Quote from Forum Archives on May 9, 2002, 3:13 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I've long been a firm believer in God, and I've realized, so many more
times than I can even count, just how much I need Christ. Every time
*I* think that I have things together, I realize, with even greater
clarity, that I do not! Who can rescue me from such things? Just as
the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7, with thanksgiving, it is Jesus
Christ!

So when we get into petty little squabbles about this denomination or
that, the songs we sing, the way we baptise, or some other matter that
distinguishes us, I say this: I don't mind the differences, but I DO
mind the petty squabbles! GET OVER IT!

So when we are faced with calamities that draw people of faith back
together, though I am saddened by the calamities themselves, I am just
as grateful that God uses adversity to draw ALL people to Him - not to
our fancy buildings or our choices, but to Him.

Therefore, when I read Larry's message this week about a church in
need and how people came together to worship the One True God, my
heart rejoiced! I have many Methodist friends, and I have many
Baptist friends, too, and friends of all different faiths, and some of
no faith. All are worthy to be loved and accepted, even when we
sharply disagree on rules, principles, and styles. After all, I do
not worship a style, I seek to worship the One, True God - and God
alone!

My own home church has a mission statement that reads that we desire
to be a caring community of contagious Christians committed to the
cause of Christ. Now how do we go about doing that? Well, I do think
it begins with a deep desire to know Christ, and to earnestly seek
Him. But we don't have to know the Bible very well at all to realize
that Jesus Christ gave up every comfort in heaven just to be with us,
to love us, to serve us, and ultimately to give His own life for our
sake. To go around praying shallow prayers, thinking we are serving
Christ, to me, is the ultimate example of just how spiritually dry
some of us have become.

I challenge each of you to reach out in love to one another. Larry, I
affirm your choice, and I urge all of us to look for ways we can serve
one another, even in the most simple things. I'll endeavor to do take
this message to heart myself!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

Reply-to: "Sowing Seeds of Faith..." <sowseeds@nesbeonline.com>
Subject: The 5% Factor, a Tornado and Two Churches

Sowing Seeds of Faith...

The 5% Factor, a Tornado and Two Churches Larry Davies

In a recent sermon, I said, "95% of our daily decisions could be made
by anyone with reasonable intelligence. It is the other 5%... the
crucial 5% factor that ultimately defines what sort of person or
organization we will become. As Christians, this 5% factor ultimately
defines our faith."

Jesus said: "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside
your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross and follow me. If you try
to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up
your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if
you gain the whole world but lose your own soul." (Matthew 10:24-26)

Together, the two statements issue a challenge: "When making those 5%
decisions, will we have the courage to pick up our cross and follow
Christ?" God would soon test me and our congregation on our
willingness and courage to make those crucial 5% decisions, shoulder
our cross and follow Jesus.

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and I was looking forward to a few
minutes rest. It was not to be. The skies grew dark, the wind began to
blow and suddenly we were bombarded by hail stones the size of golf
balls. "Does hail come before a tornado?" I asked while gazing out the
window. (Dumb... very dumb.) Then it was over. The news flash said a
tornado touched down within two miles of our home.

Two days later the front page of the newspaper featured an article
about the destruction of Lawyers Missionary Baptist Church by the same
tornado. The picture showed the church with both side walls and the
roof completely blown away. Yet, you could plainly see the exposed
pews with bibles and hymnals still in the racks. In the article,
Rev. Carlton Johnson spoke of rebuilding but didn?t say how.

I couldn't take my eyes off of the picture. An inner voice kept
asking: "What will they do next Sunday? Where will they go? This
church is only a few miles away. Surely we can do something but what?"

Our church is in the process of building a new worship area. The
current sanctuary is too small for the 11:00 AM worship service so we
meet in the Family Life Center at the other end of the
building. Lawyers Missionary Baptist Church desperately needed a
sanctuary. We have it. We aren?t using it. How can we possibly say no?
Actually, there are plenty of reasons.

We have limited parking available. We wouldn?t be able to handle any
extra cars. They are a Baptist church and we are Methodist. There are
theological differences. Also, their congregation is mostly black and
ours is mostly white. There is risk of stirring up a racial
incident. But the inner voice kept on: "Look at the picture
again. Suppose this was your church. Wouldn't you want someone to help
you?"

Early that morning, I invited Rev. Johnson of Lawyers Missionary
Baptist Church over to our church to meet with me and several
leaders. We drove to his church where I stood in the sanctuary among
the exposed pews and tried to imagine what force of nature could
possibly cause this much damage. One member was sorting through the
debris looking for anything salvageable. You could see the hurt in his
eyes as he spoke of the church he loved but I also saw hope as he
talked of building again.

This was one of those crucial 5% decisions that needed to be
made... now! "Rev. Johnson," I heard myself saying, "We have a church
sanctuary and we would be delighted to have you join us."

The following Sunday... two congregations met as one church. In the
hallway connecting the two sanctuaries were tables filled with food
and coffee. As members of Lawyers Missionary Baptist Church arrived,
people from Timberlake United Methodist were there to greet them and
show them around. At 11:00 AM several of our members volunteered to
attend their worship service to show support.

Were there any comments? Yes there were. "We need to have a joint
covered dish supper so we can really get to know each other. How can
we help raise money for their new church? Would they like to combine
with our youth program or our Bible studies?" My favorite comment
however was made by more than one of our members: "I have never in my
life been so proud to be a member of this church."

You will soon be able to see a picture of the damaged church by
clicking here: www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/2churches.htm

If you like this devotion you will love the book: "Breaking the Peanut
Butter Habit: Following God's Recipe for a Better Life" now on sale
only through this website. Click here for more information:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/peanbutt.htm

Join our prayer ministry by clicking here:
www.sowingseedsoffaith.com/sign-up.htm

Jesus said: "You are the light of the world?like a city on a mountain,
glowing in the night for all to see. Don?t hide your light under a
basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all." (Matthew
5:14-15)

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--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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