Philippians 1:3-6
3I thank my God every time I remember you, 4constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
For years, as a Sunday School teacher, I had the privilege to see The Holy Spirit at work as a child grew in faith. This was very humbling for me. As a science teacher in my secular life, I taught concepts based on provable fact. Faith is so abstract, so hard to explain and I always felt so ill equipped for the task of laying the foundation for a child’s walk with Christ. Yet, again and again so many of the children grasped these first seeds of faith with such conviction and enthusiasm that it can only be explained as Christ shining through!
Now that I am “older” (as my retina specialist recently pointed out) I have joined the Care Team. Again, this is doing something I feel unprepared for and not totally comfortable with. As I have visited people in or just out of the hospital, or someone who is no longer able to leave their home anymore I am amazed at the joy expressed upon being able to receive news about life at Christ the King. The grace and patience with which I have seen extreme illness and infirmity handled can only be the sure and certain knowledge of Christ shining through their lives.
For me, the surest way to see Christ in our congregational life is to get involved in the ministries of our congregation. Stretching outside of my comfort zone has truly enriched my faith and helped me to grow.
Janine Armstrong
For reflection:
How do you express gratitude to God through your participation in congregational ministries?
In what ways have you been an instrument for passing the faith to another?
Describe an incident in which you felt you were a vessel of God’s grace and compassion.
“Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11
ReplyDeleteGrim words indeed from God’s prophet to Israel. Did those words apply only to that long ago time when God’s chosen people were facing destruction as a nation because of their refusal to hear and obey God? He had brought them out of slavery and made a great, rich, and powerful people of them and they turned their back on Him again and again until finally He lost His patience and took away His protecting hand, leaving them to the whims of their enemies.
What a contrast with the Church of Phillipi, who were faithful to God and the teachings of Jesus Christ brought to them by Paul. In fact, Paul has high praise for them and is thankful to God for the Phillippians every time he thinks about them. In verse 9 of Chapter 1, we find Paul’s prayer that “your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment”. Here the words knowledge and judgment mean DISCERNMENT, which we find when we look for their meanings from the Greek.
So, what does all this have to do with our church services of today? Furthermore, what does all this have to do with the fact that many of our worship services are half full or poorly attended? The answer lies in knowing the purpose for a “church”. Yes, there is usually great opportunity for such things as fellowship, helping the poor and needy, and music, to name a few. But, what is it that really distinguishes or should distinguish a church from other charitable and social organizations?
Is not the thing that makes a church so different the fact that God’s Word is to be taught there? Then why is it that so many churches shy away from this and opt instead for yet another new order of worship, another new songbook, another new approach to the worship service; in short, they opt for another new “gimmick” instead of really trying to teach the Word in depth whenever there is an opportunity.
The Bible survived all these centuries for a reason. God has protected it so that we would have an opportunity to learn about Him. Both the Old and New Testaments allow God to speak to us when we read and study. This is how God’s people gain knowledge and, thus, Discernment. Yet, our worship services are so packed with other things, we barely gloss over a few passages from the Bible.
Look around today. There is so much happening that threatens our very existence as a nation, as individuals, as Christians. We need to learn God’s entire plan for us. If the church does not become relevant to people, they will seek knowledge, entertainment, solace, you name it, somewhere else.
It certainly does seem that the days of Amos are upon us even now, as many search high and low for something they cannot define. And, still, many of our churches do not emphasize God’s Word. So, each individual must decide for himself or herself whether to be with the Church of Phillipi or Ancient Israel in the days of Amos.
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