{"id":5511,"date":"2015-01-21T00:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-01-21T04:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=5511"},"modified":"2015-02-12T13:43:02","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T17:43:02","slug":"pastors-ponderings-part-time-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=5511","title":{"rendered":"Pastor’s Ponderings: Part Time Christians?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following thoughts were submitted by Pastor Jim on January 16, 2015…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Greetings Friends:<\/p>\n

PLEASE READ: Mark 12:28-31<\/p>\n

One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, \u201cWhat is the most important commandment?\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cThe most important one says: \u2018People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.\u2019 The second most important commandment says: \u2018Love others as much as you love yourself.\u2019 No other commandment is more important than these.”<\/span>\u00a0(CEV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus instructing His disciples to follow Him completely. Passages such as Luke 9:57-62 <\/a>present this in very dramatic terms.<\/p>\n

Could it be that many would-be disciples are too influenced by the culture, to living up to the expectations of others, to walking the road of least resistance, of doing everything the easy way and least expensive, that we do not live a holy life which honors God? Could it be that people are becoming so self-absorbed that their practice of the Christian faith is inconsistent?<\/p>\n

What I mean is, those who are one way in church, but then when outside of church they act, talk, and do things which are contrary to the faith? Such behavior threatens to make us “part-time” Christians (to borrow from David Meece), if that were possible.<\/p>\n

As part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 CEV).<\/p>\n

Additional verses such as (along with many others):<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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