Praise the Lord for these mid-summer days. The Lord blessed us with a great day in His House yesterday. Dave Coles, our missionary friend, preached, sharing about his family and his ministry briefly and then he preached on the uniqueness of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Lord anointed the proclamation of His word and the listening to His word. There was dinner reception following the morning worship. It was great day of rejoicing. Dave and his family have been in the mission field for last 24 years. They are blessed with three sons and one daughter. All children were home-schooled by their mom. Two sons have received PH.Ds in engineering. They are both working and serving the Lord in the world at large. One son is doing his Ph.D. now. Their daughter is teaching nursing in a Christian College. Praise the Lord for the way He blesses His servants.
Laureen stayed home with us to watch the World Cup final match yesterday afternoon. It was an exciting game. It was exciting to watch some of the intense moments of the game as the cameras were zooming on the famous statue of Christ, the Prince of Peace. As the sun was setting the brilliance of the evening sun was magnifying the Statue of Jesus our Lord.
Yesterday, at the conclusion of the game the skies broke open and torrents of rain drenched the area. We also were under a tornado warning in the immediate area. While no tornado touched down here, the effects of the strong winds were felt around the area, and many homes were left without power.
It always a blessing and a thrill to have Dave Coles back with us. He was part of the team that spent an incredible time in Orissa, India this past April. It was an once a lifetime experience. Dave has given his life in serving Christ around the corner and around the world.
I was reading about Barnabas in the Book Of Acts. Barnabas gave a
year of his life serving with Paul. We read that he sold some real estate gave
the money with generosity to the church for the work of the Kingdom. He
experienced real life force. He knew first-hand what serving through giving
could do. It changed his life, and it changed the lives of others. When the
opportunity came to do more, the choice was obvious. He knew serving gave force
to his life. He knew that being a servant would enable him to make the biggest
difference he could possibly make. He knew that Jesus was the hope of the
world and that serving Him was everything. He took his skills and leadership
abilities, and poured them into a local community of faith so that the kingdom
could expand. The impact of his service was
so significant that the people in Antioch called that group of believers
"Christians," which means "little Christs."
Because of Barnabas's investment,
people's lives were being transformed into the very likeness of Christ. So
people called them Christians—little Christs. The term Christian has stuck
around for 2,000 years, and it was because Barnabas chose to be a servant, just
like Jesus.
For most people in the world this is a
foreign concept. It's like an entirely new language, a radically different
culture, a whole new set of values. This world doesn't teach us to serve. We
don't want to serve; we want to be served. Our goals are opposite of Jesus'
goals. Often our lives are opposite of Jesus' in terms of influence, impact,
and significance.
Often we trade a life of
significance for a life of selfishness. We're
afraid that if we were to give, we would lose. When it comes to serving like
Barnabas did—whether it's giving money, or investing our time—we think it will
cost us more than we will gain. We believe first is first, and last is last;
more is more and less is less. There is no servant math.
We all want a life that makes a
difference. We all want a life of significance. It comes one way: the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life away. That's the
challenge for all of us.
My prayer is that every Christian
serving somehow, somewhere, for the cause of Christ. The cause is too great, the
day is too dark, and time is too short to have anyone on the
sidelines.
Barnabas was a great man. People still
talk about him today. But notice what we're talking about. We're not talking
about the money he made in real estate or business, but the money he gave away.
We're not talking about the people he climbed over or through to get to the top,
but the people he helped. We're not talking about the companies he built, but
the communities of people he served.
We're not talking about his success,
but his significance. That's what Jesus wants people to talk about when they
think of us.
In Christ,
Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment