BEING INVOLVED

“Being a Christian is pretty easy” someone once said.  “All you have to do is go to church every once in a while, put a few bucks in the plate, listen to a few boring sermons and sing a bunch of songs nobody knows”, they told me.

     Just the other day I heard a person of notoriety state that “To be a Christian means learning the Ten Commandments and following the Golden Rule.” “It’s just that easy” they said.

     I can’t count the number of times I have heard people say that “being a Christian means God loves you and all you have to do is say a few prayers and He will give you whatever you pray for.”

     It’s been said, “Being a Christian means life is good all the time and God will protect me from everything bad or dangerous or harmful.”  I even heard on fellow on TV say, “God loves you so much, you deserve the best, and He wants to bless you with ‘all His riches in heaven’, because you are His child He wants to give you His heavenly treasures right now – what are you waiting for – ASK!”

     Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it!  Simply quote a few ‘promise verses’, pray a few times, send $20 to the guy on TV and believe God is going to bless you 100 fold.  Tell you the truth, I want some of that!

     But THAT is not IT!  That is NOT the truth.  The truth is that being a Christian is more than what we see on TV, or hear some politician say to bolster their position, or even what we may have been led to believe from other sources in our life.

     Truth is, being a Christian means being involved.  Being involved in relationships, the church, and with God.

     Being a Christian means being involved with the Spirit of God and following the Word, will and ways in which we are commanded.

     Being a Christian is accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and not only accepting His leading, but being involved in His mission and ministries within the area and gifts we have been given.

     Being a Christian means becoming a part of the Body of Christ and being in connection with other believes in a time of praise, worship, support and encouragement.

     Being a Christian is not just another spectator sport we watch on TV.  It is a lifestyle which requires contact with other people in a focused and intentional manner to communicate the awesome love and grace of God in a variety of ways.

     Christianity is involvement in the lives of others, in the life of the church, and in the world we live in.  We are called to reach out to the least and the lost, to help and comfort those around us, to help guide the affairs of our world, and to help build up the Body of Christ by our involvement in the local church.

     But sadly, most Christians are either not involved, or they involved on a merely superficial or perfunctory level.  We know this by the state of our society and the state of the church.

     I fully believe the church was designed to be the backbone of our families and of our society.  But, over time and for reasons beyond the realm of this article, the church has lost its backbone.

     I submit that – “Christianity only works when believers work.”  I add to that – “The church only grows when we grow.”

     I further submit that – “The Spirit of God only moves as we allow it.”

     Instead of so many preachers preaching about the ‘entitlements’ of Christianity, I believe we need to hear more sermons about the ‘involvement’ of the Body of Christ.

     For it is only through the involvement of the Body of Christ will the mission of Christ be realized within the church, community and the world around us.

     I believe God is calling us to be involved.  We have the opportunities, we have the resources, and we have the people.

     Most important, we have God’s word that when the people of God are doing the will of God in the Spirit of God, He will not only provide all that is needed, he will also bless the efforts and lives of those involved!

     Thus, the blessings of God overflow and fill the land with His glory and goodness!

     May the hand of God be upon you, as you become more involved and reach out to others…..

Pastor Eldon