Sunday Sunday Sunday

This past weekend my family gathered for Thanksgiving out at the “farm”, a lovely ranch house that could easily be found in any addition of Southern Living. We celebrated early because that was the only weekend the entire family could get together. My good friend Tim went with me and we had a lovely time and ate more food than a young aggie Christian at a ministry lunch hour “served for the foreign students”. The following Sunday we all celebrated again because one of my younger cousins was being baptized. So, we all went to Central Baptist Church for a Sunday morning service. The service was...ok. the singing was typical choir and full orchestra and the “worship leader” looked like a JCrew Mr Rogers on ecstacy. The sermon went as follows.

The Scripture used: Galatians 4:12-20
12Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
17They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

The main points were:
1. You need to be careful who you love.
2. You need to be careful about who you let love you.
3. You should never love anyone in such a way as to expect something in return.
4. You should only love someone to see the growth of Christ in them.
5. The zealots who were misleading Paul’s Galatians were similar to today’s cult in that they target the lonely outcasts and trap them with love to get them to do what they want. His example was the crazy guy in Waco and how he tricked everyone, with love, into letting him sleep with their wives.

My family was pretty impressed with the sermon. “He really knows how to bring it” was heard a number of times at the following lunch at On The Border. I...was rather unenchanted. The preacher’s delivery was stellar, emotional and gripping and stirring. His content...pretty cock-a-mimi in my book.

The “cult” Paul is refering to is actually the Hebrews (or Jews to the laymen) and they were sucking the Galatians back into the Law, not some occult practice that was later burned down in Waco Texas.

Mostly though I have no idea what he was talking about when he preached about Love. I thought Christ wanted us to love everyone...even our ENEMIES (shocked gasp and throw up in brown bag). Be careful with who you love? Be careful who you let love you? If some one wants to love me biblically, as it describes in 1 Corinthians 13 then bring it on, I’ll take all you got to give. If someone asked me to sincerely love them as it describes in 1 Cor 13 I would be deeply moved and of course comply the best I could. Should I stop and consider though the nature of the person’s heart? Should I consider his/her motives, when he/she may not realize their own motives? I remember hearing somewhere that Jesus said to love others as He had loved us. To me that means to love them before they love you, maybe even while they hate you, or quite possibly while they love you poorly in return.

In short I disagree Baptist preacher, with all ten fingers and toes I completely disagree.

This brings to mid another topic that has burrowed its way into my bad side. If there are any women or girls who happen to read this; what the heck does it mean to GUARD ONE’s HEART. I don’t get it and I am constantly banging my large head against this cold stony wall. Can someone please explain?