As the story goes a man came in to town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. Shocked, the restaurant owner asked the man where he could get so many. The man replied, “I have a pond near my house that is full of frogs. They croak night and day, and are about to drive me crazy.” The restaurant owner agreed to purchase several hundred frog legs the following week. A week later, the man returned sheepishly with two scrawny frogs. He confessed, “I was mistaken. There were only two frogs in that whole pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise.”
Many congregations are like this man’s pond. They have a couple of people making a lot noise. They have a couple of people who don’t like the preacher,the elders,the deacons,or one of the members. They are croaking loud and long to anyone who will listen to them. Sadly, some will hear them and jump to the same erroneous conclusion that the man in this story did. They will begin to think that the congregation is full of problems. They will begin to think that no one likes the preacher, the elders, the deacons, or brother or sister so and so. However, in reality, this is not the case. It is just a couple of malcontents making a lot of noise.
Like the man in the story, it is easy to imagine that things are bigger than they really are and to get discouraged. However, we must not do so. We must realize that those who murmur are Satan’s ministers. Satan is using them to weaken our hands and to keep us from working (Neh. 6:9). We must not let a couple of bitter bullfrogs discourage us. We must encourage ourselves in the Lord and His word (I Sam. 30:6; II Chron. 31:4)
If people would just remember what a commitment is and how important it is. Without a person's word, what more does that person have to pledge? Our God does not break His promises (Commitment) to us.
When a person leaves the church, not only does he break his commitment to serving God, he also neglects his brethren. Whether that person realizes it or not, he is important to God, and he has the power to make a difference in God’s kingdom, but that person cannot do anything to help the cause of God when he forsakes the kingdom of God.
True satisfaction only comes from what we do in the Lord’s kingdom. As Jesus says: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).
Furthermore, the writer of Hebrews 10:24 says: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works..." If this is you in this article, can you think of any valid reason you should not honor your commitment to God? Why not return home like the prodigal son did (Lk. 15:11-32) and know that all of heaven will rejoice (Lk. 15:7,10)? God is patiently waiting for you (2 Pet. 3:9). Just like the invitation of the Lord, the only thing holding you back is you, God does not want you back unless YOU want to return to Him. So, come on home, we miss you, but not as much as the Lord does!
Manny Lago
Preacher at church of Christ of Savannah
]]>Are we just singing louder? A first-hand account is retold by Penny Lea about how a church in Germany new that atrocities were being committed against the Jews. But they never acted. This church happened to have a railroad track that was right beside their auditorium. One Sunday as they were gathered together to worship they heard an eerie sound as the train went by--and they realized it was hundreds of Jews who had been crammed into boxcars like cattle on their way to ovens in the concentration camps. The next Sunday the same thing happened, so the church decided to sing a hymn to drown out the horrible sound. This went on for weeks. And now the church had a solution. Because the train went by each Sunday at approximately the same time, the members inside the church building planned ahead to sing loud songs at precisely the time the train was passing by. They just kept singing. Sunday after Sunday they would sing louder and louder to drown out the cries.
Are we not doing the same thing? We know the horrors of abortion, but we just keep singing--hoping our daughters won't choose to kill the unborn (even though some have). We recognize our nation is legalizing same-sex marriage and we just keep singing--hoping our children will not tolerate this, even though they have already been indoctrinated into a tolerant mindset. We are all aware of the immorality broadcast each night on prime time television and yet, we just build bigger buildings or gymnasiums, and we keep singing--hoping our grandchildren will turn out okay, even though they are turning out like the world. We learn that our nation produces more than 80% of all the pornography consumed by the world, and we sing louder, silently hoping it won't infect our church family (even though it has). Each Sunday we gather together and just keep singing--louder and louder.
Ever wonder what would have happened if someone in that church would have said: "Wait, stop the singing! We need to act. We must be the light in this community. If not us, then who?"
Friends, it is time we act. It is time we realize the train is passing by our church buildings, and singing will not change the plight of those who are doomed. It's time we stop singing, and start reaching out...
- Brad Harrub, Focus Press (via Facebook)
These words strike right to the heart of whats wrong in the church. We all need to reach and save souls.
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Sincerely,
The Admin
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