The Christian life with the gifts and opportunities God gives us is a stewardship – a trust from God with precious responsibilities that call for faithfulness. But it is important to realize that faithfulness in the smaller responsibilities forms the basis for being entrusted with greater responsibilities. The Lord pointed to this basic principle in Luke 16:10, “The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much; and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” How one handles the smaller responsibilities of life demonstrates character and the capacity for faithfulness in greater responsibilities. They serve as stepping stones for the privilege of serving in areas of greater responsibility.

J. Hampton Keathley

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Meats		Meat	6	Servings

INGREDIENTS

4	lb	Beef short ribs; cut across the bone 1-1.5 in. thick
2	ts	Salt
1	ts	Black pepper; freshly ground
1	c	Cider vinegar
1	c	Soy sauce
2	qt	Water
		Barbecue sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

From: Wayne Pridgen  <pridgen@pond.com>
Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 20:41:44 -465800
Recipe by: Sylvia Woods Preparation Time: 2:00
1. Season the ribs with salt and pepper.  Put them into a large bowl and
add the vinegar and soy sauce . Marinate at room temperature 1 to 2 hours,
or covered in the refrigerator overnight, turning the ribs occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 350¡F.  Remove the ribs from the marinade and place
in an 18 by 12 inch roasting pan. Pour in the water and bake, covered,
until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Pour off and discard the cooking liquid.  Baste the ribs well with
barbecue sauce. Return the pan to the oven and bake, basting with barbecue
sauce once or twice, until well browned, about 30 minutes. Serve hot,
passing extra sauce separately.
MC-RECIPE@MASTERCOOK.COM
MASTERCOOK RECIPES LIST SERVER
MC-RECIPE DIGEST V1 #88
From the MasterCook recipe list.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive,
http://www.erols.com/hosey.

A Message from our Provider:

“Lust and selfishness do not equal love”

1. It’s biblical. Jesus established the local church and all the apostles did their ministry through it. The Christian life in the New Testament is church life. Christians today should expect and desire the same. 2. The church is its members. To be “a church” in the New Testament is to be one of its members (read through Acts). And you want to be part of the church because that’s who Jesus came to rescue and reconcile to himself. 3. It’s a pre-requisite for the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a meal for the gathered church, that is, for members (see 1 Cor. 11:20, 33). And you want to take the Lord’s Supper. It’s the team “jersey” which makes the church team visible to the nations. 4. It’s how to officially represent Jesus. Membership is the church’s affirmation that you are a citizen of Christ’s kingdom and therefore a card-carrying Jesus Representative before the nations. And you want to be an official Jesus Representative. Closely related to this. 5. It’s how to declare one’s highest allegiance. Your membership on the team, which becomes visible when you wear the “jersey,” is a public testimony that your highest allegiance belongs to Jesus. Trials and persecution may come, but your only words are, “I am with Jesus.” 6. It’s how to embody and experience biblical images. It’s within the accountability structures of the local church that Christians live out or embody what it means to be the “body of Christ,” the “temple of the Spirit,” the “family of God,” and so on for all the biblical metaphors (see 1 Cor. 12). And you want to experience the interconnectivity of his body, the spiritual fullness of his temple, and the safety and intimacy and shared identity of his family. 7. It’s how to serve other Christians. Membership helps you to know which Christians on planet Earth you are specifically responsible to love, serve, warn, and encourage. It enables you to fulfill your biblical responsibilities to Christ’s body (for example, see Eph. 4:11-16; 25-32). 8. It’s how to follow Christian leaders. Membership helps you to know which Christian leaders on planet Earth you are called to obey and follow. Again, it allows you to fulfill your biblical responsibility to them (see Heb. 13:7; 17). 9. It helps Christian leaders lead. Membership lets Christian leaders know which Christians on Planet Earth they will “give an account” for (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). 10. It enables church discipline. It gives you the biblically prescribed place to participate in the work of church discipline responsibly, wisely, and lovingly (1 Cor. 5). 11. It gives structure to the Christian life. It places an individual Christian’s claim to “obey” and “follow” Jesus into a real-life setting where authority is actually exercised over us (see John 14:15; 1 John 2:19; 4:20-21). 12. It builds a witness and invites the nations. Membership puts the alternative rule of Christ on display for the watching universe (see Matt. 5:13; John 13:34-35; Eph. 3:10; 1 Peter 2:9-12). The very boundaries which are drawn around the membership of a church yields a society of people which invites the nations to something better.

Jonathan Leeman