I have been teaching a Bible Study to my son in law, Alex, who was born and raised Lutheran. His walk with God started many years ago and the faith he has shared has been excellent in it’s witness of God’s greatness for God is not a respecter of persons nor does He allow organizational labels to hinder His mighty hand from reaching out to all those He has wonderfully created. I was raised Pentecostal and there was a time when my small mind believed that only our group had the ear and hand of God in it’s midst. At age 23, God began the process of humbling my arrogance and revealing His love for ALL the world. The scripture in John 3:16 is non exclusionary. “For God so loved THE WORLD….”. Unto this day, I am ever learning, for only a fool is hindered in his capacity to grow in understanding. Our ability to grow in wisdom and knowledge is likened unto Christ who also reflected this attribute when He walked in the flesh ( Luke 2:52). Without this ability, we become stagnant and spiritually die. For faith is likened unto the Mustard seed… it GROWS. The worst feature of the Pharisees was their inability to grow their faith to a perfect understanding of the Law, it’s purpose and it’s eventual fulfillment in Christ.
Author Archives: Pastor Cherish Crisp
The True Revelation of Taste
I knew a speaker that always used this analogy, he said something like this “You can tell me how great Ice Cream is and I may or may not believe you. But once I get the cone and that cold, creamy, sweet delicious flavor is savored in my mouth, only then can my experience give me the revelation of what your description so pitifully tried to convey.” In the same manner, I may tell you ice cream is wonderful but if you happen to get a flavor that creates a horrendous experience for you, you may never find yourself a fan of ice cream.
Surviving the Field
Several years before my husband and I became ordained ministers, we were home pastors and this required us to hold a Bible study in our home once a week. Each week, I would carefully clean, pray, study the Word, and cook a meal for all the attendees. Through this study, we had several people consecrate their lives to God and get baptized. It was such an exciting time because I could see the fruit of our labor in this ministry. However, nothing can remain this simple.