This past Sunday, Ridgewood Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky celebrated her 50th anniversary. When I was in seminary at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, I was blessed to be the Youth Minister of that wonderful church. As she prepared to celebrate her 50th anniversary, I began to think back on those crazy days from 1983-1986 and the wonderful youth/adults with whom I worked. I smile at much of what happened, even the struggles. I often wonder how I lasted at the church without being fired since we did some crazy things in the name of Jesus. The first Summer I was at the church, we went from Louisville to Wilmington, North Carolina for camp. It was a simple thirteen hour drive. During that time, I laughed, wept, celebrated and mourned with that wonderful church family. With the 50th anniversary approaching, I began to wonder if those former youth were still walking close with Christ. I wish I could say that I have done a good job of staying in touch with them, but distance and time have taken their toll. I was given a sacred trust by the members and guests of that church as we ministered together.
This is how the apostle Peter put it in 2 Peter 1:12 - "So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know therm and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.." Peter wrote to the church to remind them that he had a sacred trust with them to remind them of the truths of Christ, whether they liked it or not. The church has always thrived when there has been accountability. Unfortunately, too many in the church want to keep their struggles to themselves. They want to keep their fellowship with the other saints on a superficial level because they may be embarrassed by their sin or lack of commitment. Peter wouldn't look the other way, but was willing to invest in others. This is the same Peter who walked on water (Okay, he also sank), denied Jesus, was restored to Jesus and the most prominent leader of the early church. If he felt the church needed accountability back then, don't you think we need accountability?
Someone after church this morning asked me what we should say to someone who said they can get by with studying their Bible, but they don't really need anyone telling them how to live. The answer comes back to what Peter told us: God puts mature followers in our path in the church so that we might be reminded of the truths of following Christ. We don't fall away in big chunks, but one step at a time. We miss church one Sunday and then before we know it, we've been out of church for two years. We get angry at something said to us by someone at church and get this chip on our shoulder. Before we know it, we are calling everyone in the church hypocrites and ripping all churches and leaders. Just one little misstep can lead to the destruction of our faith UNLESS.....We have fellow saints in our lives who will remind us of the truth. This means we must be willing to listen when someone tells us a hard truth. No one likes to be reminded of our sin, but God is trying to move us in the right direction.
Do you have anyone involved in your life who will consistently remind you of hard truths? Are you letting anyone in on your life? In whose life are you investing? Who are you speaking hard truths to and reminding them of the things of Christ? May this Sip from the Well draw you to become more involved in the body of Christ and ministering to that body.
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