An old miner once explained to a visitor: "I let my mules spend one day a week outside the mines to keep them from going blind."

THE TRUE MEASURE OF WORSHIP Bob Russell

In Exit InterviewsmRevealing Stones of Why People Are Leaving the Church (Moody Press, 1993), William Hendricks wrote, "Perhaps the most common complaint was not that worship services were not interesting but that they were not worshipful .... It does not matter how interesting the celebrity interviews, how captivating the drama, how stunning the soloist, or how relevant, the message. When interaction with God is absent, church loses much of its appeal. People come to church because they expect to find God there." That's why wise church leaders provide worship services that include a blend of the old and new, hymns and choruses, times of quiet reverence and times of festive celebration. There needs to be a balance of both joy and awe so that when people leave they say, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!"

Standing at the South Pole is like being in the eye of a hurricane it's deceivingly calm. The quietness seems inconsistent with the fact that mighty winds originate there. How is this possible? As warm air from the equator flows in over the polar region, it descends, becomes cold and dense, and sinks to the frigid surface. Since the ice covered plateau tapers off toward the oceans, and no mountains of other obstacles stand in the way, gravity pulls the heavy, cold air down the smooth slopes. The wind picks up tremendous speed as it moves northward toward the equator. Gradually it is heated by the sun and begins to rise, creating a circular pattern to drive the earth's weather machine that is so vital to our existence.

For Christians, quiet times of prayer and worship also give rise to great power. They might seem nonproductive because nothing appears to be happening. Our urge is almost compulsive: move, do, work, worry, struggle. Yet at the heart of accomplishing things for God must be that regular experience of calm followed by an unobstructed flow of energy.

Some churches have parking problems, some other churches don't.

Some churches have kids running around making a lot of noise some other churches tend to be very quiet.

Some churches usually have more expenses than money, some other churches don't need to spend much money.

Some churches are growing so fast you don't always know everybody's name, in some other churches everybody has known everybody's name for years.

Some churches enthusiastically and generously support missions, some other churches keep it all at home.

Some churches are filled with tithers, some other churches are filled with tippers.

Some churches evangelize, some other churches fossilize.

Some churches are always planning for the future, some other churches live in the past.

Some churches seek new ministries and new methods, some other churches do not need to.

If you are active in some church, why don't you take a moment and pray for it today. Some people pray for their church, and some others never quite get around to it.

This House is built on Amazing Grace, Anchored in the Rock of Ages

Coated with the Blood of the Lamb of God as told in the Bible Pages

Its floors are built on foundations of faith, its walls are made of praises

Satan can't knock it down for its built on the Rock of Ages

ALCOHOLIC ANONYMOUS Randy Harrison - 1st Christian Church in Canton, OH

Last week I attended an AA meeting, my first. I went with a friend, not for therapy, but to learn. And did I learn! I was the outsider in an alien environment, but they made me feel welcome. I must have had thirty people walk up to me and introduce themselves, which is standard in an AA meeting. I asked myself "why is this so rare in my church?"

Another impressive thing was that when anyone stood to address the whole group, they gave their name and then said, "Alcoholic" or "Abuser". I thought, what a great idea! Every time we stand to speak in the church we should say "I’m Randy, I'm a sinner saved by grace." To top it off, we finished with the Lord's prayer. Everyone held hands and recited it in unison. Then following the amen, they all exhorted one another, again in unison saying "And keep coming back." I left there thinking "these people have something we don't." For example, they openly admit their "sin". An alcoholic is never cured, but then, neither is a sinner. Yet they depend upon one another daily to stay sober. You can find an AA meeting in this town each night of the week. But we sinners in the Church act like we are cured, and therefore, we don't need each other.

In her book, "It Only Hurts when I laugh," Ethel Barrett tells about a king of Sparta in ancient Greece who boasted to a visiting monarch about the might walls of Sparta. But the guest didn't see any walls, and finally he said to his host, "I'd like to see those walls. Show them to me!" The Spartan ruler pointed with great satisfaction to some disciplined and well trained troops, part of Sparta's mighty army, and exclaimed, "There they are! Those are the walls of Sparta!"

Just as each Spartan soldier was viewed as a brick in a mighty wall, so we are to think of Christians as "living stones,... built up a spiritual house" (I Pet. 2:5).

