The Christian Church does not want and does not need members because of a job it has to do. The Christian Church has a secret at her heart and she wants to share it. Whenever one, by repentance and forgiveness, enters this community of grace, he discovers life's end, and he too will be constrained to let this life flow out in appropriate channels. Thrilling and costly projects will come into existence, but not as ends in themselves, and the group will not become a means to [such ends]. The group will never forget that one of its primary functions is to up build the members in love. ... William T Ham, "Candles of the Lord"
I remember a night when Church came to the church.
I know, that is confusing so let me explain. I was serving a church other than the ones I am at now. We were at the very end of our Wednesday night meal when a man entered into the fellowship hall. He was a big man; he had to duck his head in order to get in the door. He stood there talking to one of our members and then they pointed me out, so I moved across the room to meet him. He was not only a very big man, he was African American, and with him standing so tall in the midst of our gathering I was reminded of how the palette of our church is so lacking in the rich colors of humanity. As I walked over many things went through my mind. I was worried that this man might be homeless, or that he might need money for gas, or food and I did not have access to any funds in our church. I started to formulate a plan in my head as to how I would be able to gather money from the congregation in a subtle enough way as to not hurt this man’s pride and still help him, but when I met him I realized all I was doing was rushing ahead of God, like I often do. I shook his hand and it swallowed mine up. He told me, in a voice as deep as James Earle Jones’ his name, and that he was here to begin work next week and that he was from New Orleans, chased out by hurricane Katrina to our doorstep. He was in his hotel room just down the street and thought to himself that some church must be having a Wednesday night Bible study so he searched and found us.
The man was everything I thought he would be as I walked across the room, he was hungry and he was in need, but it was fellowship and study he desired. He simply wanted to spend an hour or so in worship and in fellowship with other Christians. I walked with him from the fellowship hall to the sanctuary, his Gideon’s Bible in his hand introducing him to everyone we passed. We found a seat together and began our service. He paid close attention to the lesson, he laughed and shook his head, he said amen a few times and at the end when we sang I’ll fly away his deep voice rang out and mixed wonderfully in with the fellowship of believers. He asked me when we began if he could stand and introduce himself at the end, so I led him to the front. There he shared his name and where he came from, and went into a recital of a wonderful spiritual poem entitled God’s Grocery Store. We all clapped and afterward talked with him for almost a half an hour. We invited him back and I hope he takes us up on it. We sent him off with some food and he retired to his hotel room again.
Isn’t it wonderful that when you expect certain things to happen, God steps in and changes the dynamic completely? We had prepared a service last night, we all planned to be in church, and then somehow God had Church come to us. Christian fellowship, when it is cloistered and inward looking becomes stale, but when God stirs up the waters with new believers something wonderful happens every time.
I remember a night when Church came to the church.
I know, that is confusing so let me explain. I was serving a church other than the ones I am at now. We were at the very end of our Wednesday night meal when a man entered into the fellowship hall. He was a big man; he had to duck his head in order to get in the door. He stood there talking to one of our members and then they pointed me out, so I moved across the room to meet him. He was not only a very big man, he was African American, and with him standing so tall in the midst of our gathering I was reminded of how the palette of our church is so lacking in the rich colors of humanity. As I walked over many things went through my mind. I was worried that this man might be homeless, or that he might need money for gas, or food and I did not have access to any funds in our church. I started to formulate a plan in my head as to how I would be able to gather money from the congregation in a subtle enough way as to not hurt this man’s pride and still help him, but when I met him I realized all I was doing was rushing ahead of God, like I often do. I shook his hand and it swallowed mine up. He told me, in a voice as deep as James Earle Jones’ his name, and that he was here to begin work next week and that he was from New Orleans, chased out by hurricane Katrina to our doorstep. He was in his hotel room just down the street and thought to himself that some church must be having a Wednesday night Bible study so he searched and found us.
The man was everything I thought he would be as I walked across the room, he was hungry and he was in need, but it was fellowship and study he desired. He simply wanted to spend an hour or so in worship and in fellowship with other Christians. I walked with him from the fellowship hall to the sanctuary, his Gideon’s Bible in his hand introducing him to everyone we passed. We found a seat together and began our service. He paid close attention to the lesson, he laughed and shook his head, he said amen a few times and at the end when we sang I’ll fly away his deep voice rang out and mixed wonderfully in with the fellowship of believers. He asked me when we began if he could stand and introduce himself at the end, so I led him to the front. There he shared his name and where he came from, and went into a recital of a wonderful spiritual poem entitled God’s Grocery Store. We all clapped and afterward talked with him for almost a half an hour. We invited him back and I hope he takes us up on it. We sent him off with some food and he retired to his hotel room again.
Isn’t it wonderful that when you expect certain things to happen, God steps in and changes the dynamic completely? We had prepared a service last night, we all planned to be in church, and then somehow God had Church come to us. Christian fellowship, when it is cloistered and inward looking becomes stale, but when God stirs up the waters with new believers something wonderful happens every time.
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