Purple Hair And A Nose Ring

13 November 2014

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"And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Mark 2:13-17)

What does a Christian look like? Would it surprise you if I said that the typical Christian today looks more like the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus time than the disciples of Jesus?

America is a wealthy nation. Therefore, her people look wealthy. The poorest in America have more than many people around the world. The result is that, on the outside, American Christians look wealthy like the Scribes and Pharisees not like the average disciple found in the New Testament.

So what happens when someone walks in the doors of our home church that does not “look” like we do?

We may have a set idea of what a Christian “looks like” or “acts like,” but we should be very careful about how we judge visitors to our church or people we meet every day. The Lord has children all over the place in various stages of spiritual maturity.

I remember when we were trying to start Lewisville Primitive Baptist Fellowship. Elder Mike Ivey taught us about evangelism and how churches grow by helping people. He said that the folks we will be helping don’t necessarily look like us. They may come in the church doors the first time with purple hair and a nose ring! Well, just a few months after that sermon, I took the call of Pastor for a church in West Palm Beach, Florida. One of the first Sundays I was there I entered the stand to preach and looked up to see a young lady with purple hair and a nose ring! I giggled (hopefully) to myself. I was not laughing at her. I was laughing because Brother Mike was absolutely right!

We do not know when Matthew (Levi) was born again. And honestly, it doesn’t really matter. We do know that he was still at the receipt of custom when Jesus called him and he could have still been practicing the sins of the publicans. Nevertheless, the Lord knew that Matthew was His, so He called him into discipleship. The Lord may be calling people around us right now that all we see in them is “sinner.”

Beware, we often look at others with the eyes of a Pharisee! We should seek to help ALL who come across our path.

Tags: evangelism, harmony_of_the_gospels, mark

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.

Living in Liberty

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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