The Story of Jonathan Stockstill

CHURCH CULTURE
CHASING
IDOLS
Why is God’s church pursuing everything but the holiness and
purity He has commanded of us?
I
will never forget a story Mom told me about her
challenge in raising me. My problem: I would never
be still. I was the busiest, most distracted kid she
ever encountered. But there was one exception:
When she was cooking dinner I would sit with rapt
attention, not moving until the food was ready.
Then I would eat heartily and return to busily
tearing up the house.
I mentally argued with her stories thinking, I’m not that
unfocused. She must be exaggerating. Then I got married
and one day my wife settled it for me. She said, “Kyle, you
don’t have ADD” (Attention Deficit Disorder). My ensuing
smile disappeared when she said, “You have ADD-EFGHI-
JKLMNOP!” Yes, I am still happily married, in case you
were wondering.
God finally helped me settle this issue. When I was called
to preach the gospel, I wanted my first sermon to be meaningful.
I somehow felt it would have ramifications for the
rest of my life and ministry, so I dared not just choose
any subject. I wanted to hear directly from God. I fasted
and prayed many days to hear properly. Finally I heard
clearly my topic from Psalm 46:10—“Be Still and Know That
I Am God.”
For many years, my distracted nature caused me to avoid a
truth we all must embrace—the Christian walk is simple, and it
requires us to focus on one main thing. Christianity at its core
50 MinistryToday March // April 2015
STOP
BY KYLE SEARCY
is not about many of the things we pursue—dare I say even
idolize. Christianity in its purest genetic form is about sincere,
pure devotion to Jesus.
Paul makes this crystal clear by exclaiming, “For I am
jealous for you with godly jealousy; for I espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
But I fear that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve through
his trickery, so your minds might be led astray from the simplicity
that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2-3).
IN THESE VERSES, PAUL LIKENS:
hh
Salvation to betrothal
hh
Christ to a bridegroom
hh
Our mandate as simple pure devotion to Jesus
hh
Our warfare as Satan trying to distract us from
such devotion
What Paul says is profound, but yet quite simple! When we
embrace this as our mantra, when the only idol in our heart is
Jesus and living for His glory, the end result is an undistracted
heart that uses every ounce of its energy to please Jesus. This
should describe our life’s pursuit.
Christianity is simple and Satan’s main strategy against
us is also simple. Our goal as believers is to live in sincere,
pure, unbridled devotion to Jesus as a pure virgin would
to her new bridegroom. He alone is to be our idol. Satan’s
goal for us is to be distracted by secondary or tertiary tasks