A while back, I attended a service where the person beside me was chatting rather loudly with regards to the preacher. The conversation mainly focused on the delivery, the tone of the preacher’s voice, and a variety of other issues that had nothing to do with the message. I even overheard the person say, “if this person becomes more regular in the church, I am looking for another church”. I will admit, I was not all that into the delivery or even the attitude of the preacher, but I did keep it to myself, but I will admit, the message was fully scriptural and right on point. There are some who preach like Rev. Lovejoy from the Simpsons or preach like a wind-up monkey with a set of tambourines but what we need to listen for is the message. Let’s try this on for an illustration.
There are many out there who do not like southern gospel. Some people love the old hymns, some appreciate the new choruses and others a good old fashioned Gregorian chant. Over the past twenty-three years in ministry, I have heard the same complaint with regards to music, “they never play music I like”. Consider this, if I was to pull up some of the worship songs from the days of Christ, not many would really fancy the tunes but think about this, are we there to tickle the fancy of self or are we there to share, worship and celebrate our Lord and Savior. Take some time to look at the lyrics of the Christian songs you like and define the central message of the song. Now, look at song you are not a fan of and analyze the central message presented. Are they the same? Do they celebrate Jesus and encourage a faith in God? Sure, not all messages tickle our fancy but not all of us like the same things in life. My suggestions is this, instead of complaining about the delivery, celebrate the fact that someone has taken time to listen to His Message, that the preacher or worship team has been faithful to present His Message to those who need to hear and celebrate and that they are doing everything they can in a world filled with doubt and confusion to declare the Grace of God. Celebrate God, lift His messengers in prayer and support the faith family through encouragement and uplifting discussions. You see, the evil one’s main tool is chaos, confusion and separation, don’t give into his nasty tactics.
One last thing before I sign off for this week, if the church is missing something like a children’s program or a youth group or even a young adult’s group, don’t walk away going “they have nothing for us here”. Instead, ask around to see if there is an opportunity to start something and then just do it. It takes time and effort to build up the church, don’t wait for “someone” to get the ball rolling, be that “someone”. Remember, Jesus said go out into all nations to share, baptize, and build up the faith community (I paraphrase). He did not say go out and find a group that is already up and running that suits your needs.
The service will be broadcast online (see links below), or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessing,
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Our Mission “To live the love of Christ”
