Its been a long couple of weeks. I am working on a seminar paper

I have been thinking a lot about sanctification lately. Specifically, how sanctification and evangelism interact.

The definition I am using states, "Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life."

I believe that it is impossible for a believer to truly mature in Christ if s/he is not actively involved in personal evangelism. I will be writing further blogs on this issue as I attempt to flesh out exactly how this works. Any reader interested in providing some insights, please feel free to comment.

I had a wonderful experience in church this morning. We have recently moved to New Orleans, and have had the pleasure of visiting several churches to find a church home. We visited FBC Arabi this morning and I was struck with the personality of the church.

It seems that many churches say that they are a friendly, hospitable church, but not many of these realize that they are not. What they mean is that they are friendly to the members and families of the church, but don't really think about the needs of the guests. FBC Arabi knows that hospitality is a major factor in reaching guests of their church. Even before we entered the church, people were seeking to help us find our way. Everyone was helpful, friendly and interested in us. The kids were immediately accepted in the nursery and introduced to the other children. My wife and I were directed to the Sanctuary and introduced to people (they even remembered our names!). After church, the pastor rushed out to catch us and invite us to lunch with several members of the congregation.

This experience is easy in a smaller church (under 150), but the concept is easily transferable to larger churches. It made me think about the role of hospitality. Obviously, hospitality is not as important as the gospel, but I would argue that Christians must be hospitable in order to create the proper environment for the gospel to be readily received. I think that it goes back to the family. As the church family, we are to anticipate needs, make guests feel welcome, and generally serve in all capacities to make the guest's experience comfortable and warm. We must show the love of God before we tell about the love of God.

Now anybody can say that this is obvious beyond degree. However, I would have to question, "why are so many churches and christians not doing it?" We must consciously decide to be gracious hosts and hostesses. By doing so, we do our duty in preparing the field for the harvest.

Wow. Starting this blog on a day with such tremendous news is humbling. 7 astronauts are dead. It reminds me of 1986 when I was a teen and watched the Challenger explode. I imagine most people who were alive at the time have thought back to that day. It is interesting that all of my peers remember where they were and what they were doing. This will probably be true of today.

I remember that I was at home in Atlanta. January 28, 1986 was a snow day in Atlanta and I was at home watching the movie, "Amadeus." We turned the movie off so that I could watch the Challenger lift off, and I was horrified when the shuttle blew up.

I lift up the families and the souls to God that He will comfort the families. Hopefully, the astronauts had a relationship with Christ. Often in situations like this, people imediately question why God would allow something like this to happen. In truth, it is not God who determined the death of these or any men. God would rather that none should perish, but that all would have eternal life. The reason bad things happen is because we are a sinful species. Beginning with Adam, every person who has lived, who has had an earthly father, has had sin in their life and are subject to the curse of death. Paul wrote in Romans that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." He further states that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ"

You and I have the ability to have that gift of eternal life by confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead.

I would love to discuss this with you personally. Feel free to comment or email me at jose3032f@yahoo.com.

Well, that ought to do it for now. I look forward to blogging on a regular basis.

God bless.