SILENCE AND WORSHIP John Hillaby in Journey Thru Love R.Digest 4/81 p. 1

A wise American has said that noise is the ultimate insult. It belittles us. It gives us nothing at which to strike back. It kills what is left of many things that we have loved: music, beauty, friendship, hope and excitement, and the reassurance of nature. Traditionally, noise is used to ridicule, embarrass, denigrate and curse, while silence is used for worship, respect, anticipation and love. Do we hate each other as much as our noise level suggests?

'Twas a dangerous cliff, as they freely confessed,

Though the walk near it's crest was so pleasant;

But over it's terrible edge there had clipped

A Duke and full many a peasant.

So the people said something would have to be done,

But their projects did not at all tally;

Some said, "Put a fence around the edge of the cliff,"

Some, "An ambulance down in the valley."

But the cry of the ambulance carried the day,

For it spread through the neighboring city:

A fence may be useful or not, it is true,

But each heart became brimful of pity,

For those who sipped over that dangerous cliff;

And the dwellers in highway and alley

Gave pounds or gave pence, not to put up a fence,

but an ambulance down in the valley.

"For the cliff is alright if you're careful," they said

"And, if folks even slip and are dropping,

It isn't the slipping that hurts them so much,

As the shock down below when they're stopping."

So, day after day as these mishaps occurred,

Quick forth would these rescuers sally,

To pick up the victims who fell off of the cliff,

With the ambulance down in the valley.

Then an old sage remarked, "It's a marvel to me

That people give far more attention

To repairing results than in stopping the cause,

When they'd much better aim at prevention.

Let us stop at its source all this "mischief", cried he

"Come neighbors and friends, let us rally;

If the cliff we will fence we might almost dispense,

With the ambulance down in the valley."

Better guide well the youth than reclaim the old,

For the voice of God's wisdom is calling,

"To rescue the fallen is good, but 'tis best,

To prevent the youth from falling."

Better close up the source of temptation and crime

Than deliver from dungeon or galley;

Better put up a strong fence round the top of the cliff,

Than an ambulance down in the valley!!!

THE STRENGTH OF SEQUOIAS Lewis Timberlake R. Digest, May 89, p.48

While on a tour of California's giant sequoias, the guide pointed out that the sequoia tree has roots just barely below the surface.

"That's impossible!" I exclaimed. "I'm a country boy, and I know that if the roots don't grow deep into the ground, strong winds will blow the trees over."

"Not sequoia trees," said the guide. "They grow only in groves and their roots intertwine under the surface of the earth. So, when the strong winds come, they hold each other up."

They are headed toward the grain fields of Canada and Alaska to spend the summer. Two engineers calibrated in a wind tunnel why geese fly in formation. Each goose, flapping its wings, creates an uplift for the goose that follows. The whole flock gains 71% greater flying range than if they journeyed alone. That's why the leader of the V formation falls back periodically to let another leader take the point, and why the rest stay in line.

The truth is obvious. It's harder to "go it alone." Christians who link their lives together in cooperative ministry (Christ called it the church) do make an impact on the world. Jesus called no one to be a loner. We rise or fall, succeed or fail, together.

It is also rough to be a leader. Even in a flock of geese, leadership is a shared responsibility. Every disciple, at one time or another, is called to "take the point." You have a gift, a talent, a service that is vital to the formation and flight pattern of your church. Use it!

When the geese honk, they are calling one lagging behind to catch up. Do you hear the "honking?" It's a signal to catch up.

Come fly with us. The view is great, our flock is fabulous, the journey is uplifting, and the destination is out of this world!

DESTRUCTION FROM WITHIN (Pulpit Helps 11, 1990)

Several years ago in Del Mar, California a man took a glass beaker which had a small neck, but was enlarged to about seven inches in diameter below the neck. The beaker would hold about a quart. The demonstrator used the glass beaker as a hammer to drive a spike into a wooden plank. The glass was so well tempered that the beaker did not break. The man then took a small steel marble or bearing the size of a pea, and holding it at the neck of the beaker, dropped it inside. When it struck the bottom the glass was shattered and beaker was broken by the blow from within.

