South African Christian Mission

Disaster!

2010-03-10T12:26:19Z

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out!” A wise man.

The clutch just quit! It was growing dark and we were stuck at the side of the road outside one of the most crime-ridden townships of the city. I couldn’t leave my wife alone in the car nor could I ask her to walk and find a telephone. This was a recipe for disaster! After 30 minutes of praying, several cars slowed but only one stopped. A young man got out and examined our car with a flashlight. He offered to tow us and I gratefully accepted even though I didn’t have much money to offer him for his kindness. His name was John and he interrupted his journey to return home for a tow rope. It was nearly midnight by the time John towed us all the way home and refused to take any recompense.

Although I was pleased to be out of a very touchy situation, I was more pleased to meet John. He was a Christian and an active member of a small church group. They were looking for a Bible teacher and it “happened” that John met me in this way. Needlessly to say, I taught there for a long time and saw their church grow into many others. John became a pastor after studying hard in the classes I taught.

It depends on how you look at a “disaster” to determine whether it is good or bad. Sure, it cost me to repair the entire clutch assembly — but God opened a door, despite my “disaster” and though it, many people including myself were blessed!

Do you have a “disaster” you can’t get through? Maybe you should look at it through God’s eyes.

Steve

Action Stations!

2010-03-09T12:12:30Z

“Before our God and Father, we remember the effort that came from your faith, the hard work that came from your love and your endurance, which comes from the hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thess 1:3 (Simplen English Bible)

It was instant! He looked at her from across the room and he knew that she was the one he’d hoped for. Their eyes met and without speaking a word, they fell in love with each other. Hollywood loves a good ending with all the troubles between, just as long as the guy gets the girl and they live happily ever after. I’d always anticipated such a romance but never had one. Maybe I was at the wrong gatherings or just wasn’t staring long enough at the right lady!

Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessalonica that their hard work was motivated by love. They not only had tasks which had to be done but they also had power and endurance, motivated by their faith and their hope in Christ. Love necessitated action; it required more than just a passive acceptance of Jesus or an intellectual understanding of who He is. Love propelled those Christians to do something. Love required hard work, involvement and practical ministries.

We really need Christians this motivated today! Every community needs believers who would help and assist others in a practical manner. Congregations need dedicated Christians who aren’t afraid of hard work.

Are you one?

Steve

Winning

2010-03-08T11:23:42Z

“I have not yet made the resurrection my own and I have not l already become perfect but I press onwards to win what Jesus won for me.” Phil 3:12 (Simple English Bible)

The teeanger sat at the kitchen table, head down, lectured by his father. A pack of cigarettes lay nearby. The father outlined the evils of smoking, the health risks and a list of reasons why his son shouldn’t smoke. Unfortunately, as he spoke, the father lit another cigarette off the one he was smoking.

The church was harrangued by one of the elders in a long ranting diatribe. The senior leader was one of the founder members of the congregation and acted as if it were his personal fiefdom. He reinterated that if anyone didn’t like his rules, they were welcome to leave! The door was open and it would be his pleasure to escort them out.

We didn’t achieve salvation by our works. Christ won life for us with His sacrifice! We all all His servants, commissioned to do His biding at His command. We cannot save ourselves, nor can we “excommunicate” anyone who we think runs afoul of our standards. Jesus won the battle over death. Jesus gives us His life! And so we should also appreciate that He gave others life, too! We love each other because we are all of the same family and because He loved us first!

Steve