ChuckLawless.com: 10 Thoughts on Our Freedom

EVANGELISM • LEADERSHIP • MISSIOLOGY • CHURCH HEALTH View this email in your browser 10 Thoughts on Our Freedom By Chuck Lawless on Jul 03, 2015 07:00 am Tomorrow, we will celebrate our nation's independence. The smells and sounds of picnics will reverberate throughout the nation. Parades will make their way down Main Streets. Fireworks will light the sky. Meanwhile, here are few thoughts to consider. Many of us have more Bibles in our homes than people. We have the entire Scriptures in the English language, a gift available in only 500 of the more than 7000 languages around the world today. We face little threat by having copies in our homes. Yet, we tend to read the Bible only sporadically. In one sermon, we hear more of the Word than 2 billion people in the world are likely to hear in a lifetime. Not only do we have liberty to hear the Word, but our pastors seldom feel threatened with persecution when they preach. Yet, sometimes we don't listen well. Many of our pastors have the freedom and the opportunity to get training. Currently, as many as five million pastors around the world lack basic theological training. Securing funding may at times be problematic for North American church leaders, but at least our pastors have the option for education. Still, many church leaders do not take advantage of this privilege.  It is generally not dangerous for us to initiate a conversation about Jesus and the gospel. That is simply not the case in many places of the world. Yet, our track record suggests that most believers will not tell a non-believer about Jesus this year. We have little fear that our church buildings will be destroyed this week because we shared the gospel. Again, not every church leader in the world can make such a statement. I've heard from leaders in some parts of the world where they risk their building if they choose to evangelize. Meanwhile, we complain because the church building is too hot or too cold . . . . Most of us have not been persecuted for our faith. We sometimes "feel" persecuted when others don't listen to us, but what we face pales in comparison to what our global brothers and sisters may face.  We generally have freedom to gather publicly as believers. That freedom is not available in some parts of the world. Still, many North American churches have more members on their rolls than they have in attendance; that is to say, many members do not take advantage of our freedom to gather. We have access to social media as a means to share the gospel. Whether through Facebook, Twitter, websites, or other means, we can speak truth to people around the world. It's regrettable that we seldom take advantage of these opportunities. Many believers wonder how long we will have these freedoms. Indeed, some would argue that we're already losing some of these freedoms. I'm not an alarmist, but I share these concerns. Because these issues are real, we cannot afford to be complacent about Christ and the gospel today.  TODAY is the day we have to serve the Lord. Regardless of where our nation lands in the future, we serve the Lord today – and today gives us opportunities to tell the story of Jesus and to live out that story in freedom. Don't miss that opportunity.  Read in browser » Recent Articles: Brokenness, Lostness, and the Gospel Unsung Heroes 10 Characteristics of Teachable Churches How Not to Fix the Discipleship Problem in a Church 10 Significant Church Statistics to Consider Copyright © 2015 Chuck Lawless, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because you opted in at ChuckLawless.com Our mailing address is: Chuck Lawless 1013 Heritage Greens Dr Wake Forest, NC 27587-4380 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences