briefly last week that the first four Beatitudes correlate with the last four – we’re going to see today how the second Beatitude relates directly to the sixth.  The second Beatitude says,

I once heard it said, “Youth cry for justice while the old cry for mercy.”  I can’t remember who said it or where I read it, but it has always stuck with me.  The truth behind the statement is profound. 

Some of my favorite people of all time have been characterized by the personal quality of meekness.  It’s a misunderstood quality and a quality that all Christians should strive toward.  Why?  It is a quality of our Savior and Lord, Jesus.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:1

Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ…

I am often asked the question, “How do you choose what to preach?”  Frankly, after prayerful consideration, I preach what I want to preach, but with a very serious caveat; I don’t skip any verses.