From the Pastor’s Pen – August 2008

In last Sunday’s sermon my final point was that Christ as our Great Shepherd leads His sheep to green pasture. If you are His sheep then you desire to follow Him & feed on the “bread of life”. Are you a “thinking Christian?” Are you growing in your thinking? Do you desire to have the mind of Christ? Paul says: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove that what the will of God is, that which is good & acceptable and perfect.” A Christian wants to please God. He wants to be Christ-centered in all of his thinking about all of his life. Today, many profess Christ as their Savior but have no desire to be devoted to the way Christ thought and taught while here on this earth. We are taught that all Christians are made priests of God & are to continually offer themselves to God as a living sacrifice as an act of continual worship to God. The OT priests lived in the temple; this was a symbol of being always presence before God. The priests were to always be thinking about God’s Word & how they were to conduct themselves. The priests were required to think according to God’s Word be-fore they did any act of service. Likewise, every Christian is designated as a priest before God, living in His presence, serving Him in every act, witnessing unto others of what God says is true. This is “the priesthood of the believer”. This requires thinking according to God’s Word before you act! We are not to be conformed to the way that this world thinks. We are to be transformed into Christ-like creatures by bring transformed by “the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove (do) what the will of God (revealed in Scripture) is, that which is good & acceptable & perfect.” This means that every single aspect of our lives must be formed by filling our minds with God’s Word. If we are going to be successful in this we must read, study, listen & meditate upon God’s Word daily. Why do many Christians fail in having the mind of Christ? It is because they spend very little time in doing these things. It is often the “good things” that keep us from doing the “best thing”! Why do many miss Sunday School, Worship & Wednesday night Bible Study? Most usually have “good” excuses but will God accept these excuses? He is the One that each one of us must answer to. You can discover in His Word the answer. Thinking Christians plan their schedules to attend every time their pastor teaches God’s Word for their welfare. Thinking Christians plan their day to be a witness of God’s mercies to them toward others. Thinking Christians pray for God to help them understand & apply God’s Truth to their lives daily. Thinking Christians fellowship with other Christians to encourage them & be encouraged in the faith. Are you a thinking Christian? Are you seeking to have the mind of Christ? Are you Christ’s Sheep feeding upon His green pastures? Are you daily renewing your mind? Pray-ing that God might cause all of us to be thinking Christians.

Pastor Thomas Winn