The church of our Lord, when perfectly united and tempered together with love, can resist the heaviest of blows from the outside. But just a small force from within can destroy its unity and harmony.

DRESSING AHEAD FOR CHURCH R.Digest 1/82 p.70

A member of our church choir arrives every Sunday morning with her six children in tow, all a bit rumpled but nevertheless on time. Scarcely able to get my one child ready, I asked how she managed her brood so efficiently. "Easy," she replied with a smile. "I dress them the night before."

RELIGION'S PURPOSE R.Digest 7/90 p.120

George Washington's opinion was that religion and morality are the twin pillars of healthy national life.

Religious renewal will strengthen the moral fiber that holds together marriage, family, workplace, and yes, even the nation. But authentic religion shapes a morality not in order to be socially useful to the state, but rather to become obedient to God. Further, obedience to God does not end with private, personal morality. It extends, as indeed the prophets extended it, to the public life of the society. The prophetic call for justice is discomforting to every nation.

FRUITLESS FAUCETS Pulpit Helps Oct. 1991, p. 27

When Lawrence of Arabia was in Paris after WWI with some of his Arab friends, he showed them the sights of the city: the Arch of Triumph, the Louvre, Napoleon's tomb, the Champs Elysees, but none of these things impressed them. The thing that really interested them the most was the faucet in the bathtub of the hotel room. They spent much of time in turning it on and off. They found it amazing that one could turn a handle and get all the water he wanted.

Later, when they were ready to leave Paris and return to the East, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches trying to disconnect the faucet. "You see," they said, "it is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want." Lawrence had to explain to them that the effectiveness of the faucets did not lie in themselves but in the vast reservoirs of water to which they were attached and he had to point out that behind this lay the rain and snowfalls of the Alps.

What a tremendous application to our Christian lives. Like the faucet itself, so as individual Christians by ourselves, without Christ we are useless, John 15:5 "... apart from me you can do nothing." The lives of many Christians are as dry as the Arabian desert. The have their faucets, but there is no connection to the Living Water which enables us to share with others. They may go through the motions of good works, and men may call them faithful just because they come to one service a week.

WHY NEW PEOPLE STAY... Leadership, Summer 1983, p. 46

90% of the new members will stay in their congregation if:

1. They can articulate their faith

2. they belong to subgroups (such as a choir, home Bible study, class)

3. they have four to 8 close friends in the congregation.;

Churches of Christ as of 1/7/92

Catlin, Illinois (pop. 2226) 600

Cumming, Georgia (pop. 2094) 700

Markle, Indiana (pop. 975) 640

Wilkinson, Indiana (pop. 493) 450

DeKalb, Missouri (pop. 287) 500

King, N. Carolina (pop. 1500) 610, 670, and 125

Tyro, Kansas (pop. 206) 800

CHRISTIANS NEED HORSESENSE Frank Zimmerman

A herd of mules lived on a grassy plain near a forest. The grass was green and lush, the cool stream nearly made it an ideal home, except it was near a forest where a large pack of hungry wolves lived. Every evening the wolves would come out of the forest in search of food. The mules would become frightened and begin kicking in every direction. Consequently, the mules maimed and injured each other while the agile wolves escaped unharmed.

Finally, a wise old mule called the rest of his companions together for a conference and made known his plans for protection.

That night when the wolves came yelping from the forest, the mules put their heads together in a circle and began kicking outward. The wolves were put to flight and the mules did not harm each other.

Christians, we must all put our heads together, if we are going to put Satan to flight. We cannot win if each of us say, "I'll do it my way."

Last Sunday, I voted to close the church

not intentionally, nor maliciously

I voted to close its doors that its witness and its testimony might be stopped.

I voted to close the open Bible

I voted that children of the Sunday School no longer be taught the stories of the Bible

and no longer lift their tiny voice in song.

I voted for the voice of the congregation to be stilled, and that they no longer sing in

united praise.

I voted for missionaries of the church to be called home, every native worker supported

I voted that every home missionary be abandoned, every influence for good & right &

truth in our community to be curtailed & finally stopped.

I voted for the darkness of superstition, the degrading influence of sin, the blight of

ignorance and the curse of selfish greed once again to settle their damning load on

I voted for all this. For you see, I could have gone and I should have gone, but I didn't. I stayed away from Church last Sunday.

