A Cemetery - You've Got to be Kidding! (Part 1)

My former pastor, Rev. David Gales, was the pastor of Plaza Baptist Church for many years. It was while a member of this church that I met my wife, was called into full time ministry, preached my first sermon, and received my ordination. Reading this email spoke to me in a special way, and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

Becoming a Christian is having a relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Life. Being a Christian is having fellowship with the risen Jesus on a daily basis as he lives in and through us to meet the challenges that confront us in life. Salvation is a relationship. Sanctification is a fellowship. The sin question has been settled once and for all by the cross. The life question is settled by constant fellowship with the living Son of God. "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith"

Hebrews 12:1.

Some people have churchianity instead of Christianity. They have fellowship with their church. They attend, serve, administer, give, love one another, and have great fellowship with their church family. Other folks have real Christianity. They have fellowship with Christ. Oh yes, they will love his church, but their main fellowship is with Christ. The church can take the place of Christ. The devil's cunning devise is to lull us into putting fellowship with the church in the place of fellowship with Christ. You can have churchianity without Christ, but when you fellowship with Christ first and foremost, the church will be a loving extension of that fellowship.

David said, "One thing I ask of the Lord, and this is what I seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock” Psalm 27:4-5 NIV.

Do you see it? Fellowship with and dependency upon Jesus Christ is the main thing. Well, how is this made practical?

For it to be practical it must be so personal. You cannot copy another believer because fellowship with Christ is just between you and him. He knows your human and divine DNA. He wants your fellowship to be so special just between the two of you.

Having said that, I can only share my own walk with the Lord. Here it is for what it is worth (it is worth everything to me). I have struggled throughout my spiritual track record with finding what would be my unique fellowship with the Lord. I read and heard about giants in the faith and wanted so much to be like them. Vance Havner, the author, evangelist, and revival preacher, had such an attractive private walk with his Lord. He loved the outdoors, birds, and being alone with his Lord as he walked. I am sure he had an influence on my fellowship alone with Jesus daily as I too have walked. Reading his book "Threescore and Ten" several times has been such a blessing.

(to be continued)