Congress of Christian Education
Who would think, in our lifetime, we would see the hand of God move on a global scale? Forty years ago, when I was reading the old testament, I wondered and pondered when the bible said and God “commanded a flood to wipe man off the face of the earth.” Or I was equally stunned when I read and God commanded Saul to “kill, destroy, wipe out every Amalekite.” And again, “God sent a death angel and killed every first born of Egypt.” All of these texts, and many more, over and over and over again, rattled my mind and boggled my spirit and shook my Soul as I was trying to understand God, embrace God and even obey God. Historical history is there to help us handle this present day handicap. The hope of glory, for many of us is this! In every pain, pestilence, trouble, trial and tribulation, God had a plan to rebuild, regenerate, reconcile and restore His people. His main objective, in every situation was and continues to be repentance and righteous living. God is simply trying to gain the attention of His “chosen generation.” Perhaps globally, all of us have drifted too far from God.
The songwriter asked these questions. “What if God is not happy with the way we live? What if He is not pleased with the way we give? What if God is not happy with our Praise?” Well, He certainly has our attention today. The question is will we pant and pine for the return of our normal? Or will we seek to serve God in a satisfactory way in this new normal?
Let me be the first to admit that over the last twenty-three years I have been blessed in ways I couldn’t even imagine. I’ve gone places and done things that were only a dream heretofore. And yet, I have always known that something has been off. The church was too casual. The hearts were too hard and cold. The missions were missing the mark. The fellowships were frivolous and many times without faith. Even the church celebrations seemed to be callous, cold, calculating and centered on pleasing personalities rather than pleasing God. Yes, even Pastors and Preachers seemed to have turned into personal and prosperity pimps more than providential procurators of the gospel.
Here it is. These are the worst of times and these are the best of times. These are the times that will try men’s souls. I simply urge you, my brothers and sisters to do a couple of things.
Examine your own heart and see where you stand with God.
Reexamine the mission and mindset of your church and see if you are doing those things that God commanded the church to do.
Make the adjustments that will align us with the will of God
Ask God to help us accept and adapt to the new normal.
Become creative fishermen for men and seek lost souls for Christ.
Be very thankful, this day, that you still stand victorious over and not as a victim to this virus!
Learn to appreciate the first church that God created, family.
Rebuild that family on the foundation of God’s word.
Be the light in dark places that God created you to be.
Always remember that the greatest title, position, posture and place you can have is that of servant. And the greatest creed, commandment, commitment and contribution that you can ever make is to “Love the Lord with all of your heart; and love your neighbor as yourself!”
I remain the Voice of Common Sense! I am looking forward to a faithful, fruitful future and I hope to see you all again soon!
Carlos Wilson, Pastor/Teacher/President
East Mississippi State Baptist Congress of Christian Education