QUOTE: "The great task of the church is to get sinners into Heaven and saints out of bed." (Pulpit Helps 6/92 p. 21)

THE WORLD AND THE DISCIPLES' CHURCH New York Herald Tribune, 6/21/1875

Upon the occasion of the unveiling of a statue of Alexander Campbell at Bethany College, Bethany, W. Virginia. "The Church of the Disciples bears strongly the impress of the peculiar mind of its founder. Its members are apt to be logical, argumentative Christians. Each individual being driven to the Bible for his doctrine, an exceptional familiarity with Holy Writ is the rule among them; and as there is necessarily a great diversity in doctrines, each man stands ready to defend the peculiar faith that is in him at the shortest notice. Religious training of this kind is an education in itself which fact offers an explanation of the exceptionally small number of illiterate members of the sect."

George Washington's minister said of him: "No company ever kept him away from church. I have often been at Mount Vernon on the Sabbath morning when his breakfast table was filled with guests. But to him they furnished no pretext for neglecting his God and losing the satisfaction of setting a good example. Instead of staying at home out of fancied courtesy to them, he used constantly to invite them to accompany him."

THE DEVIL'S BEATITUDES BelleCentre Newsletter

Blessed are they who feel too tired and busy

to assemble with the church on Sunday; for they are my best workers.

Blessed are they who are bored with the minister's mannerisms and mistakes; for they get nothing out of the sermon.

Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church; for he is important to me.

Blessed are they who do not meet with the church on Sunday; for they cause the world to say "The church is failing."

Blessed are they who are easily offended; for they get angry and quit.

Blessed are they who do not give to carry on God's work and mission; for they are my helpers.

Blessed are the trouble makers; for they shall be called the children of the devil.

Blessed is he professes to love God, but hates his brother; for he will be with me forever.

Blessed is he who has not time to pray; for he shall be easy prey for me.

HAPPY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? Lexington Herald, 11/22/92 Section B

In the latest Christianity Today magazine, David Larson, a senior government health researcher, expounds on scientific studies examining the relationship between religious beliefs and health. Among the findings:

* Church going men, even those who smoke, have lower blood pressure than men who don't go to church.

* Church attendance and prayer are effective in warding off mental health problems related to stress.

* A strong religious faith helps prevent alcoholism and drug abuse.

* Religious people not only have far lower divorce rates, but report a high level of marital satisfaction.

RELIGION NEEDS NO DEFENSE Harry Emerson Fosdick

We defend religion too much. Vital religion, like good music, needs no defense, but rendition. A wrangling controversy in support of religion is precisely as if the members of the orchestra should beat folks over the head with their violins to prove that music is beautiful.

Paul & Jan Crouch, influential hosts of Trinity Broadcast Network have now offered "membership certificates" for those who watch that want to consider TBN to be their church. Certificates are available for a contribution.

VOLTAIRE'S DESIRE TO GET RID OF SUNDAY 1st Christian Church, Del Rio, TX in "The Newsletter Newsletter", May 1993

Voltaire predicted that within a hundred years of his day (i.e., the 18th century), Christianity would be nothing but a relic of the past. He had to admit that in order for that to happen, the world would first have to get rid of Sunday worship. He said: "There is no hope of destroying Christianity so long as the Christian Sabbath is kept... as a sacred day."

NEEDS OF A NEW MEMBER James D. Saunders, C of Christ newsletter, 6/10/93

Quoting from a "Christian Standard" article from the previous month: "The new member desires to be accepted. Many times it is easier to join a church than it is to be accepted into the fellowship circle of the congregation. Membership is open to everyone who responds during the invitation. By contrast, genuine fellowship involves being socially accepted. This means being included by members in conversation and being invited to participate in various fellowship experiences...." (Flavil Yeakley, Why Churches Grow, p. 65)

"The new member needs to establish new friendships in his/her new church. Friendships appear to be the strongest bond cementing new converts or members to the congregation." (Win Arn, Church Growth State of the Art, p.97)

A "new member needs to be involved. This occurs when the new member accepts a new role or task in the church.

The new member needs "to grow spiritually. Involvement in a Bible School Class, home Bible study or prayer group facilitates personal and spiritual growth.

