Account Balance.

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Martha make a critically important point in the first service (and extended the point in the second service) concerning the "how" and "what" of our prayer lives.

Pastor Martha offered the analogy of a banking relationship: that is, we put money into a bank so that we can access the money when we need to make a withdrawal. The crisis of Christianity is that many Christians are seeking to make withdrawals from the account of God without having ever made any deposits:

They don't tithe.
They don't give offerings.
They don't fast.
They don't pray.
They don't intercede.

Yet, when crisis comes, what happens? They run to God, and/or they run to the church which is God's agent upon the earth... to keep the analogy, let's call the church the bank manager. And they attempt to use God as their Automated Teller Machine.

"Please pray for me church, I need ten thousand dollars!" (that's a quote from Pastor Martha).
"God, I'm having an emergency and you really need to give me what I want, immediately!"

Ah, the petitions of carnal Christians in crisis. But how can one withdraw from a bank in which one has never deposited?

Pastor Martha recalled the indictment against such behavior. It's expressed most poignantly in the parable of the sheep and the goats, found in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus has commanded us to do some things. Are you doing them?

Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked.
Visit those who are sick and visit those who are in prison.

There is much more that could be said, but I will not belabor the point. I think you get it.

So, Bronx Bethany, how are you giving? And how are you living?