Respect History
I started reenacting the American Civil War in 1994 and have had a tremendous appetite for learning historical facts ever since. It amazes me that many people do not care for history. I can’t get enough of it.
As a Christian, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that I should know my history as well, the history of the Bible, the history of the Church and the history of my own spiritual journey. My story of faith began at birth, born into a Christian family and raised in the church by Bible believing parents. Despite the many hours I spent in church as a kid, being a church kid didn’t make me a Christian.
I remember my mother and father explaining the reasons I should receive Jesus into my heart and as an eleven year old, not going to hell stood out as the most valid reason.
It wasn’t until I was a fifteen year old at church camp when I realized, if I didn’t make a complete commitment to Jesus Christ, I would be throwing my hope for God’s blessing away. I knew receiving Jesus merely to avoid the lake of fire wasn’t cutting it, and if I was going to be a Christian…I was going to be a Christian because I recognized my utter dependence on Jesus Christ. I wish I could tell you that I haven’t messed up since then, but you already know that would be a lie. The truth is I have sinned a lot since then, but I return to the Lord with an honest confession, an apology, a renewed desire to follow Him close and the faith that my sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. If I looked at my “history” of missing the mark, then I would be discouraged; however, I prefer to look at my history of receiving the amazing grace consistently from Jesus Christ over these many years, and how He has been faithful to forgive my sins. I look forward to the future because I long to see where the Lord will take me next. I endeavor to study the Bible everyday, because I want to understand what the Lord has done and base my daily steps on the history of God’s word. It’s becoming apparent that when religious people conduct their lives without studying the scripture, they start believing all kinds of wacky things. I need to study history in general, so I will be able to learn from those who lived before me. I want to pay close attention to the ones whose lives made a difference for good.
At a Civil War reenactment several years ago, someone asked me…”which ones are the redcoats?” Not only did they have the wrong war they were watching out for the wrong enemy.
Great job you finally blogged!!!
Great message Pastor Jebby! I too am a big history buff. My wife Emily will definitely attest to that. Like you I am into 19th century reenactment. Only I play 1886 vintage base ball. It’s a blast! We are learning and teaching others as well. It’s a pretty cool feeling. I think history plays a huge role in our day to day lives. The more people that get in touch with our history, the easier it is to live a more fulfilling life today. That’s especially true when it comes to the bible and Jesus. What an important piece of history that is huh? I totally agree with you when you said that religious people who don’t study the bible start believing in wacky things. That was the case with me too. The bible does clear things up and makes it a whole lot easier to have pure faith in Jesus. Looking forward to your future blogs.
Hello Pastor Jebby ,
Here are 2 more History Buffs for you . Mike and i love to go and travel to historic sites all over the world ( Europe and US ) .I dont know if the Boys feel this way because we just drag them along but we feel it can not hurt them plus they learn about it. So 2 more history lovers on your site …
Have a blessed Day Ina