RELIGION IS A CRUTCH R. Digest AUG. 1970

At a recent faculty student reception, Yale's chaplain, the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., met an intense sophomore with the light of battle in his eye. "Sir," said the boy belligerently, "religion is a crutch!"

"Sure it is," agreed Coffin. And before the flabbergasted student had time to respond he added, "But who isn't limping?"

GOING TO HEAVEN ON THE UPDRAFT R.Digest 3/79 p. 145

My good friend and fellow parishioner bought the house between the preacher's house and that owned by the chairman of the deacons. I teased her a bit. "Now you must really walk the straight and narrow," I said.

"On the contrary," she replied. "I expect to go to heaven on the updraft."

EMPOWER AMERICA by Bill Bennett quoted by Rush Limbaugh, October 1993

"I returned to Washington the other day and read the front page of the Washing Post: Mayor Kelly wants to call out the National Guard because of the city's exploding murder rate; Senator Packwood is holding on to his diaries which contain accounts of various sexual escapades on Capitol Hill; and I read about a sting on Montgomery County liquor stores, where the problem is underage drinking and still, there are people who believe that the greatest threat to the well being of the Republic is too much religion.

We are in a race between civilization and catastrophe. We have record murder and violent crime rates; huge increases in birth to unwed mothers; educational decline; broken families; and a president who has established a record for broken promises.

All of this, and we are told that the very religious are what we must fear. Religion is on the side of civilization; more people ought to recognize it."

MALCOLM S. FORBES JR. ON RELIGION R.Digest 12/93 p. 101

Scholars are now crediting a religious revival as critical to why crime rates went down in late 19th century America and England, despite urban upheavals brought on by the Industrial Revolution.

It's easy in the wake of buffoons such as Tammy Faye Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart to dismiss religion's unique, powerful role in inculcating countless people with a sense of personal responsibility for reshaping their lives, for accepting the values of hard work, thrift & self denial.

NO CHILD TO USE HIGH CHAIR David Stone at SE Leadership Conference 3/94

David Stone once visited a church that was having a pot luck supper. He brought along his young daughter and asked if there was a high chair that he could use. One of the women in the kitchen said, "Wait a minute, I think I know where we can find one," and picking up a wet rag she led him down a long hallway to a door. When she opened the door, Stone's eyes beheld a storage area filled with old used dusty chairs piled this way and that.

"I think there's a high chair back in the back of this room," the woman said. So, David picked his way gingerly back to the back, and sure enough there was the high chair which he then brought to the woman. As she dusted it off, she said sadly, "You know, it's been a long time since we've had little ones around here for us to use this."

OBSERVATIONS ON CHURCH GROWTH ibid.

* People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

* Maturity is changing from a tough heart and a tender skin to a tender heart and a tough skin.

* People are motivated by love not coercion.

* The church is often like the snail riding on the back of a turtle (repeat for emphasis)... and it went "Whee!" The only people who like change are "wet babies."

Christian Research Newsletter March/May 94

60 percent say they hold their current religious beliefs because of their parents example.

34 percent say the Bible is the actual Word of God to be taken literally, word for word.

46 percent say the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but not everything in it can be taken literally.

16 percent say the Bible is an ancient book of legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by

man.

76 percent say God is a heavenly father who can be reached by prayer.

11 percent say God is an idea, not a being

8 percent say God is an impersonal creator.

INFLUENCE OF RELIGION IN AMERICA US NEWS April 94

IS RELIGION INCREASING OR LOSING ITS INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN LIFE?

Increasing 21% Losing 65%

AND PERSONALLY FOR YOU, HAS RELIGION BEEN INCREASING OR LOSING ITS INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE?

Increasing 62% Decreasing 16%

WHICH OF THESE STATEMENTS DESCRIBES YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE BIBLE?

The Bible is the actual word of God to be taken literally, word for word 34%

The Bible is the inspired word of God, but not everything in it can be taken literally 46%

The Bible is an ancient book of legends, history, any moral precepts, recorded by man 16%

WHICH BEST DESCRIBES YOUR BELIEFS ABOUT GOD?

God is a heavenly father who can be reached by prayers 76%

God is an idea not a being. 11%

God is an impersonal creator 8%

HAS GOD EVER LED OR GUIDED YOU IN MAKING ANY KIND OF DECISION IN YOUR LIFE?

