Spiritual Quest, Part I
Apr. 26th, 2007 09:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaYesterday, on a whim, I visited the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at my local university. They had their weekly lunch, which costs a quarter. And stepping into the BCM building reminded me why I felt at home there. I grew up drinking the waters of the Baptist church, and I actually like the taste of that water.
There’s no way the people from the Tulsa BCM are going to let me lose my religion so easily. So I’ve come to them to see if they can teach me anything new. But before that, I need to regain what I lost. And for that, I have enlisted the help of my three closest friends from my BSU days (there was a name change from Baptist Student Union to Baptist Collegiate Ministry). These are the ones that I completed the MasterLife Bible study with in four consecutive semesters.
Live in the Word
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." –John 8:31-32
Memorizing Scripture is an easy task for me. However, actually studying and living in the Word is a different matter. For this job, I have challenged Da Noise to help me out. A pastor’s son is the perfect companion to have on a spiritual quest to understand the Bible better.
Pray In Faith
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” –John 15:7
Praying has been more of a morning/evening ritual to me, more of a “Hey, God, this is what is going in my life” rather than spiritual supplication. The man I call the Prayer Warrior has agreed to aid me in understanding the true power of prayer through a prayer blog.
Fellowship with Believers
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." –John 13:34-35
Fellowship is by far the most fun aspect of religion. The personable Z3-obsessed Stevo, who happens to be from my hometown, has agreed to take me to church and hang out with other believers. Something about having positive influences rub off on me.
Review of Sunday’s Service
It may seem sacrilegious to do a review of a church service, but that’s the type of person who I am. To prevent myself from falling asleep, I have decided to take notes on the service.
As far as the songs go, First Baptist Church is similar to the church that I grew up in in that they are both part of the Southern Baptist Convention. This means they use the same hymnal, so it’s really all familiar no matter where you go.
“Lord, I Lift Your Name On High” is one of my all-time favorite hymns. The choir also performed an excellent rendition of "Midnight Cry".
The message itself started off as always, with current events. The Virginia Tech incident was proof of evil existing in this world. This was balanced out by the victory against partial abortion (I had to use all my willpower to refrain from clapping along with the congregration). It almost felt like a State of the Union address with that thunderous applause.
The content of the message came from John 13. This is the chapter of the Last Supper, where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. Now, everyone knows that this is Jesus showing love for his disciples, taking the position of servant.
The pastor explained the cultural context of this passage. In those days, one cleaned up one’s self before dinner by taking a bath. But, by the time you walked to where you were eating dinner, your feet (protected only by sandals) would become dirty again. There would be a servant who would wash your feet.
But at the Last Supper, there was no such servant. None of the disciples took it upon themselves to take up that position. They felt like they were above that. So, much to their shock, their Master washed their feet before them, even against their protests.
If Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, did that, then why can’t you do a little more service in your own life?
There’s no way the people from the Tulsa BCM are going to let me lose my religion so easily. So I’ve come to them to see if they can teach me anything new. But before that, I need to regain what I lost. And for that, I have enlisted the help of my three closest friends from my BSU days (there was a name change from Baptist Student Union to Baptist Collegiate Ministry). These are the ones that I completed the MasterLife Bible study with in four consecutive semesters.
Live in the Word
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." –John 8:31-32
Memorizing Scripture is an easy task for me. However, actually studying and living in the Word is a different matter. For this job, I have challenged Da Noise to help me out. A pastor’s son is the perfect companion to have on a spiritual quest to understand the Bible better.
Pray In Faith
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” –John 15:7
Praying has been more of a morning/evening ritual to me, more of a “Hey, God, this is what is going in my life” rather than spiritual supplication. The man I call the Prayer Warrior has agreed to aid me in understanding the true power of prayer through a prayer blog.
Fellowship with Believers
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." –John 13:34-35
Fellowship is by far the most fun aspect of religion. The personable Z3-obsessed Stevo, who happens to be from my hometown, has agreed to take me to church and hang out with other believers. Something about having positive influences rub off on me.
Review of Sunday’s Service
It may seem sacrilegious to do a review of a church service, but that’s the type of person who I am. To prevent myself from falling asleep, I have decided to take notes on the service.
As far as the songs go, First Baptist Church is similar to the church that I grew up in in that they are both part of the Southern Baptist Convention. This means they use the same hymnal, so it’s really all familiar no matter where you go.
“Lord, I Lift Your Name On High” is one of my all-time favorite hymns. The choir also performed an excellent rendition of "Midnight Cry".
The message itself started off as always, with current events. The Virginia Tech incident was proof of evil existing in this world. This was balanced out by the victory against partial abortion (I had to use all my willpower to refrain from clapping along with the congregration). It almost felt like a State of the Union address with that thunderous applause.
The content of the message came from John 13. This is the chapter of the Last Supper, where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. Now, everyone knows that this is Jesus showing love for his disciples, taking the position of servant.
The pastor explained the cultural context of this passage. In those days, one cleaned up one’s self before dinner by taking a bath. But, by the time you walked to where you were eating dinner, your feet (protected only by sandals) would become dirty again. There would be a servant who would wash your feet.
But at the Last Supper, there was no such servant. None of the disciples took it upon themselves to take up that position. They felt like they were above that. So, much to their shock, their Master washed their feet before them, even against their protests.
If Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, did that, then why can’t you do a little more service in your own life?
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-26 04:19 pm (UTC)As far as reviewing a church sevice is concerned, I don't think it's a sacrilege. In fact, I think it's good to reflect on what you've put it and gotten out of church service. After all, worship is a three-dimensional practice: your worship not only exalts God, but also benefits other people and yourself.
-PC
no subject
Date: 2007-04-26 07:08 pm (UTC)