“Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?” Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.” He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!” That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.” (Acts 2:37-47 The Message Bible)
This is your “Monday Short” Meditation. Smile! Make sure to pass this on to all who you know can benefit from it. Do so as part of the effort to bring our local churches back to where they were and where they were heading, growing, before the pandemic.
This meditation has three parts, a short story, a short statement, and three simple questions. First, the story. Year after year, father used to retrieve all the Christmas decorations from the attic. For years, we used the same ornaments and the same lights. The strings of lights were untangled and plugged in before putting them on the tree. This was years ago, many years ago, but the is a life-long lesson found in the preparing the lights. Sometimes the lights would not light up at as they were intended to work. But all was not lost. It just demanded a little work with each family member helping out. So, we went to work, making sure that there was not a loose connection, checking to see if each bulb was tightened, twisting each bulb, and searching for the one bulb that was keeping the string of lights from working altogether, or to its full shining potential. It took some time, but the end result proved that the effort was worthwhile.
Here is the short statement. For each local church, each member, every believer needs to be connected with each other for it to reach its full shining potential.
Here are the three simple questions: (1) Are you one of the missing lights in the church? (2) Do you know some missing lights that might need your help in tightening up their church responsibility, fulfilling their role in helping your church maximize its potential and reach its full potential? (3) What action are you going to take if the answer to either or both of the first two questions is “Yes”?
I’ll close with four words below, words that members of the adult Sunday School class brought to my attention, four words that indicate what we should seek to incorporate in our lives as believers. Think about them and then formulate a plan that applies to you or to somebody who argues their “going to church” is not necessary. Have a great Monday! Be blessed!
“The four words: Followership, Relationship, Fellowship, and Discipleship.” (Salt Of The Earth Adult Sunday School Class, November 12, 2023)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King