Recently, my Church had its’ Annual Meeting and luncheon. During the meeting, the Church’s spiritual and financial health were discussed. It seemed like an ordinary yearly update until one of the Elders, who was also the Master of Ceremonies, dropped a bombshell.
Bless his heart, Tim,* one of our Elders has always stood out as a person who wants to reach others for the Lord. He is a consistently mature Christian, kind, and caring and that includes his heart to have people know Jesus. He performs a lot of leadership roles for our faith community but that day he lead with his fervent heart for evangelism.
In the midst of discussions of replacing the staircase with either wood or composite material blah, blah, blah, Tim made me sit up and pay attention when he mentioned the possibility of growing our church. Okay, I know the outside walkway is important but I am not the most knowledgeable about it. Perhaps I learned something because it seemed everyone had an opinion on the pros and cons of wood versus composite.
Just when I had to pinch myself to stay awake, Tim threw down the gauntlet. “I recently talked to the Pastor about having a community outreach event such as a church open house or street preaching but, the Pastor told me to read a book instead.” Suddenly, the room was abuzz with ideas, thoughts and prayers. Oh, but wait, I was suddenly awake and couldn’t believe what I had heard! “The Pastor told him to read a book instead,” and here it was! Tim wanted the Pastor to consider having an open house, or street preaching and the Pastor told him to read a book. What book was that I wondered? It was never mentioned but, I am guessing it wasn’t the Bible. The Bible should be the place that we get our direction from on such matters.
There is a difference of opinion in Sharing the Message between my Pastor and one of the Elders. I am not entirely surprised. This issue has presented itself in the past four and a half years that I have attended my new Church. My Pastor knows his bible very well and boy can he teach it! My Elder TIm and his wife have brought the message in other ways. They welcome in Jesus’ name at all times. They actively participate in ministries both in and outside of the church which glorify God. They are extroverts and always ready to encourage new church goers who have attended a service. They love the unloveable and they are natural born proselytizers. My Pastors’ personality tends toward introversion. So, it is not surprising that his approach toward Sharing the Message would be different than Tim and his wife’s. He seems to believe the time to bring people into the church is over, a sort of Noah model of thinking.
Noah was busy building the ark because the possibility of repentance was near over and judgement was coming from God. Noah and all in the ark were saved from that destruction, just as the remnant of true believers in Jesus will be saved in the last days. My Pastor is a Noah trying to keep his little country church safe and close to God always readying us for our eventual journey out of here. In our case, the Rapture of the church.
Our Elder Tim is more like Jonah, except without the hesitancy. Jonah ultimately preached a message which brought repentance in Nineveh. Both Noah and Jonah lived at junctions in human history as it would seem we all are. Those times require taking sides and choosing God. Do you know that expression, “hands to work, hearts to God?’ That expression means keeping busy for the Lord and in so doing activating your love for God and his ways. I think Noah and my Pastor are “hand to work, hearts to God” type men. My Pastor spends time visiting the sick and dying constantly. If you are in my church or in my Pastors circle he will spiritually support you. But, he just does not seem to have a heart for evangelizing.
I don’t think that this should surprise anyone because we all have the ministries that God has equipped us to pursue. Other people form the other ministries necessary in administering to the needs of God’s church. What with teaching the Bible and visiting those in need, he is also pretty busy. Still, I wish that Pastor **** would listen to Tim and bring the message to those who are most like the Ninevites. I think it would be biblical for the Pastor to do so or to allow others so equipped to do so. Hmm, now that I am thinking about it, perhaps my Pastor is like Jonah after all. If he were to preach the message to those who are lost just like Jonah did, I think we would see similar results. Also, we clearly see that Jonah was made to understand that it was God’s will that he do so.
Yet, in his Christian journey I think he fails to see this. Is it for me to say something? Should another Elder get in there to debate it further, should his wife or any congregant do it for that matter? I have been praying about this matter since our Annual meeting. It is always amazing that if God wants you or me to do it, he makes it clear through his Holy Spirit. I much prefer the Holy Spirit’s more gentle approach than what happened to Jonah, don’t you? Thank you God for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
My approach is always hopeful and always ready to Share the Message of Jesus Christ. Why not? He is the biggest influence in my life and all that is good in my life. Everything is better because of knowing Jesus, not that it has been easy. The world is currently rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ so there is rejection that has come my way but God’s promises of comfort through those times are real.
This Christmas season we need Jesus’ comfort desperately and we need to share it with others. Comfort from the floods, the weather and the wars. Comfort from the terrorism, and the oppression that crime brings. In our families there are struggles relationally or financially. We have health struggles and Christian persecution. Yet, Jesus that baby was born to bring us “tidings of comfort and joy.” Repent, acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior and receive the free gift that is available to you this Christmas season. Let’s start the New Year with a new purpose. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be call Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”-Isaiah 9:6
Every year at this time I like to say hi and Merry Christmas to all of my readers. To do that, I look at my blogger statistics for the year and see what countries people reading this blog come from. I write or attempt to write “Merry Christmas” in the language of that country. Please note that the greetings are in the order of most readers at the top to least on the bottom. We are all one in Christ and I am grateful for each and every one of you and wish you God‘s blessing today and always.
Selamat Natal, Zheng Tan Kuai Loh, Shèngdàn Kuàile, Sheng Dan Joey, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, 聖誕快樂, 圣诞快乐 Joyeux Noël, Frohe Weihnchten, Happy Christmas, Frohe Weihnochtn, Śubh krisamas, শুভ বড়দিন -Shubho bôrodin, Feliz Natal, めりーくりすます, メリークリスマス, חג מולד שמח, Hyvää Joulua, Gíang Sinh Vui Vė, C рождеством, Merry Christmas, Zelig Kerstfeest, Wesołych Świąt, Crǎciun Fericit, God Jul, Egucerri On, Jabbama be Sally Kiritimati, hey Trinidad and Tobago Merry Christmas, Eid Milan Majid, Mutlu Noeller
* or **** the names are changed to protect their privacy
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