Yes 77%

No 19%

PRIVATE SERVICES

More than 8 of every 10 Americans today believe that it's possible to be a good Christian or Jew without attending a church or synagogue.

FOOTBALL CHRISTIANITY The Anglican Digest

QUARTERBACK SNEAK: People who exit immediately following the communion, a quarter of the way through the service.

DRAFT CHOICE: Selection of a seat near the door.

DRAW PLAY: What many children (and a few adults) do with their bulletins.

BENCHWARMER: Those whose only participation is their attendance Sunday morning.

FUMBLE: Dropping a hymnal, singing the wrong verse, and general inattention to what's taking place.

BACKFIELD IN MOTION: Making two or three trips out of the church during the sermon.

STAY IN THE POCKET: What happens to a lot of money that should go toward missions.

SUDDEN DEATH: The minister who preaches past 12 o'clock.

BLITZ: The stampede for the doors after services.

HALFBACK OPTION: When 50% of the congregation does not return for the evening service.

All of the apostles were insulted by the enemies of their Master. They were called to seal their doctrines with their blood and nobly did they bear the trial.

Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.

Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city.

Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece.

John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward branded at Patmos.

Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.

James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem.

James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club.

Bartholomew was flayed alive.

Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.

Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies.

Jude was shot to death with arrows.

Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.

Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica.

Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero.

Such was the fate of the apostles, according to traditional statements.

1993 SURVEYS ON RELIGION IN AMERICA Newsweek, Nov. 29, 1993

Sociologists have long puzzled over surveys that show that the U.S. is the most religious nation in the advanced industrialized West. When asked, more than 90% of Americans profess a belief in God. More than half say they pray at least once a day, and in any given week, more than 40 % claim to attend worship services. All this in a society that is overtly even aggressively secular.

In the Colonial era, many more citizens actually attended church than qualified for membership. Today, it appears, many more citizens claim regular church attendance than actually show up for worship. For example, The Gallup Organization reported last year that 45% of American Protestants and 51% of American Roman Catholics attend services weekly figures that are amazingly consistent with those of the last 3 decades. But according to a study to be published in the December issue of American Sociological Review, half the people who tell pollsters that they spend Sundays in Church aren't telling the truth.

Two thirds of Asian Americans are Christians - a reflection, the authors observe, of the fact that Asia's Christian minorities are already Westernized through conversion.

MEET MY NEEDS! Servant, January/February, 1989

I was in the supermarket one day, and a lady came down the aisle whom I could barely see over the top of her groceries. I got somewhat frightened because she seemed to be heading straight for me. She screeched to a halt within a few feet of me, peered over her load, wagged her finger, and said, "I left your church. I left your church".

So I said, "Well, if it's my church, I think that was a very wise decision. If it's my church, I think I'm going to leave too."

She said, "Don't you want to know why I left?"

I said, "No, not particularly, but I think I'm going to find out". And I was right.

She said, "You weren't meeting my needs".

I answered, "I don't ever recollect seeing you before, let alone talking to you, let alone knowing your needs. Did you ever tell anyone specifically what your needs were?"

She couldn't recall that she had, so I raised another question. "Can you tell me, if we have 5,000 people sitting in that church, all with your attitude, how anyone's needs are going to be met? If you reserve the right to have that attitude, then you must give everybody the freedom to have that attitude. And if everybody has that attitude, who on earth is going to do all the need

meeting?"

Standing her ground, she demanded, "Then you tell me who will."

Relieved, I said, "I thought you'd never ask. This is what will work: when people stop sitting in the pew saying, 'They're not meeting my needs' and start saying, 'Whose needs can I meet?' Then needs will be met. When the servant spirit flourishes in a congregation, then they minister to each other as unto the Lord."

The church is not:

* An ark for the saving of a select few.

* A ferryboat to take effortless passengers to the shores of heaven.

* A life insurance company, with no obligation on policy holders except the payment of a small annual premium.

* A social set, welcoming certain people and excluding others from its fellowship.

* A Sunday pleasure club for the providing of pleasant occupation on the day of rest.

The church is:

* A lifeboat for the rescue of sin wrecked and perishing souls.

