This Is My Church!
A three-legged stool works just as well as a four-legged one. However, it seems that when we hear the word stool, we think immediately of one with at least 4 legs. That just seems sturdier.
The difference between the 3-legged and the 4-legged version is not the legs but rather the placement of the legs. A 3-legged stool designed with 3 legs is not the same as a 3-legged stool designed with 4 legs that has one of the legs removed. This arrangement of legs does not provide the necessary support. Stools, like everything else, need adequate support.
The Lord’s Church is no different. It needs a support system that is broad and deep in order to be effective. Its support starts with the words of Jesus, “…on this rock I will build My Church…” (Matthew 16:18). The Church’s support system is founded on Peter’s confession that Jesus the Son of God (Matthew 16:16).
This support system is sufficient to sustain the Church universal. Jesus said further, “…and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18). There is no power, not even the realm of the dead to which Jesus was about to go soon after speaking these words, that could undermine, prevent, or destroy the Lord’s Church.
However, the Church on a local level needs additional support to survive. That support system comes from the involvement of each member. The Richmond church needs the time, talents, and treasures of its members to survive and thrive.
Members who do not assemble with the rest of the members are saying that they do not support the assembling of the members together. Members who do not give of their money are saying that they do not support the church paying their bills and adding new works of outreach that require money. Members who do not participate in the various works of the church are saying that they do not support the church doing various works.
Members who do assemble, give, and participate sometimes feel that they are overworked. There is so much going on and so many opportunities to serve but often the same group of people carry most of the load. They will continue to do it because that is who they are.
However, those people need to know that they may be overworked but they are not underpaid. There is great reward in the present for service. There is even greater reward in eternity for service. Those workers need to remember that the reward is really an over-payment. A few years of service now for an eternity of reward later.
Think about this and assess your support of the Richmond church. The Lord be praised that we have a very supportive group. However, we need more to join the support system in an active way. After all, this is my Church! This is your church! This is our church!
-Mike Johnson
