It Takes A MiwacleWhen I was in high school there was a mentally-challenged woman at our church who wanted to sing for the morning services. She did not sing well. Nevertheless, our minister allowed her to sing once or twice per year.
I distinctly remember seeing her stand before the congregation and sing "It took a miwacle to hang the woold in space." I sat in a pew with 8 or 9 other high school boys squirming through this painful and embarrassing moment... and every one of us knew in his heart that letting this woman sing
was the right thing to do.At my present church there has been talk from the leadership that our goal is to provide the best and most appealing worship service to help bring in new converts and members. And they have succeeded in this goal because they put on a very professional and smooth service. Much can be said for being efficient and appealing to the public and I regularly pray for their success.
However the woman mentioned above would not be allowed to sing at our church. Perhaps the leadership thinks such a spectacle might cause someone to be "turned off" and not accept Jesus... to which I would remind them that it's the Gospel, not our management of it, that produces the "miracle" of a changed heart. More likely they think that someone might opt for a church that provides a better time... which would suggest that it's a business decision.
We the members of the 21st century Church do a lot of thinking... but I wonder sometimes if God isn't in Heaven saying, "Uh oh, they're thinking again..."
I would suggest that as our churches get bigger and more professional, we may be losing something important. I suppose in Bible Colleges and Seminaries they teach students how to be successful and how to "grow" a church... but I fear our church services are in danger of becoming just one more entertainment... so much like the world.
My high school church wasn't very slick... but on the Sunday that the mentally-challenged woman sang we had a message for our visitors and potential converts that was also appealing... one that spoke of our values and how we treated our family...those in our care. We displayed kindness and acceptance while sitting through this woman's tortured rendition of "It Took a Miracle"... while God tapped his foot to the rhythms of this poor woman's child-like faith.
Pat Robertson and Son
Friday morning as I lay in bed watching TV, contemplating the dreaded and monumental task of swinging my feet out onto the floor, I came upon a TBN interview with Gordon Robertson, son of the Christian Broadcasting Network's founder, Pat Robertson. Gordon was talking about his childhood and how he grew up on powdered milk and dishes his mother made with soybeans. His grandfather was a U.S. Senator, but evidently his father Pat was determined to rely on God to provide their needs. Gordon said that visiting his grandparents was like visiting another world.
It must have been a world Gordon liked because, instead of considering the ministry, he became a lawyer and practiced for ten years.
Then he went on a missionary trip to India and his life changed. According to Gordon... during a festival late at night, while he observed an old woman fervently praying to a statue, he heard a voice say to him, "No one has told her." He left the crowded festival and Jesus appeared to him and talked to him.
Whoa Duke! About here in the interview I began thinking of all the strange and embarrassing things Pat Robertson has said in the past few years. Being a believer I know that God can do anything, which includes appearing and speaking to a man...
but come on!I don't know that God is embarrassed by the Robertsons, but I know that those of us who wear the name of Christ... right underneath our cloak of worldly sophistication... are very embarrassed by these people.
And why is that? Why do I immediately tend to reject such claims? It may in part be because when I'm honest with myself I have to admit that I don't want Jesus to appear to me. I don't want a "Road to Damascus" kind of experience that Gordon Robertson claimed to have had, because Jesus might ask me to do something specific that I don't want to do... like go to Ninevah, or something. You see, I've got God under control. He gets 20 minutes every morning for Bible reading and prayer... I squeeze him in for the occasional (and very timid) witness... and ofcourse I have Him pencilled in on Sundays. The fact is, my faith more often resembles a
life-style than a passion, and I wonder if
that is an embarrassment to God.
Well Gordon went on to say that CBN is working at starting a "700 Club-like program" in India... in the Hindi language... that I figure could one day reach a billion people.
Now I haven't the resources to determine if God actually appears and speaks to the Robertsons. But I've decided that it would be wrong for me to criticize or even look down my nose at individuals who seek to bring the Gospel to a billion people. I don't
think I was called to India... but I
know I wasn't called to berate or belittle the Lord's servants.
Welcome....
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The purpose of this site is to help 'connect & communicate' among
Bible-believing Christians in Howard County.
If you know of existing networks of these pastors, leaders and other innovative Christians in the area,
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Statewide this initiative to connect the Church of the Jesus Christ and help accelerate the Great Commission, is called the
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