* A family, in which love and service are expected from each member to each member.

* An organized community, with constant activities and continual growth and development.

* A company of believers who have found the one way of life and obey the one Lord of life.

* A union of those who love for the benefit of those who suffer.

* A center of social worship, in which the spiritual life of each is helped by the spiritual life of his fellow.

* The representative the "body" of Jesus Christ on the earth, reflecting his spirit and controlled by his will.

In his book Harvest of Humanity, John Seamands told this story: "A German soldier was wounded. He was ordered to go to the military hospital for treatment. When he arrived at the large and imposing building, he saw two doors, one marked, 'For the slightly wounded,' and the other, 'For the seriously wounded'.

'He entered through the first door and found himself going down a long hall'. At the end of it were two more doors, one marked, 'For officer' and the other, 'For non

officers'. He entered through the latter and found himself going down another long hall. At the end of it were two more doors, one marked, 'For party members' and the other, 'For nonparty members'. He took the second door, and when he opened it he found himself out on the street.'

'When the soldier returned home, his mother asked him, 'How did you get along at the hospital?' 'Well, Mother,' he replied, 'to tell the truth, the people there didn't do anything for me, but you ought to see the tremendous organization they have!"

The soldier's comment describes many churches in our day: really organized, but accomplishing little.

POW FINDS GOD IN PRISON CAMP Howard Rutledge and Phyllis Rutledge with Mel White and Lyla White, "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"

Howard Rutledge, a United States Air Force pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam during the early stages of the war. He spent several miserable years in the hands of his captors before being released at the war's conclusion.

In his book "In the Presence of Mine Enemies," he reflects upon the resources from which he drew in those arduous days when life seemed so intolerable.

During those longer periods of enforced reflection it became so much easier to separate the important from the trivial, the worthwhile from the waste. For example, in the past, I usually worked or played hard on Sundays and had no time for church. For years Phyllis (his wife) had encouraged me to join the family at church. She never nagged or scolded

she just kept hoping. But I was too busy, too preoccupied, to spend one or two short hours a week thinking about the really important things.

Now the sights and sounds and smells of death were all around me. My hunger for spiritual food soon out did my hunger for a steak. Now I wanted to know about that part of me that will never die. Now I wanted to talk about God and Christ and the church. But in Heartbreak (the name POWs gave their prison camp) solitary confinement, there was no pastor, no Sunday School teacher, no Bible, no hymnbook, no community of believers to guide and sustain me. I had completely neglected the spiritual dimension of my life. It took prison to show me how empty life is without God.

The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give his church. The bar is an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is permissive, it is accepting and it is an inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic.

You can tell people secrets and they usually don't tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart, the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved. And so many people seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.

One Sunday, a minister began his sermon: "I'd like to make three points today. First, there are millions of people around the world who are going to hell. Second, most of us sitting here today do not give a damn about it." After a lengthy pause he continued: "My third point is that you are more concerned that I, your pastor, said the word 'damn' than you are about the millions of people going to hell." Having undivided attention, he proceeded to preach an excellent sermon on putting faith into action.

I love thy church, O God;

Her walls before me stand;

But please excuse my absence, Lord;

This bed is simply grand!

A charge to keep I have;

A God to glorify;

But Lord, don't ask for cash from me;

The glory comes too high.

Am I a soldier of the cross,

A follower of the Lamb?

Yes! Though I seldom pray or pay,

I still insist I am.

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,

And all the world go free?

No! Others, Lord, should do their part,

But please don't count on me.

Praise God from who all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below!

Oh, loud my hymns of praise I bring,

Because It doesn't cost to sing!

You may remember a few years ago when Snoopy, the loveable beagle in the Peanuts cartoon, had his left leg broken. Hundreds wrote letters to Snoopy or sent sympathy cards. Snoopy himself philosophized about his plight one day while perched on top of his doghouse and looking at the huge white cast on his leg. "My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head's fault, and my head blamed my eyes.... My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot did...." Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, "I don't say anything because I don't want to get involved."

Finding his newly appointed pastor standing at his study window in the church weeping as he looked over the inner city's tragic conditions, a layman sought to console him: "Don't worry. After you've been here a while, you'll get used to it." Responded the minister, "Yes, I know. That's why I am crying."