(no subject)
Just want to mark the death yesterday of presiding bishop G.E. Patterson of the Church of God in Christ. I was COGIC through college, and I thank God for the life of this man, who "taught us how to wash, fight and pray." Never was his life touched by scandal, so of course, the secular media was uninterested in him. He practiced what he preached.
As someone said, Bishop didn't get into the health-wealth-and-prosperity (heresy) gospel... he just delivered the Word, straight up, no chaser. If I learned nothing else from being COGIC, it was this passage from 1 John:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
That is the basics of the COGIC message. I found it a hard teaching, and after a half decade of it, decided to take a leave of absence from Christianity. But four years' worth of COGIC Sunday School lessons grounded me so much until even when I was furthest away from God and a hairsbreadth away from apostate, I could recall the commonsense, plain, yet explosive truths of the gospel. It's why I think I was attracted to my current church. It's why I am enjoying teaching the Bible to kids so much this year.
We don't even have to say "rest in peace" about the Bishop. Instead, we say along with the psalmist, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints," and along with the author of Hebrews, "There therefore remains a rest for the people of God... let us be careful to enter that rest."
Bishop, we'll see you on that "great gettin' up mornin'"... and yes, I will be careful.
As someone said, Bishop didn't get into the health-wealth-and-prosperity (heresy) gospel... he just delivered the Word, straight up, no chaser. If I learned nothing else from being COGIC, it was this passage from 1 John:
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
That is the basics of the COGIC message. I found it a hard teaching, and after a half decade of it, decided to take a leave of absence from Christianity. But four years' worth of COGIC Sunday School lessons grounded me so much until even when I was furthest away from God and a hairsbreadth away from apostate, I could recall the commonsense, plain, yet explosive truths of the gospel. It's why I think I was attracted to my current church. It's why I am enjoying teaching the Bible to kids so much this year.
We don't even have to say "rest in peace" about the Bishop. Instead, we say along with the psalmist, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints," and along with the author of Hebrews, "There therefore remains a rest for the people of God... let us be careful to enter that rest."
Bishop, we'll see you on that "great gettin' up mornin'"... and yes, I will be careful.