A Weakened Gospel

Is it important to go to a church where the Law and Gospel is preached every Sunday, or can churches use that time to talk about the issues of the day? Join us as we talk about this subject and its effect on church membership.

Scripture: Romans 5:1-8

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


Renewing Reflections
It is our prayer that Renewing Reflections will be a blessing in your life this coming week. This quote is taken from the sermon Why Not Turn on the Light delivered on Christian Crusaders September 15, 2002: 

Pluralism has captured the minds of many people who often say, “We are all after the same thing. There are many ways to heaven.” Then comes the light from Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) Suddenly we stand in the bright light of Jesus’ words. God’s Word is our revelation. He has given it to us so that we do not walk in darkness. Colin Smith has said it well, “The Bible is a revelation and not an explanation. It does not answer all of our questions. In fact, at times it can make us quite confused and frustrated. But God’s Word one day will be made clear for us, and our eyes will no longer be blinded.”


Did You Know?
In addition to this e-newsletter, Christian Crusaders also publishes a quarterly newsletter called the Crusader. Our speakers write the feature articles. It also has an interesting article written by our Executive Director along with current news about the ministry. Each issue centers around a specific theme that we feel would be useful to our readers/listeners. The next issue of the Crusader carries the theme, Trust. If you would like to receive our newsletter, email us at cc@naz.org.


On the Light Side
A retired pastor was visiting his 100 year-old mother in the care center one day. Since she suffered from some memory loss, she would ask the same questions about his life at each visit. This time was no different, and so he carefully explained that although he no longer works fulltime, he fills in for area pastors when they are out of town and need someone to lead the congregation on Sunday mornings. Therefore, he gets to travel around a bit, meet a lot of people, and do a lot of things. Not missing a beat, she turned to him and stated in a matter-of-fact manner, “You really don’t know what you do, do you?”