Teague Bible Church

BARE MINIMUM ?
In 1975 I worked, part-time, at Auto Convoy in Dallas. Two of us believers made it a point to not isolate ourselves from the others at lunchtime. Some of the guys, however, wanted to smoke dope at their lunch time, hidden away in their car from the rest of the crew. We were not invited, of course, and we sat in a car right beside them and had a Bible study time, and ate our lunch.
One day, when lunch was done, a man from the “smoking car” ask what we had been doing at our lunch break. My Christian brother told him. The man said he believed as we did, but did not restrain himself from any pleasure, as we did. In fact, he ask us,” What is the bare minimum to follow Jesus?”
In a speech I will never forget, my Christian friend said this to him; ” _____, Nobody who knows anything about Jesus would ask that question! He was murdered on a cross for you, and you casually ask, as you stand here stoned out of your mind, ‘what is the bare minimum?’ ”
I have never felt such love and rebuke coming from the Holy Spirit, through my friend. The closest thing I could give, in relationship to it was Jesus’ speech in Matthew 23. Please go read that!
My friend began to cry; and I began to cry. It was a powerful and overwhelming moment. The unbeliever understood a reality that day that could not be denied. I never know what happened to the man in the “smoking car” after a few years passed. I hope he turned to Christ. I know that day he was touched by the tender call of the Holy Spirit to repent and believe.
We, as Christians, have to continue to make sever breaks away from the lust of the world to be effective in our witness for Christ. Simply saying we will “try harder next time” to keep our heart clean, will not cut it! You have to surrender again to do God’s will. Romans 12:1-2 is the only solution to walking in the power of the Spirit.
At the time, my friend and I were about 20 years old, and struggling ourselves to live a holy life. Yet, there is a difference in learning to become stable in your walk as a believer and saying what this man said. There is no hypocrisy in learning to grow from one level of maturity to the next.
God’s DNA has entered into every child of God and they have a supernatural hunger to grow in God’s character and purpose. Romans 8:28-39. Christians never ask. ” Hey, what is the bare minimum on this thing called the Christian life? I will try to work that into my schedule!”
” For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, who remembers You in Your ways.” Isaiah 64:4-5a. JWP 12/15/17