Sometimes Gods children should be seen and not heard. If our churches are known for the size and grandeur of the buildings that they gather in, and not by the size and scope of giving that they put into the local community and abroad, then we have a problem. In essence, all you have is a religious social club that is of little use to the Kingdom of God. If you are having miracles, signs, and wonders, but are keeping them in your church and not taking them to the streets, then you are missing the whole point of WHY we are to have miracles, signs, and wonders. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 I dont care what kind of church you sit in each week. I dont care how expensive it was to build and decorate and outfit with gear and equipment. Big or little, grand or simple, if youre not making an investment into all the world, then you are *not* fulfilling the call of God on your life. You are not fulfilling the great commission. I dont care if you have the most eloquent pastor, the most gifted worship leader and band, the best television or radio ministry. I know a lot of places that have great services, places that have some or all of the above that I just listed. Church people know all about them. The problem is, the people who dont go to church do *not* know them. If mentioned, they might recognize a church if you describe the church building. Oh yeah, that one church thats over by such and such a place. Wouldnt it be awesome if the hundreds of churches in just this area lone were all dedicated and committed to not increasing the size of their coffers and buildings and member rosters, but rather to increasing the amount of giving and outreach and street ministry into this area? Imagine if Baptists, Charismatics, Pentecostals, Church of Christ, Presbyterians, Methodists, Nazarene, Episcopalians, Catholics, Lutherans, etc., all worked together and cooperated. Imagine if we set aside sectarian differences. Imagine if we actually believed that the blood of Jesus and the confession of sin saves us, and not doctrines formed by men. Imagine if we all believed that we are parts of one body, rather than many different bodies doing our own thing. This area wouldnt look anything like what it does now! Ive known precious few pastors who are willing to do what I just mentioned. There will be some dialogue, but mostly, if youre not part of our group, we keep you at arms length. That was one thing that truly impressed me about Fellowship Church of the Nazarene. They welcomed me warmly and unconditionally, even let me minister from the piano a number of times, even though Im a Pentecostal kid born and raised. lol But, thats just my belief system. Im not a denomination guy. Ill worship with anyone, IF you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. I might worship different than you. Doesnt mean I wont worship WITH you. In this day, in this hour, we need a united church. Not united in word, but united in deed, in action. In demonstration of the power of God, as Paul said! We have a ton of preachers, a lot of people talking, but not enough people DOING. We can do better, friends. A lot better. :)
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 22:42:25 +0000
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