Hopewell Herald –
February 23, 2019
Dear
Congregation,
I was
impressed recently by a gentleman in the Small Town Diner in Mt. Pleasant.
There I was,
having breakfast with a friend, and one of us had said something that might
loosely imply that we care about southern history, or even just had ideas that
may be consistent with federalism as originally constituted in our nation.
It wasn’t
long before this man was standing at our table, asking us about ourselves, and
sharing his joy with us. The joy of having discovered his southern roots and
ideals while living in the north as a northerner, and having moved down and
learned so much since then. Before he left the table, he had provided us some
literature and invited future contact.
Oh, that we
would be like this with our Redeemer!
Have we not
also realized that we were once living under the sway of our own rebellion? Did
not the Lord completely change our mind, bring us to our senses as His dear
lost children who had been hungering for the pigs’ slop, and come running to
us, throw His arms ‘round us, and gather us back into the home?
Is this not
our joy—and is not growing in our knowledge of Him not our privilege? And
telling others of it, and inviting them to do so as well—is this not our
mission?
Would that,
if we were in a restaurant and overheard someone say something that might
suggest a point of contact, we would:
·
Politely
introduce ourselves
·
Find out
something about them
·
Share briefly
why we were so glad to hear what we did from them
·
Offer some
material that shares with them the joy of Him whom we have discovered—and, in
our case, who is the One who laid hold of us
·
Invite future
contact for the comparing of notes, sharing of joy, and joining in mission
Of course, if
we are to be steady in our “fanaticism,” we will have to be filling up
constantly on the joy of Christ and His having redeemed us. This means an
entire day, every week, filling up on the joy of the Lord and His gospel. And
several times a day, privately and with our small-group/growth-group (family!),
filling up on the joy of the Lord and His gospel.
Should the
history buffs really be better evangelists than the Christians? God grant unto
us that they would not be!
Looking
forward to filling up with you tomorrow,
Pastor
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